The Honeycomb Bloom Bag Holder is a hanging tube that keeps a kitchen’s supply of plastic bags tidy. You stuff bags in through the wide ribbed top and pull them out one at a time through a small opening at the bottom. The body is made from lacy hexagon motifs, each with a 12-petal starburst around an open center, joined in a honeycomb pattern with raised seams.
The sample is in bright teal, and the pink version is just as cheerful. Cotton yarn works best because it holds its shape, wipes clean, and shows off the stitch detail. The pattern uses US crochet terms throughout.
The finished holder is about 6.75 in (17.1 cm) wide when flat (13.5 in / 34.3 cm around) and 17.7 in (45.0 cm) tall, not counting the hanging loop.
Construction overview: You make 12 full hexagons and 4 half-hexagon fillers. Join them into 4 offset columns, then join the columns into a tube. Next, work a ribbed band with a hanging loop around the top edge. Finally, work tapered decrease rounds around the bottom edge to form the dispenser opening.
Finished Size and Construction
- Finished size: 6.75 in (17.1 cm) wide flat × 17.7 in (45.0 cm) tall
- Circumference: 13.5 in (34.3 cm)
- Skill level: Intermediate
- Terminology: US
- Yarn weight: Worsted (#4) cotton
- Hook: 5.0 mm (H-8)
- Number of pieces: 16 (12 hexagons + 4 half-hexagons)
- Layout: 4 offset columns joined into a tube
- Hexagon size: 2.25 in (5.7 cm) per side, 4.5 in (11.4 cm) point to point, 3.9 in (9.9 cm) flat to flat
- Size before the bands: 13.5 in (34.3 cm) around × 13.6 in (34.5 cm) tall
- Band depth: top band 1.5 in (3.8 cm); bottom taper 2.6 in (6.6 cm)
Materials
Yarn: Use a smooth worsted-weight cotton or cotton blend at about 170 m per 100 g. Mercerized cotton gives the crispest petals. Acrylic also works, but it stretches more under the weight of the bags.
- Main color (teal or pink): 180 g / 306 m
This quantity includes a margin of roughly 25 percent for gauge swatches and differences in tension.
Tools:
– 5.0 mm (H-8) crochet hook
– Tapestry needle
– 2 stitch markers
– Scissors
– Blocking mat and rust-proof pins
– Spray bottle
Abbreviations (US Terms)
- ch: chain
- sl st: slip stitch
- sc: single crochet
- dc: double crochet
- sc2tog: single crochet 2 together
- dc2tog: double crochet 2 together
- sp: space
- st(s): stitch(es)
- rev sc: reverse single crochet (crab stitch)
- fpdc: front post double crochet
Special stitch, fpdc: Yarn over and insert the hook from front to back to front around the post of the stitch below. Yarn over, pull up a loop, then (yarn over, pull through 2 loops) twice. Each fpdc replaces one stitch, so the stitch count stays the same.
Special stitch, rev sc: Working from left to right (right to left if you’re left-handed), insert the hook into the next stitch to the right, pull up a loop, yarn over, and pull through both loops.
Gauge and Checkpoints
Gauge: 16 sc = 3 in (7.6 cm). That works out to 12 sc along one 2.25 in (5.7 cm) hexagon side.
Make one full hexagon before anything else and check it at each stage:
- After Round 1: 1.25 in (3.2 cm) across
- After Round 3: 2.75 in (7.0 cm) across
- After Round 5: 4.1 in (10.4 cm) point to point
- After Round 6: 4.5 in (11.4 cm) point to point, 3.9 in (9.9 cm) flat to flat, 2.25 in (5.7 cm) per side
If your hexagon is too big: go down to a 4.5 mm hook. If it’s too small: go up to a 5.5 mm hook. A difference of only 0.25 in (0.6 cm) per side adds up to 1.5 in (3.8 cm) around the finished tube, so get the gauge right before you go on.
Hexagon Motif (Make 12)
Round 1: Ch 4 and sl st to the first ch to form a ring. Ch 3 (counts as dc here and throughout), then work 11 dc in the ring. Join with a sl st to the top of the ch-3. (12 dc)
Round 2: Ch 5 (counts as dc + ch 2). Dc in the next st, ch 2. Repeat from * 10 more times and join to the 3rd ch of the ch-5. (12 dc, 12 ch-2 sps)
Round 3: Sl st into the first ch-2 sp. Ch 3, 2 dc in the same sp, ch 1. 3 dc in the next ch-2 sp, ch 1. Repeat from * 10 more times and join. (36 dc in 12 clusters, 12 ch-1 sps) These 12 clusters form the petals of the starburst.
Round 4: Sl st in the next 2 dc and into the ch-1 sp. Ch 1, sc in the same sp, ch 4. Sc in the next ch-1 sp, ch 4. Repeat from * 10 more times and join to the first sc. (12 sc, 12 ch-4 loops) This is the open lace ring.
