Rudy Reindeer is a hanging grocery-bag holder with a friendly face. The body is a rounded, barrel-shaped sack in warm camel-brown single crochet. Plastic bags go in through the open top and come out through an oval slot in the base.
The face uses four colors: camel for the body, dark chocolate brown for the antlers, cream for the oval muzzle and bright red for the round nose. Two black safety eyes finish it. A covered hanging ring and a short strap let it hang from a door knob, hook or cabinet handle.
The pattern uses US crochet terms. Laid flat, the finished body is about 7.5 in (19.1 cm) wide at its widest point and 8 in (20.3 cm) tall. With the hanging ring it is about 12 in (30.5 cm) from the top of the ring to the bottom of the body.
You start with a chain ring that becomes the dispensing slot, then work an oval base around it. The walls rise in spiral rounds, bulge out, then narrow toward the rim. The ring, strap, antlers, muzzle and nose are made separately and sewn on.
Finished Size and Construction
- Finished size: body 7.5 in (19.1 cm) wide x 8 in (20.3 cm) tall; about 12 in (30.5 cm) tall including the ring
- Skill level: Easy+
- Terminology: US crochet terms
- Yarn weight: worsted (#4, medium)
- Hook: 4.5 mm (US 7)
- Number of pieces: 7 crocheted parts (body, ring cover, strap, 2 antlers, muzzle, nose) plus 2 safety eyes, put together into one holder
- Layout: one hanging holder, with the face on the front and the strap at the center back
- Piece size (body): 60 sts around at the widest point, 7.5 in (19.1 cm) wide laid flat
- Size before border: rim 6 in (15.2 cm) wide laid flat; body about 7.75 in (19.7 cm) tall
- Border depth: 2 rim rounds, about 0.25 in (0.6 cm)
Materials
Choose a smooth worsted-weight yarn with good stitch definition. Acrylic or cotton-acrylic blends hold their shape well and wipe clean. The amounts below assume about 180 m per 100 g (197 yd per 3.5 oz).
- Camel brown (body, ring, strap): 120 g / 216 m
- Dark brown (antlers): 10 g / 18 m
- Cream (muzzle): 10 g / 18 m
- Red (nose): 5 g / 9 m
All amounts include a small safety margin.
Tools:
- 4.5 mm (US 7) crochet hook
- 1 metal or plastic ring, 3 in (7.6 cm) outer diameter
- 2 black safety eyes, 12 mm
- Stitch markers (at least 4)
- Tapestry needle
- Scissors
- Measuring tape
- Pins
Abbreviations (US Terms)
- ch – chain
- sl st – slip stitch
- sc – single crochet
- inc – 2 sc in the same stitch
- sc2tog – single crochet 2 together
- st(s) – stitch(es)
- MR – magic ring
- rnd – round
Special stitch – sc into a ring: Insert the hook through the center of the plastic ring and yarn over. Pull up a loop over the outside of the ring, yarn over again and pull through both loops. Each stitch wraps around the ring.
Gauge and Checkpoints
Gauge: 16 sc x 18 rnds = 4 in (10.2 cm) in sc worked in the round.
Use the base as your gauge test. Tight stitches matter here because they keep the walls firm and stop bags from poking through.
- After Base Rnd 1: the chain ring, flattened, is 3.75 in (9.5 cm) long.
- After Base Rnd 5: the oval, including the slot, is about 5.5 in (14.0 cm) long x 1.75 in (4.4 cm) wide.
- After Rnd 24: the body, laid flat, is 7.5 in (19.1 cm) wide.
- After Rnd 36: the rim, laid flat, is 6 in (15.2 cm) wide, and the body is about 7.75 in (19.7 cm) tall.
If your base is more than 0.25 in (0.6 cm) too big, go down one hook size. If it’s too small, go up one size. Fixing gauge at the base is much easier than fixing it at the rim.
Body
Work in continuous spiral rounds and don’t join them. Place a marker in the first stitch of each round and move it up as you go.
Base
With camel brown, ch 30. Sl st into the first ch to form a ring, taking care not to twist the chain.
Rnd 1: Ch 1. Work 1 sc into the back bump of each ch around. This leaves the front loops free for the slot edging. (30 sc)
Lay the ring flat. Each long side has 12 sts and each end has 3 sts. Start the round at the beginning of one long side. This side is the front.
