This fish is a plastic bag holder that hangs on the wall. It has a long aqua body with a royal blue rim around the open mouth, rows of rounded shell scales in alternating aqua and royal blue, a forked tail, two small side fins and round white eyes with black centers. You push bags in through the mouth and pull them out the same way, one at a time.
The colors are aqua, royal blue, white and black. The scales stand slightly off the body and overlap toward the tail, which gives a lot of texture without any colorwork. It works well in a kitchen, pantry or laundry room.
This pattern uses US crochet terms. The finished fish is about 15.9 in (40.4 cm) long from the mouth rim to the tail tip. Filled, the body is about 5.1 in (13.0 cm) across, and the tail is about 5 in (12.7 cm) from top to bottom.
You work the body in joined rounds from the mouth back to the tail. Some rounds are worked in back loops only, which leaves a ledge of front loops for the scales. When the body is done, you add the scales and the royal blue mouth border, close the tail end, and sew on the tail, fins, eyes and strap.
Finished Size and Construction
- Finished length: about 15.9 in (40.4 cm), tail included
- Body diameter (filled): about 5.1 in (13.0 cm); circumference 16 in (40.6 cm)
- Skill level: Intermediate
- Terminology: US
- Yarn weight: Worsted (#4), cotton or cotton blend
- Hook: 5 mm (H-8)
- Number of pieces: 1 finished bag holder made from 8 parts: body, 2 eyes, 2 side fins, 2 tail lobes, 1 strap
- Layout: a single tube body that hangs horizontally from a strap on its top centerline
- Body length before border: about 12.2 in (31.0 cm), 55 rounds
- Border (mouth rim) depth: 3 rounds, about 0.67 in (1.7 cm)
- Tail lobe size: 3 in (7.6 cm) long, with an outer edge of 3 in (7.6 cm)
Materials
Cotton keeps its shape and the stitches stay crisp, which matters for something you’ll handle every day. A smooth worsted cotton shows the scale shells clearly.
- Aqua (main color): 140 g, about 220 m (240 yd), for the body, odd scale rows and tail lobes
- Royal blue: 70 g, about 110 m (120 yd), for the even scale rows, mouth border, side fins, tail edging and strap
- White: 5 g, about 8 m, for the eyes
- Black: 3 g, about 5 m, for the eye centers and outlines
Tools:
- 5 mm (H-8) crochet hook
- Tapestry needle
- 4 stitch markers
- Scissors
- Measuring tape
- Pins and a small towel for blocking
These amounts include about 15 percent extra for gauge testing and differences between yarn brands.
Abbreviations (US Terms)
- ch: chain
- sl st: slip stitch
- sc: single crochet
- hdc: half double crochet
- dc: double crochet
- tr: treble crochet
- sc2tog: single crochet 2 together
- BLO: back loop only
- FL: front loop
- MR: magic ring
- st(s): stitch(es)
- rnd(s): round(s)
Special stitch: Shell. Work (2 dc, 3 tr, 2 dc) all in the same FL. One shell is 7 sts and makes one rounded scale.
Gauge and Checkpoints
Gauge is 16 sc and 18 rnds = 4 in (10.2 cm) in sc worked in joined rounds. That’s 4 sts and 4.5 rnds per 1 in (2.5 cm).
Check your gauge on the body first. Work through Rnd 5 and measure before you go on.
- After the foundation ring and Rnd 1: 48 sts, circumference 12 in (30.5 cm), flat width 6 in (15.2 cm).
- After Rnd 5: 64 sts, circumference 16 in (40.6 cm), flat width 8 in (20.3 cm).
- After Rnd 11: body length about 2.4 in (6.1 cm).
- After Rnd 42: body length about 9.3 in (23.6 cm).
- After Rnd 55: body length about 12.2 in (31.0 cm).
- After the border: body length about 12.9 in (32.8 cm).
If the circumference after Rnd 5 is more than 16 in (40.6 cm), go down one hook size. If it’s less, go up one hook size. If the width is right but the body is getting too long, your stitches are too tall. Pull each loop snug before you yarn over.
Body
Use aqua. At the end of every round, sl st to the first sc, then ch 1 (the ch 1 doesn’t count as a st). Put a marker in the first st of each round.
Foundation: ch 48 and sl st in the first ch to make a ring. Don’t twist the chain.
Rnd 1: sc in each ch around. (48 sts)
Rnd 2: [sc in next 5 sts, 2 sc in next st] 8 times. (56 sts)
Rnds 3-4: sc in each st around. (56 sts)
Rnd 5: [sc in next 6 sts, 2 sc in next st] 8 times. (64 sts)
Rnds 6-11: sc in each st around. (64 sts) This is the plain head.
