The Petal Lattice Bag Holder is a tall, airy tube for storing plastic grocery bags. You stuff bags in at the top and pull them out one at a time through the cinched bottom. Staggered six-petal flowers run around the body, and the open diamonds between them let you see at a glance how many bags are left.
The sample is worked in deep crimson red, and the same holder looks just as good in cream or natural cotton. Solid double-crochet bands at the top and bottom keep the shape firm, while the lattice body stays light and stretchy. It’s practical, washable, and pretty enough to hang where everyone can see it. This pattern uses US crochet terms throughout.
The finished body measures 6.25 in (15.9 cm) wide laid flat and 16.5 in (41.9 cm) tall. The hanging strap adds about 3 in (7.6 cm), for an overall height of about 19.5 in (49.5 cm).
You crochet the body in one piece from the bottom up: bottom band, six flower tiers, top band, then the strap. To finish, make a slip-stitch drawstring with a bobble on each end and thread it through the bottom eyelets. You don’t sew any seams on the body.
Finished Size and Construction
- Finished size: 6.25 in (15.9 cm) wide flat × 16.5 in (41.9 cm) tall, not counting the strap
- Circumference: 12.5 in (31.8 cm)
- Skill level: Intermediate (clusters and working in the round)
- Terminology: US crochet terms
- Yarn weight: Worsted / medium (#4) cotton
- Hook: US H-8 (5 mm)
- Number of pieces: 1 body with an attached strap, plus 1 drawstring and 2 bobbles
- Layout: joined rounds, not turned; 5 flower repeats around, staggered across 6 tiers
- Flower size: about 2.5 in (6.4 cm) across
- Size before top band and strap: 6.25 in × 15 in (15.9 × 38.1 cm)
- Top band depth: 1.5 in (3.8 cm)
Materials
Use a smooth, firm worsted-weight cotton or cotton blend. Cotton stays crisp, holds the flower shape, and can go in the wash. Avoid very soft or splitty yarns, because they make the clusters hard to see. Pick a tightly plied yarn so the chain bars don’t stretch out over time.
- Color A, crimson red: 85 g, about 150 m (164 yd). This covers the body, strap, drawstring and bobbles.
- Optional colorway, cream: if you want a matching second holder, use the same amount, 85 g, about 150 m (164 yd).
The quantities include a margin of about 15% for your gauge swatch and weaving in ends.
Tools:
- US H-8 (5 mm) crochet hook
- Tapestry needle
- 5 locking stitch markers
- Scissors
- Measuring tape
- A small handful of yarn scraps to stuff the bobbles
- Rustproof pins and a rolled towel or a 4 in (10.2 cm) cardboard tube for blocking
Abbreviations (US Terms)
- ch: chain
- sl st: slip stitch
- sc: single crochet
- dc: double crochet
- sc2tog: single crochet 2 together
- sk: skip
- sp: space
- st(s): stitch(es)
- rep: repeat
- MR: magic ring
Special stitch: cl (3-dc cluster). *Yarn over, insert the hook in the stitch or space, yarn over and pull up a loop, yarn over and draw through 2 loops; repeat from * 2 more times in the same place (4 loops on hook). Yarn over and draw through all 4 loops. Each cluster forms one petal.
Gauge and Checkpoints
Gauge: 16 dc × 8 rounds = 4 in (10.2 cm) in dc worked in the round. Each dc round is 0.5 in (1.3 cm) tall, and one flower tier (3 rounds) is about 2.25 in (5.7 cm) tall.
Work the bottom band and the first flower tier, then stop and measure. Treat that section as your test piece. Measure it flat, without stretching it, and measure the lattice gently straightened.
Checkpoints:
- After the bottom band: 6.25 in (15.9 cm) wide flat, 1.5 in (3.8 cm) tall.
- After Tier 1: 3.75 in (9.5 cm) tall.
- After Tier 3: 8.25 in (21.0 cm) tall.
- After Tier 6: 15 in (38.1 cm) tall.
- After the top band: 16.5 in (41.9 cm) tall.
