Bring order and charm to a small bathroom with this two-tier hanging organizer. Two oval baskets with lacy fan walls hang one above the other from natural wooden dowels. Flat crocheted straps hold them up and meet in a neat triangle over a single wall hook.
The whole piece uses one royal blue cotton, so the texture does the talking. Each basket has a firm single crochet base, a short solid wall, four rounds of staggered openwork fans and a scalloped rim. The upper basket holds soaps and small bottles. The lower basket fits two standard toilet rolls side by side.
This pattern uses US crochet terms. Each basket base measures 11 x 4 in (27.9 x 10.2 cm), and each basket stands 4 in (10.2 cm) tall. The assembled organizer is about 13 in (33.0 cm) wide and 19 in (48.3 cm) tall, including the hanging loop.
First you crochet two identical baskets in joined rounds and two long straps in rows. Then you wrap the straps around two dowels and sew them to the basket ends. A small loop at the top joins the straps for hanging.
Finished Size and Construction
- Finished size: about 13 in (33.0 cm) wide x 19 in (48.3 cm) tall, hanging
- Skill level: Intermediate
- Terminology: US crochet terms
- Yarn weight: worsted (#4) cotton
- Hook: 5.0 mm (H-8)
- Number of pieces: 2 baskets, 2 straps, 1 hanging loop, plus 2 dowels
- Layout: 2 baskets stacked vertically, 1 per tier
- Piece size: base 11 x 4 in (27.9 x 10.2 cm); rim about 11 1/2 x 4 1/2 in (29.2 x 11.4 cm); height 4 in (10.2 cm)
- Size before border: 3 in (7.6 cm) tall after Rnd 15
- Border depth: 1 in (2.5 cm), Rnds 16–17
Materials
Choose a smooth, firm worsted cotton or cotton blend. Cotton holds the basket shape, handles bathroom humidity and shows the fans crisply. This pattern assumes about 170 m per 100 g.
- Royal Blue: 300 g, about 510 m
Approximate yarn per piece:
– Each basket: 95 g (about 162 m)
– Each strap: 15 g (about 26 m)
– Hanging loop: 2 g (about 3 m)
The 300 g total includes a margin for your gauge check and small differences in tension.
Tools:
- 5.0 mm (H-8) crochet hook
- 2 wooden dowels, 13 in (33.0 cm) long, 3/4 in (1.9 cm) diameter
- Tapestry needle
- 4 locking stitch markers
- Measuring tape and scissors
- Fine sandpaper
- Spray bottle and blocking pins
- 1 sturdy wall hook
Abbreviations (US Terms)
- ch – chain
- sl st – slip stitch
- sc – single crochet
- dc – double crochet
- st(s) – stitch(es)
- sp – space
- BLO – back loop only
- Rnd – round
- rep – repeat
Special stitch – Fan: (dc, ch 1) 4 times, then dc, all in the same stitch. One Fan has 5 dc and 4 ch-1 spaces. The 3rd dc is the center dc.
Scallop: 9 dc in the same stitch.
Gauge and Checkpoints
Gauge: 14 sc and 16 rnds = 4 in (10.2 cm) in sc with a 5.0 mm hook.
Make one full basket before you start the second. The base works as your gauge swatch. Lay it flat and measure at each checkpoint:
- After Rnd 4: about 9 x 2 in (22.9 x 5.1 cm)
- After Rnd 8: 11 x 4 in (27.9 x 10.2 cm); edge about 27 in (68.6 cm) around
- After Rnd 11: wall 3/4 in (1.9 cm) tall
- After Rnd 15: wall 3 in (7.6 cm) tall
- After Rnd 17: wall 4 in (10.2 cm) tall
If the base is more than 1/2 in (1.3 cm) too long, go down to a 4.5 mm hook. If it is too small, go up to 5.5 mm. If the base cups upward, your increases are too tight. If it ruffles, your tension is too loose. Fix gauge now, before the lace rounds.
Basket (Make 2)
Work in joined rounds with the right side facing you. The ch 1 at the start of a round does not count as a stitch. Join every round with a sl st to the first stitch unless the round says otherwise.
Oval Base
Rnd 1: Ch 27. Sc in 2nd ch from hook and in next 24 ch, 3 sc in last ch. Turn the work and crochet along the bottom loops of the chain: sc in next 24 ch, 2 sc in last ch (the ch that holds the first sc). Join. (54 sc)
This gives 2 straight sides of 24 sc and 2 ends of 3 sc each.
Rnd 2: Ch 1, 2 sc in first st, sc in next 24 sts, 2 sc in each of next 3 sts, sc in next 24 sts, 2 sc in each of last 2 sts. Join. (60 sc)
Rnds 3–8 all follow one rule. “X” is the number of plain sc between increases:
Ch 1, 2 sc in first st, sc in next X sts, sc in next 24 sts, [2 sc in next st, sc in next X sts] 3 times, sc in next 24 sts, [2 sc in next st, sc in next X sts] twice. Join.