Rnd 2: [Sc 12, inc in each of next 3 sts] twice. (36 sc)
Rnd 3: [Sc 12, (sc 1, inc) 3 times] twice. (42 sc)
Rnd 4: [Sc 12, (sc 2, inc) 3 times] twice. (48 sc)
Rnd 5: [Sc 12, (sc 3, inc) 3 times] twice. (54 sc)
The base is now a flat oval with the open slot in the middle. The long sides stay at 12 sts every round, while each end grows by 3 sts per round. This keeps the slot straight while the ends curve.
Walls
Rnds 6–8: Sc in each st around. (54 sc each round)
The base will start to curve up into a rounded bowl.
Rnd 9: [Sc 8, inc] 6 times. (60 sc)
Rnds 10–24: Sc in each st around. (60 sc each round, 15 rounds)
Checkpoint: lay the body flat with the slot running side to side. It should be 7.5 in (19.1 cm) wide.
Rnd 25: [Sc 8, sc2tog] 6 times. (54 sc)
Rnds 26–30: Sc in each st around. (54 sc each round, 5 rounds)
Rnd 31: [Sc 7, sc2tog] 6 times. (48 sc)
Rnds 32–36: Sc in each st around. (48 sc each round, 5 rounds)
Checkpoint: laid flat, the rim is 6 in (15.2 cm) wide, which is a 12 in (30.5 cm) circumference. Don’t fasten off yet. The rim edging continues from here (see Border).
Hanging Ring
With camel brown, make a slip knot on the hook. Work sc into the 3 in (7.6 cm) ring (see Special Stitch) until it is fully covered, about 54 sc. Push the stitches together as you go so no plastic shows.
Sl st to the first sc. Fasten off and weave in the end. Turn the stitches so their tops all face the inside of the ring.
Strap
With camel brown, ch 6.
Row 1: Sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across. Turn. (5 sc)
Rows 2–12: Ch 1, sc in each st across. Turn. (5 sc each row)
Fasten off and leave a 12 in (30.5 cm) tail. The strap is about 1.25 in (3.2 cm) wide x 2.75 in (7.0 cm) long.
Antlers (Make 2)
With dark brown, ch 13. The 12 working chains form the stem. You work up one side of the chain and down the other, adding one branch on each side.
Side 1: Sc in 2nd ch from hook and in next 5 ch (6 sc). For Branch 1, ch 6, sl st in 2nd ch from hook and sc in next 4 ch. Sc in next 5 ch of the stem (11 stem chains used). Work 3 sc in the last ch (base of the antler).
Side 2: Turn the piece and work into the free loops on the other side of the chain. Sc in next 4 ch. For Branch 2, ch 5, sl st in 2nd ch from hook and sc in next 3 ch. Sc in next 7 ch. Work 2 more sc in the same ch as the very first sc (tip). Sl st to the first sc.
Count: 27 sc around the stem (11 + 3 + 11 + 2), plus 5 sts on Branch 1 and 4 sts on Branch 2.
Fasten off and leave a 12 in (30.5 cm) tail. Each antler is about 3 in (7.6 cm) long and 2 in (5.1 cm) wide, with a pointed tip, one long branch on one side and a shorter, lower branch on the other. Flip one antler over so the pair mirror each other.
Muzzle
With cream, ch 9. The muzzle is a flat oval made of rings of stitches, one inside the next.
Rnd 1: Sc in 2nd ch from hook (end A), sc in next 6 ch (side), 3 sc in last ch (end B). Turn the piece and work along the other side of the chain: sc in next 6 ch (side), 2 sc in the same ch as the first sc (end A). (18 sc: sides 6 + 6, ends 3 + 3)
Rnd 2: Inc in first st, sc 6, inc in each of next 3 sts, sc 6, inc in each of last 2 sts. (24 sc: sides 6 + 6, ends 6 + 6)
Rnd 3: Sc 1, inc, sc 6, (sc 1, inc) 3 times, sc 6, (sc 1, inc) 2 times. (30 sc: sides 6 + 6, ends 9 + 9)
Rnd 4: Sc 2, inc, sc 6, (sc 2, inc) 3 times, sc 6, (sc 2, inc) 2 times. (36 sc: sides 6 + 6, ends 12 + 12)
Rnd 5 (trim): Sl st in each st around. (36 sl st = 36 worked 1 per st + 0 added)
Fasten off and leave a long tail. The muzzle is about 3.75 in (9.5 cm) x 2 in (5.1 cm).
Nose
With red, work in spiral rounds.