If your piece is too wide, go down half a hook size. If it’s too narrow, go up half a size. Don’t change the stitch count, because the 5-repeat math depends on exactly 50 stitches. If the lattice looks too long but the width is right, crochet your chains a little tighter.
Bottom Band
Foundation: Ch 50 and join with a sl st to the first ch to form a ring. Make sure the chain isn’t twisted.
Round 1: Ch 3 (counts as a dc throughout). Dc in each remaining ch around and join with a sl st to the top of the ch-3. (50 dc)
Round 2 (eyelet round): Ch 4 (counts as dc + ch 1), sk next st, dc in next st, ch 1, sk next st; rep from * around. Join to the 3rd ch of the ch-4. (25 dc + 25 ch-1 sps = 50 sts)*
Round 3: Ch 3. Dc in each ch-1 sp and each dc around (25 dc worked in dc + 25 dc worked in sps) and join. (50 dc)
Check the width now: 6.25 in (15.9 cm) flat. Place a marker on every 10th stitch (sts 1, 11, 21, 31, 41) to mark your 5 repeats. Each marked stitch is where an sc of Tier 1 Round F1 will go.
Flower Lattice Body
Each tier has 3 rounds: F1 makes the two lower petals, F2 makes the four upper petals, and M makes the chain bars between the flowers. Each flower ends up with 6 petals around an open ch-3 center.
Tier 1
Round F1: Ch 1, sc in the first st, ch 4, sk 4 sts, (cl, ch 3, cl) in next st, ch 4, sk 4 sts, sc in next st; rep from * 3 more times, then rep from * to ** once. Join to the first sc.
Each repeat covers exactly 10 base stitches (1 + 4 + 1 + 4). (5 sc, 10 cl, 5 ch-3 sps, 10 ch-4 sps)*
Round F2: Ch 1, sc in the same sc, ch 3, skip the ch-4 sp, work (cl, ch 3) 3 times in the next ch-3 sp, then cl in the same sp, ch 3, skip the ch-4 sp, sc in next sc; rep from * 3 more times, then rep from * to ** once. Join to the first sc.
(5 sc, 20 cl, 25 ch-3 sps)*
Each flower now has 2 lower petals and 4 upper petals sharing one ch-3 center.
Round M: Sl st in each of the next 3 ch, in the top of the next cl, in the next ch-3 sp, in the top of the next cl, and then in the center ch-3 sp of the fan (the 2nd of the 3 spaces between the fan’s petals). Ch 1, sc in the same sp, ch 9, sc in the center ch-3 sp of the next fan; rep from * 3 more times, ch 9, and join to the first sc.
(5 sc + 45 ch = 50 sts)*
The round is back to 50 stitches. The sc sit on top of each flower, and each ch-9 bar runs across a gap. Move your markers up to the 5 new sc.
Tiers 2 to 6
Round F1: Ch 1, sc in the first sc, ch 4, sk 4 ch, (cl, ch 3, cl) in the 5th (middle) ch of the ch-9, ch 4, sk 4 ch, sc in next sc; rep from * 3 more times, then rep from * to ** once. Join.
(5 sc, 10 cl, 5 ch-3 sps, 10 ch-4 sps)*
Because the new flowers start in the middle of each ch-9 bar, each tier is offset by half a repeat. That creates the diagonal lattice.
Round F2: Work as Tier 1 Round F2. (5 sc, 20 cl, 25 ch-3 sps)
Round M: Work as Tier 1 Round M. (50 sts)
Repeat Tiers 2 to 6 until you have 6 tiers in total, ending with a Round M. Check the height: 15 in (38.1 cm).
Border: Top Band and Hanging Strap
The top band works like a border on the tube. Its gauge is the same as the bottom band: 16 dc = 4 in (10.2 cm). Laid flat, each side of the tube is 25 stitches and 6.25 in (15.9 cm) wide.
Round 1: Ch 3, dc in each ch and each sc around, and join. (45 dc in ch + 4 dc in sc + ch-3 = 50 sts; 25 per flat side)
Round 2: Ch 3, dc in each st around, and join. (50 dc; 25 per side)
Round 3: Ch 3, dc in each st around, and join. (50 dc; 25 per side)
The top band is now 1.5 in (3.8 cm) deep, and the body is 16.5 in (41.9 cm) tall.