Scale Section
Rnd 12 (Ledge 1): sc in BLO of each st around. (64 sts)
Rnds 13-14: sc in each st around through both loops. (64 sts)
Rnds 15-41: repeat Rnds 12-14 nine more times. The ledge rounds are Rnds 15, 18, 21, 24, 27, 30, 33, 36 and 39. (64 sts each round)
Rnd 42 (Ledge 11): sc in BLO of each st around. (64 sts)
Tail Taper
Rnd 43: [sc in next 6 sts, sc2tog] 8 times. (56 sts)
Rnd 44: sc in each st around. (56 sts)
Rnd 45 (Ledge 12): sc in BLO of each st around. (56 sts)
Rnd 46: [sc in next 5 sts, sc2tog] 8 times. (48 sts)
Rnd 47: sc in each st around. (48 sts)
Rnd 48 (Ledge 13): sc in BLO of each st around. (48 sts)
Rnd 49: [sc in next 4 sts, sc2tog] 8 times. (40 sts)
Rnd 50: sc in each st around. (40 sts)
Rnd 51: [sc in next 3 sts, sc2tog] 8 times. (32 sts)
Rnd 52: sc in each st around. (32 sts)
Rnd 53: [sc in next 2 sts, sc2tog] 8 times. (24 sts)
Rnds 54-55: sc in each st around. (24 sts)
Fasten off and leave a 12 in (30.5 cm) tail. Leave the end open for now.
Scales
Each scale row goes into the free FLs of one ledge round. Hold the body with the mouth toward you so the shells fan back toward the tail.
Scale row on a 64-st ledge: join yarn with a sc in any FL. [Skip 1 FL, Shell in next FL, skip 1 FL, sc in next FL] 15 times. Skip 1 FL, Shell in next FL, skip 1 FL, then sl st to the first sc. Fasten off. (16 shells and 16 sc; 4 FLs per repeat x 16 = 64)
Work the rows in this order and color:
- Row 1 (Ledge 1), aqua: 16 shells
- Row 2 (Ledge 2), royal blue: 16 shells
- Rows 3-11: keep alternating aqua and royal blue, 16 shells per row
- Row 12 (Ledge 12, 56 sts), royal blue: work the same repeat 14 times for 14 shells (4 x 14 = 56)
- Row 13 (Ledge 13, 48 sts), aqua: work the same repeat 12 times for 12 shells (4 x 12 = 48)
That’s 7 aqua rows (108 shells) and 6 royal blue rows (94 shells), 202 shells in all.
To stagger the scales, start each row so its first shell sits between two shells of the row in front of it. Weave ends in on the inside as you go.
Close the tail end: flatten the last round so it lies horizontal, with 12 sts on each side. Whipstitch the 12 pairs of sts together. The flattened end is 3 in (7.6 cm) wide.
Eyes (make 2)
Rnd 1: with black, work 6 sc in a MR. Pull it closed and sl st to join. (6 sts)
Rnd 2: change to white. Work 2 sc in each st around, then sl st to join. (12 sts)
Rnd 3: change to black. Loosely sl st in each st around. (12 sl sts)
Fasten off with a long tail. Each eye is about 1 in (2.5 cm) across.
Side Fins (make 2)
Use royal blue. Work every row after Row 1 in BLO to make the ribs.
Row 1: ch 9. Starting in the 2nd ch from the hook, sl st in 1 ch, sc in next 2 ch, hdc in next 2 ch, dc in last 3 ch. (8 sts)
Row 2: ch 3 (counts as dc) and turn. Dc in next 2 sts, hdc in next 2 sts, sc in next 2 sts, sl st in last st. (8 sts)
Row 3: ch 1 and turn. Sl st in first st, sc in next 2 sts, hdc in next 2 sts, dc in last 3 sts. (8 sts)
Rows 4-6: repeat Rows 2-3, then work Row 2 once more. (8 sts)
Fasten off with a long tail. The narrow sl st end is the pivot. Each fin is about 2 in (5.1 cm) long, and its outer edge is about 3 in (7.6 cm).
Tail Lobes (make 2)
Use aqua. Work every row after Row 1 in BLO.
Row 1: ch 13. Starting in the 2nd ch from the hook, sl st in 1 ch, sc in next 3 ch, hdc in next 4 ch, dc in last 4 ch. (12 sts)
Row 2: ch 3 (counts as dc) and turn. Dc in next 3 sts, hdc in next 4 sts, sc in next 3 sts, sl st in last st. (12 sts)
Row 3: ch 1 and turn. Sl st in first st, sc in next 3 sts, hdc in next 4 sts, dc in last 4 sts. (12 sts)
Rows 4-6: repeat Rows 2-3, then work Row 2 once more. (12 sts)
Fasten off. The royal blue edging is in the Border section.