Rnd 1: 6 sc in MR. (6 sc)
Rnd 2: Inc in each st around. (12 sc)
Rnd 3: [Sc 1, inc] 6 times. (18 sc)
Sl st to the next st. Fasten off and leave a long tail. The nose is about 1.25 in (3.2 cm) across.
Border
The body has two edges to finish: the top rim and the bottom slot. Work both at body gauge, 4 sts per 1 in (2.5 cm), with one stitch in each stitch.
Rim edging (continue from Rnd 36):
Rnd 37: Sc in each st around. (48 sc: 24 across the front, 24 across the back)
Rnd 38 (trim): Sl st loosely in each st around. (48 sl st = 48 worked 1 per st + 0 added)
Fasten off and weave in the end. The sl st round rolls slightly and gives the rim a firm, neat ridge.
Slot edging:
Hold the body upside down. Join camel brown in any free front loop of the foundation chain at one end of the slot.
Rnd 1: Ch 1, sc in each free loop around. (30 sc: 15 along the front edge, 15 along the back edge)
Sl st to the first sc and fasten off.
Why the math works: Each edging round has one stitch in each existing stitch, with nothing added. The rim keeps its 48 sts and 12 in (30.5 cm) circumference, so it can’t flare or pucker. The slot keeps its 30 sts, so the opening stays 3.75 in (9.5 cm) long. Work the slot round loosely, because a tight round will close the slot and make bags hard to pull out.
Assembly
- Strap and ring: Fold the top 0.75 in (1.9 cm) of the strap over the bottom of the covered ring and whipstitch it closed. Center the lower 1 in (2.5 cm) of the strap on the inside of the back wall, with the strap’s end 1 in (2.5 cm) below the rim, and pin it. Sew around all four edges.
- Eyes: Lay the body flat with the slot running side to side. Insert the eyes about 5 in (12.7 cm) above the bottom fold and 2.5 in (6.4 cm) apart, centered on the front. Push the washers on from the inside.
- Muzzle: Center the muzzle just below and between the eyes, with its bottom edge about 3 in (7.6 cm) above the bottom fold. Whipstitch it in place around the sl st edge.
- Nose: Pin the nose so it overlaps the top center of the muzzle by about 0.5 in (1.3 cm). Sew around its edge.
- Antlers: Place each antler 1 in (2.5 cm) in from a side fold. Sew the bottom 0.75 in (1.9 cm) to the outside of the front wall, just below the rim, so about 2.25 in (5.7 cm) stands above the rim. Check that the antlers mirror each other.
Final Blocking
- Weave in all remaining ends on the inside of the body.
- Stuff the body firmly with a towel or plastic bags to set the barrel shape.
- Mist lightly with water. Don’t soak acrylic yarn.
- Smooth the base into an even curve and straighten the slot so it sits level.
- Lay the antlers, muzzle and ring flat and pat them into shape.
- Let everything dry completely before you take out the stuffing.
Final Quality-Control Checklist
- The body is 7.5 in (19.1 cm) wide at its widest point and 8 in (20.3 cm) tall.
- The rim is 6 in (15.2 cm) wide laid flat, with no ripples.
- The slot is 3.75 in (9.5 cm) long, open and level.
- The face is centered on the front, opposite the strap.
- The eyes are level and the washers are fully locked.
- The antlers mirror each other and stand upright.
- The ring is fully covered and the strap is sewn on all four edges.
- No loose ends show inside or outside.
Troubleshooting
- The rim flares: Check that you worked both decrease rounds (Rnds 25 and 31). If you did, work the rim sl st round tighter.
- The base won’t lie flat: Keep each long side at exactly 12 sts. Extra stitches on the sides cause ruffles.
- The slot closes up: The slot edging is too tight. Redo it with a larger hook.
- Bags poke through the fabric: Your gauge is too loose. Go down a hook size.
- The antlers droop: Sew more of each antler’s base down, or add a second line of stitches across the antler at the rim.
Care
Spot clean with a damp cloth and mild soap. If needed, hand wash in cool water, reshape and lay flat to dry.
Final Notes
Each measurement builds on the one before. The 30-st chain ring gives a 3.75 in (9.5 cm) slot, and Base Rnd 5 gives a 54-st oval. The walls grow to 60 sts and 7.5 in (19.1 cm) wide, then narrow to a 48-st rim that is 6 in (15.2 cm) wide. Two rim rounds bring the body to 8 in (20.3 cm) tall, and the ring and strap bring the total to about 12 in (30.5 cm). Get your gauge right at the base and the rest will follow.
Happy crocheting!