- Rnd 3: X = 1. (66 sc)
- Rnd 4: X = 2. (72 sc)
- Rnd 5: X = 3. (78 sc)
- Rnd 6: X = 4. (84 sc)
- Rnd 7: X = 5. (90 sc)
- Rnd 8: X = 6. (96 sc)
Each round adds exactly 6 sc, all at the curved ends. After Rnd 8, the base has 2 straight sides of 24 sc and 2 curved ends of 24 sc: 24 + 24 + 24 + 24 = 96.
Solid Wall
Rnd 9: Ch 1, working in BLO, sc in each st around. Join. (96 sc)
The unworked front loops make a crisp fold line, so the wall stands up.
Rnds 10–11: Ch 1, sc in each st around. Join. (96 sc)
Place markers in the 1st, 25th, 49th and 73rd sts. They split the round into 4 quarters of 24 sts.
Fan Lace Wall
The 96 sts divide into 16 repeats of 6 sts, so each quarter holds exactly 4 Fans.
Rnd 12: Ch 1, sc in first st, skip 2 sts, Fan in next st, skip 2 sts, sc in next st; rep from * around. On the last repeat, stop after the second “skip 2 sts” and leave out the final sc. Join to first sc. (16 Fans, 16 sc)*
Rnd 13: Ch 4 (counts as dc and ch 1), (dc, ch 1, dc) in same sc as join, sc in center dc of next Fan, Fan in next sc, sc in center dc of next Fan; rep from * 14 more times. Work (dc, ch 1) twice in first sc, then join with a sl st to 3rd ch of beginning ch-4. (16 Fans, 16 sc)*
The opening half-Fan (3 dc) and the closing half-Fan (2 dc) make one full Fan of 5 dc. The join sits on its center dc. This round shifts the Fans half a repeat from Rnd 12.
Rnd 14: Ch 1, sc in same st as join, Fan in next sc, sc in center dc of next Fan; rep from * around, ending with Fan in last sc. Join to first sc. (16 Fans, 16 sc)*
Rnd 15: Rep Rnd 13. (16 Fans, 16 sc)
The wall flares out slightly as the Fans open. It should measure 3 in (7.6 cm) from the fold line. Do not fasten off. Work the border next (see Border section), then make the second basket.
Make All Pieces
Make a total of:
- Baskets: 2, Royal Blue
- Straps: 2, Royal Blue
- Hanging loop: 1, Royal Blue, made during assembly
Strap (Make 2)
Row 1: Ch 4, sc in 2nd ch from hook and in next 2 ch. (3 sc)
Rows 2–104: Ch 1, turn, sc in each st across. (3 sc)
Fasten off and leave a 24 in (61.0 cm) tail. Each strap is 26 in (66.0 cm) long and about 7/8 in (2.2 cm) wide. At 4 rows per inch, 104 rows = 26 in.
Mark the strap sections with scrap yarn, counting from the top (Row 104) down:
| Segment | Rows | Length |
|---|---|---|
| Top diagonal | 28 | 7 in (17.8 cm) |
| Upper dowel wrap | 12 | 3 in (7.6 cm) |
| Drop to upper rim | 4 | 1 in (2.5 cm) |
| Upper basket end | 16 | 4 in (10.2 cm) |
| Gap between tiers | 12 | 3 in (7.6 cm) |
| Lower dowel wrap | 12 | 3 in (7.6 cm) |
| Drop to lower rim | 4 | 1 in (2.5 cm) |
| Lower basket end | 16 | 4 in (10.2 cm) |
Layout grid:
[ loop ]
/ \
strap strap
===o==================o=== upper dowel
| [ basket 1 ] |
| |
===o==================o=== lower dowel
| [ basket 2 ] |
Joining
Block both baskets before you assemble the organizer (see Final Blocking).
Dowels: Sand the dowel ends smooth. Mark each dowel 1 in (2.5 cm) in from each end. The two marks sit 11 in (27.9 cm) apart, the same as the basket length.
Dowel wraps: Lay a strap behind the upper dowel at one mark. Fold the 12-row wrap section over the dowel and down. Whipstitch across the strap through both layers, just under the dowel, matching 3 sc to 3 sc. Repeat at the lower dowel, then do the same with the second strap at the other end of each dowel.
Basket ends: Find the center of each curved end, directly above the 3-sc end of Rnd 1. Lay the 16-row basket-end section on the wall, from the fold line (Rnd 9) to the top of the rim (Rnd 17). Whipstitch both long edges of the strap to the wall, one strap row-end every 1/4 in (0.6 cm). That works out to 16 row-ends per edge over the 4 in (10.2 cm) wall. Catch the sc posts in Rnds 9–11 and the dc posts in the lace rounds.