Round 5: Sl st into the first ch-4 loop. Ch 3, then (2 dc, ch 2, 3 dc) in the same loop for a corner, and 4 dc in the next loop for a side. (3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc) in the next loop, 4 dc in the next loop. Repeat from * 4 more times and join. (60 dc, 6 ch-2 corner sps) Each side has 3 + 4 + 3 = 10 dc between corner spaces.
Round 6: Ch 1, sc in the same st and the next 2 dc, then (sc, ch 2, sc) in the ch-2 sp. Sc in the next 10 dc, (sc, ch 2, sc) in the ch-2 sp. Repeat from * 4 more times, sc in the last 7 dc, and join. (72 sc, 6 ch-2 corner sps)
Check the math: 3 + 2 + (5 × 12) + 7 = 72. Each side has 12 sc: 1 corner sc + 10 sc + 1 corner sc. That 12 already includes both corner stitches.
Fasten off, leaving an 8 in (20.3 cm) tail, and weave it in.
Half-Hexagon Filler (Make 4)
The filler is a trapezoid with a long edge of 4.5 in (11.4 cm), a short edge of 2.25 in (5.7 cm), two slanted edges of 2.25 in (5.7 cm) each, and a height of 1.95 in (5.0 cm). It is worked in rows starting from the short edge.
Row 1: Ch 12. Dc in the 4th ch from the hook and in each ch across. Turn. (10 dc, counting the skipped ch as a st)
Row 2: Ch 3, dc in the same st, dc in each st to the last st, 2 dc in the last st. Turn. (12 dc)
Row 3: Repeat Row 2. (14 dc)
Row 4: Repeat Row 2. (16 dc) Don’t turn.
Edging round: Ch 1.
- Long edge: (Sc, ch 2, sc) in the first dc of Row 4. 2 sc in the next st, sc in the next st. Repeat from * 5 more times, then 2 sc in each of the next 2 sts. (Sc, ch 2, sc) in the last dc.
- Slanted edge: Work 10 sc evenly down the row ends (3, 2, 3, 2), then (sc, ch 2, sc) in the first foundation ch.
- Short edge: 2 sc in the next st, sc in the next 3 sts. Repeat from * once more. (Sc, ch 2, sc) in the last foundation ch.
- Slanted edge: Work 10 sc evenly up the row ends (2, 3, 2, 3), then join to the first sc.
Edge counts (each includes its own corner sc):
– Long edge: 1 + 22 + 1 = 24 sc
– Each slanted edge: 1 + 10 + 1 = 12 sc
– Short edge: 1 + 10 + 1 = 12 sc
– Total: 60 sc, 4 ch-2 sps
Fasten off and weave in the ends.
Make All Pieces
- Full hexagons: 12
- Half-hexagons: 4
- All 16 pieces are in the main color.
Layout grid. The columns are A, B, C and D. Each line of the grid is one half-hexagon height. A piece name that appears on two lines is one hexagon spanning both. The h- pieces are half-hexagons.
Top edge
hA-top? no — read below
A1 hB C1 hD
A1 B1 C1 D1
A2 B1 C2 D1
A2 B2 C2 D2
A3 B2 C3 D2
A3 B3 C3 D3
hA B3 hC D3
Bottom edge
- Columns A and C start with a full hexagon at the top and end with a half-hexagon at the bottom (long edge down).
- Columns B and D start with a half-hexagon at the top (long edge up) and end with a full hexagon at the bottom.
- Column D wraps around to meet column A, which closes the tube.
Joining
Method: Slip-stitch join through the back loops.
- Hold two pieces with right sides facing out and the edges to be joined touching.
- Working from the right side, insert the hook through the back loop of each piece (the 2 loops lying next to each other) and sl st.
- The front loops stay on the surface and form the raised seam ridge you see on the sample.
Stitch-to-stitch logic: Every edge in this design has exactly 12 sc, so join stitch to stitch, 12 pairs per edge. At the end of an edge, sl st through both ch-2 corner spaces together before moving on to the next edge.
Step 1: Build the columns.
– Column A: join A1 to A2 to A3 along their flat edges, then join the short edge of hA to the bottom of A3. Repeat for column C.
– Column B: join the short edge of hB to the top of B1, then join B1 to B2 to B3. Repeat for column D.
– Each column has 3 vertical seams of 12 sl sts, for 12 vertical seams in all.
Step 2: Join the columns.
– Join A to B along the zigzag. Each zigzag seam crosses 7 slanted edges: 7 × 12 = 84 sl sts per seam.
– Join B to C, then C to D in the same way.
– Finally, join D to A to close the tube.
Tension: Keep your sl sts as loose as the sc in the pieces. If the seams are tight, the tube will pucker and come out narrower than 13.5 in (34.3 cm). Go up a hook size for joining if you need to.
Size checkpoint: Lay the tube flat. It should measure 6.75 in (17.1 cm) wide and 13.6 in (34.5 cm) tall (3.5 hexagon heights × 3.9 in / 9.9 cm).