Hanging Strap
With royal blue, ch 72. Turn and sl st in the back bump of the 2nd ch from the hook and of each ch across. (71 sl sts) Fasten off and leave long tails at both ends. The strap should be about 18 in (45.7 cm) long.
Border
The border uses the same gauge as the body: 4 sc per 1 in (2.5 cm).
Mouth Rim
With royal blue, join with a sc in any free loop of the foundation chain.
Rnd 1: sc in each remaining free loop around, then sl st to the first sc. (48 sts)
Rnds 2-3: ch 1, sc in each st around, then sl st to the first sc. (48 sts)
Fasten off and weave in the end.
Why the math works: the foundation has 48 ch and Rnd 1 puts exactly 1 sc in each one, so the rim stays at 48 sts and 12 in (30.5 cm). The head grows to 64 sts behind it, so the mouth is 4 in (10.2 cm) smaller around than the widest part of the body. That gives the fish its tapered snout and keeps the bags in.
Tail Lobe Edging
With royal blue, join at the pivot end of Row 6 on one lobe.
Edging: sc in each st across Row 6 toward the outer edge (12 sc). Work 2 sc in each of the 6 row ends along the outer edge (12 sc). Then sc in each free loop of the foundation chain back toward the pivot (12 sc). (36 sc)
Don’t edge the pivot end, because it gets sewn to the body. Fasten off with a long tail, then edge the second lobe the same way.
Why the math works: each long edge has 12 sts, so 12 sc lie flat. The outer edge has 6 rows, and at that end each row is dc height, about 0.5 in (1.3 cm). At 4 sc per 1 in (2.5 cm), 2 sc per row end fills that height.
Assembly
- Tail: lay the two lobe pivots side by side across the closed tail end, one angled up and one angled down to make a V. Overlap the body by about 0.25 in (0.6 cm) and sew through both layers.
- Eyes: center one eye on each side of the head over Rnd 7, at the widest point of the side. Sew around the outer edge.
- Side fins: sew the pivot of each fin to the lower side of the body just behind the head, over Rnds 12-13. Point the fin back toward the tail so it sits under the first scale row.
- Strap: sew one end to the top centerline at Rnd 4 and the other end at Rnd 50. The two points are 46 rounds apart, about 10.2 in (25.9 cm). Go over each end several times so the strap can hold the weight of the bags.
Final Blocking
- Fill the body loosely with a rolled towel until it’s 5.1 in (13.0 cm) across.
- Lightly mist the whole fish with water.
- Smooth each scale row back toward the tail so every shell overlaps the ledge behind it.
- Pin the tail lobes and side fins flat on a towel and open the ribs into an even fan.
- Check the body length. It should be about 12.9 in (32.8 cm) including the rim.
- Let everything dry completely, then remove the towel and pins.
Final Quality-Control Checklist
- Rnd 5 has 64 sts and measures 16 in (40.6 cm) around.
- There are 13 scale rows in alternating colors, starting and ending with aqua.
- Rows 1-11 have 16 shells each, Row 12 has 14 and Row 13 has 12.
- Each scale row is offset from the row before it.
- The mouth rim is 3 rnds of 48 sts and doesn’t flare.
- Each tail lobe edging has 36 sc.
- The eyes are level with each other and the fins match.
- The strap is sewn on firmly and the fish hangs level.
- All ends are woven in on the inside.
Troubleshooting
The scales stand straight up. Block them toward the tail. If they still lift, your tr sts are too tall, so work them more firmly.
Gaps show between scale rows. Your rounds are too tall. Check your row gauge of 4.5 rnds per 1 in (2.5 cm), or work the plain body rounds more tightly.
The mouth rim ruffles. You’ve added stitches. Recount to 48 and work 1 sc in each foundation loop.
The body twists. Joined rounds can lean. Turn the fish so the seam sits on the underside.
The fish hangs nose-down. Move the front end of the strap one round closer to the mouth.
Bags slip out. Make the mouth smaller: work Rnd 3 of the rim as [sc in next 10 sts, sc2tog] 4 times. (44 sts)
Care
Hand wash in cool water, or machine wash on a gentle cold cycle in a mesh bag. Reshape the scales and dry flat.
Final Notes
Every measurement comes from the gauge. At 4 sts and 4.5 rnds per 1 in (2.5 cm), the 48-st mouth is 12 in (30.5 cm) around and the 64-st body is 16 in (40.6 cm) around. Fifty-five rounds give 12.2 in (31.0 cm) of body, and the 3-round rim brings it to 12.9 in (32.8 cm). The 24-st tail end flattens to 3 in (7.6 cm), the same as the two 3 in (7.6 cm) tail lobes. Total length is about 15.9 in (40.4 cm).
For a second fish, use coral and burgundy with the same counts.
Happy crocheting!