Tension: Pull each stitch snug but not tight. The strap should lie flat without puckering the Fans. If the Fans pull in, take the stitches out and sew them again more loosely.
Hanging loop: Overlap the tops of the two straps and whipstitch the last 3 rows of each together through both layers. Join yarn at the top, ch 10 and sl st into the same st to form a ring. Work 14 sc into the ring, join and fasten off. The loop opening is about 1 1/2 in (3.8 cm).
Size checkpoint: Hang the organizer. It should measure about 13 in (33.0 cm) across the dowels. From the top of the loop to the bottom of the lower basket, it should measure 19 in (48.3 cm). Both baskets should hang level.
Border
Border gauge: one scallop is about 1 3/4 in (4.4 cm) across, so 16 scallops make a rim about 28 in (71.1 cm) around.
The border starts at the end of Rnd 15, on the center dc of a Fan. The 4 markers from Rnd 11 still divide the basket into quarters, with 4 repeats in each.
Rnd 16: Ch 1, sc in same st as join, Scallop in next sc, sc in center dc of next Fan; rep from * around, ending with Scallop in last sc. Join to first sc. (16 Scallops, 16 sc = 160 sts)*
Per quarter: 4 Scallops x 9 dc + 4 sc = 40 sts. 40 x 4 = 160.
Rnd 17: Ch 1, sc in first sc, sc in next 4 dc, 3 sc in next dc (center of Scallop), sc in next 4 dc, sc in next sc; rep from * around, leaving out the final sc. Join. (160 + 32 = 192 sc)*
This is a trim round. You work 1 sc in each of the 160 sts, plus 2 extra sc at the center of each of the 16 Scallops (32 extra). Per quarter: 40 + 8 = 48 sc. 48 x 4 = 192.
Fasten off and weave in the ends.
Why the math works: The base ends at 96 sts, which is a multiple of 6. Every lace round keeps the same 16 repeats, with one Fan per repeat. The border puts one Scallop on each repeat, so the scallops sit evenly over the Fans with no partial repeats. Each quarter of 24 base sts has exactly 4 Fans, 4 Scallops, 40 sts in Rnd 16 and 48 sts in Rnd 17.
Final Blocking
- Turn each basket right side out and push the base flat.
- Mist the walls and rim until damp, not soaked.
- Stuff each basket firmly with a folded towel to hold the oval shape.
- Pull each scallop up and out so the points are even. Pin any points that curl inward.
- Check the base: 11 x 4 in (27.9 x 10.2 cm). Check the rim: about 11 1/2 x 4 1/2 in (29.2 x 11.4 cm).
- Let it dry completely, at least 24 hours, before you assemble or fill it.
Final Quality-Control Checklist
- Base measures 11 x 4 in (27.9 x 10.2 cm) and lies flat.
- Rnd 8 has 96 sc on both baskets.
- Each lace round has 16 Fans and 16 sc.
- Rnd 16 has 160 sts; Rnd 17 has 192 sc.
- Both baskets stand 4 in (10.2 cm) tall.
- Each strap has 104 rows and measures 26 in (66.0 cm).
- Straps sit 11 in (27.9 cm) apart on both dowels.
- Seams lie flat; baskets hang level; ends are secure.
Troubleshooting
- Base cups like a bowl: Your increases are too tight. Go up a hook size.
- Base ruffles: Your tension is too loose. Go down a hook size.
- Fans don’t line up: Each sc must land in the center (3rd) dc of the Fan below.
- Wrong Fan count in Rnd 12: Recount Rnd 11. It must be exactly 96 sts.
- Walls flop outward: Use a firmer cotton, or a smaller hook for Rnds 9–17 only.
- Basket tilts: Center both straps on the curved ends and make sure both dowel wraps use 12 rows.
- Strap stretches: Whipstitch the strap edges more closely and keep heavy items in the lower basket.
Care
Remove the dowels, then hand wash in cool water with mild soap. Roll in a towel and dry flat with the baskets stuffed to hold their shape.
Final Notes
Each measurement builds on the one before:
– A gauge of 14 sc = 4 in (10.2 cm) gives an 11 x 4 in (27.9 x 10.2 cm) base at 96 sts.
– A 3/4 in (1.9 cm) solid wall plus 2 1/4 in (5.7 cm) of Fan lace makes a 3 in (7.6 cm) wall.
– The 1 in (2.5 cm) scalloped border brings each basket to 4 in (10.2 cm).
– Two 26 in (66.0 cm) straps, spaced 11 in (27.9 cm) apart on 13 in (33.0 cm) dowels, finish an organizer about 19 in (48.3 cm) tall.
Check each step as you go, and the finished piece will hang straight.
Happy crocheting!