Border: Top Band and Bottom Taper
Border gauge: The band works at the same gauge as the motif rims: 16 sc = 3 in (7.6 cm).
Starting count for each edge:
– Top edge: A1 top (12) + hB long edge (24) + C1 top (12) + hD long edge (24) = 72 sts
– Bottom edge: B3 bottom (12) + hC long edge (24) + D3 bottom (12) + hA long edge (24) = 72 sts
Nothing is added at the seams. Corner sc that sit side by side at a seam are each worked as a separate stitch.
Why the math works: 72 sc ÷ (16 sc / 3 in) = 13.5 in (34.3 cm). That is exactly the tube’s circumference of 4 columns × 1.5 hexagon sides × 2.25 in. So the band neither ruffles nor pulls in.
Top Band
Join yarn at the top of the A1 hexagon with the right side facing.
- Round 1: Ch 1, sc in each st around (12 + 24 + 12 + 24) and join. (72 sc)
- Round 2: Ch 2 (doesn’t count as a st), fpdc around each st and join. (72 fpdc)
- Round 3: Ch 1, sc in each st and join. (72 sc)
- Round 4: Ch 1, sc in each st and join. (72 sc)
- Round 5: Ch 1, rev sc in each st and join. (72 rev sc) Fasten off.
The band should be 1.5 in (3.8 cm) deep.
Hanging loop:
1. Place a marker at the center back, above the D column. Join yarn in Round 4, 2 sts to the right of the marker.
2. Ch 30, then sl st in Round 4, 2 sts to the left of the marker.
3. Work 45 sc over the chain loop and sl st to the band.
4. Fasten off firmly.
The finished loop is 4 in (10.2 cm) long.
Bottom Taper
Join yarn at the bottom of B3 with the right side facing.
- Round 1: Sc in each st around and join. (72 sc)
- Round 2: Ch 2, fpdc around each st and join. (72 fpdc)
- Round 3: Sc in the next 4 sts, sc2tog. Repeat 12 times. (60 sts)
- Round 4: Sc in the next 3 sts, sc2tog. Repeat 12 times. (48 sts)
- Round 5: Ch 2. Dc in the next 2 sts, dc2tog. Repeat 12 times. (36 sts)
- Round 6: Ch 2. Dc in the next st, dc2tog. Repeat 12 times. (24 sts)
- Round 7: Ch 2, fpdc around each st. (24 fpdc)
- Round 8: Ch 1, sc in each st. (24 sc) Fasten off.
The opening should be about 4.5 in (11.4 cm) around and 1.4 in (3.6 cm) across, small enough to hold bags but wide enough to pull one through. The taper adds 2.6 in (6.6 cm) of length.
Final Blocking
- Weave in all remaining ends along the seam ridges.
- Roll a towel to fit snugly inside the tube.
- Spray the holder evenly until it is damp but not dripping.
- Pat each hexagon flat and open up the ch-4 lace loops with your fingertips.
- Straighten the seams so the hexagon points line up in neat columns.
- Check the measurements: 6.75 in (17.1 cm) wide flat, 17.7 in (45.0 cm) tall.
- Let it dry completely, then take out the towel.
Final Quality-Control Checklist
- All 12 hexagons measure 2.25 in (5.7 cm) per side.
- Every edge has 12 sc (the long edges of the half-hexagons have 24).
- The column seams have 84 sl sts each, and the vertical seams have 12.
- The top and bottom edges each start with 72 sts.
- The top rim is straight, with no dips at the half-hexagons.
- The bottom opening is 24 sts and the taper is even.
- The hanging loop is firmly attached and centered at the back.
- All ends are woven in invisibly.
Troubleshooting
Hexagons cup: Your chains in Round 4 are too tight. Loosen them or use 5 ch instead of 4 for that round only.
Hexagons ruffle: Your dc in Round 5 are too loose. Go down a hook size for that round.
The top dips at the half-hexagons: Make sure each long edge has 24 sc and that the fillers are blocked to 4.5 in (11.4 cm).
Seams pucker: Rejoin with a larger hook.
Bags slip out of the bottom: Work one more round of (sc 2, sc2tog) to bring the opening down to 18 sts.
The band flares: Check your gauge. Your 72 sc should measure 13.5 in (34.3 cm).
Care
Machine wash cold on a gentle cycle in a mesh bag. Reshape while damp and dry flat.
Final Notes
Everything in this pattern follows from one measurement: a 2.25 in (5.7 cm) hexagon side with 12 sc.
- Four columns spaced 1.5 sides apart give a circumference of 13.5 in (34.3 cm), which is exactly 72 sc.
- Three and a half hexagon heights make the 13.6 in (34.5 cm) body.
- The 1.5 in (3.8 cm) top band and 2.6 in (6.6 cm) taper bring the total to 17.7 in (45.0 cm).
Check that first hexagon carefully, and the rest will fall into place.
Happy crocheting!