Why the math works: 50 stitches = 5 repeats × 10 stitches, and Round M puts back exactly 50 stitches. That means the top band starts with the same count as the bottom band, so the tube stays straight instead of flaring or pulling in. Each flat side is 25 stitches = 2.5 repeats. At 4 sts per inch, that gives the 6.25 in (15.9 cm) width at both ends.
Hanging strap: Don’t fasten off. With the joining st as st 1, ch 30, sk the next 24 sts, sl st in st 26 (directly opposite), sl st in st 27, and turn. Sc in each of the 30 ch (30 sc), then sl st in st 50 of the rim. Fasten off.
The strap is about 7.5 in (19.1 cm) long and 0.5 in (1.3 cm) wide. When the holder hangs, it rises about 3 in (7.6 cm) above the rim.
Drawstring and Bobbles
Cord: Leave a 6 in (15.2 cm) tail, ch 120, then sl st in the back bump of each ch. (120 sl sts) Fasten off. The cord is about 30 in (76.2 cm) long.
Bobble (make 2):
- Round 1: 6 sc in a MR. (6)
- Round 2: 2 sc in each st. (12)
- Round 3: Sc in each st. (12)
- Round 4: Sc2tog 6 times. (6)
Stuff the bobble with scraps, close the hole, and sew it securely to one end of the cord. Each bobble is about 0.75 in (1.9 cm) across.
Starting at the front center, weave the cord in and out through the 25 ch-1 eyelets of Bottom Band Round 2, so both ends come out at the front. Pull it until the opening is about 1 in (2.5 cm) across, then tie a bow.
Final Blocking
- Wet the holder in cool water, gently press out the water, and roll it in a towel.
- Slide a rolled towel or a 4 in (10.2 cm) cardboard tube inside to support the body.
- Lay it flat and ease it to 6.25 in (15.9 cm) wide and 16.5 in (41.9 cm) tall.
- Open up each flower: pin the 6 petals outward from the center and square up the diamonds.
- Pin the strap straight and steam the cord lightly so it lies flat.
- Let it dry completely before you remove the pins.
Final Quality-Control Checklist
- The bottom and top bands each have 50 dc and measure 6.25 in (15.9 cm) flat.
- There are 5 flowers in every tier, 30 in total, and every flower has 6 petals.
- The tiers alternate cleanly, and no ch-9 bar is twisted.
- The body is 16.5 in (41.9 cm) tall.
- The strap is attached at opposite points and sits centered.
- The cord passes through all 25 eyelets, and both bobbles are secure.
- All ends are woven in through solid dc sections.
Troubleshooting
- The tube spirals: Join every round and start each round in the joining stitch. Don’t turn your work.
- Wrong count after Round M: Make sure you have exactly 9 ch per bar and 5 sc. Recount before you start the top band.
- The petals look flat: Pull up each cluster loop to the full dc height before you close it.
- The flower centers close up: Keep the ch-3 between the lower petals loose so it can hold 4 clusters.
- The lattice sags: Tighten your ch-4 and ch-9 tension, or block over the tube support.
- The bottom won’t close: Check that the cord goes through every eyelet. Skipping one makes the gathering uneven.
- The strap leans: Count again. There must be exactly 24 skipped sts between the two attachment points.
Care
Take the bags out first. Hand wash, or machine wash on a gentle cycle in a mesh bag, then reshape and dry flat.
Final Notes
Here’s the measurement chain: 16 dc = 4 in (10.2 cm) gives 50 stitches = 6.25 in (15.9 cm) flat. The bottom band is 1.5 in (3.8 cm), six 2.25 in (5.7 cm) tiers add 13.5 in (34.3 cm), and the top band brings the body to 16.5 in (41.9 cm). The strap adds about 3 in (7.6 cm) when hung. Every tier goes back to 50 stitches, so check your count at each Round M and the holder will hang straight and even.
Happy crocheting!