This hanging holder stores three spare rolls in a column of leaf-shaped pockets. Each pocket is a soft, rounded cup with a pointed tip. Raised veins on the front turn it into a leaf, and a braided rim finishes the opening.
The sample uses one color, a muted sage green, in worsted-weight cotton. The result is calm and botanical and fits a neutral bathroom with plants and natural wood. The pattern uses US crochet terms throughout.
The finished holder is about 7.5 in (19.1 cm) wide and 29 in (73.7 cm) long including the wooden ring. Each pocket is 7.5 in (19.1 cm) wide when flattened and 6 in (15.2 cm) tall.
You crochet each pocket in joined rounds, starting at the pointed tip and working up to the rim. After that, you add the veins and outline with surface slip stitches. Two long straps run down the back of all three pockets and loop through a ring, and a small wrapped collar hides the fold.
Finished Size and Construction
- Finished size: 7.5 in × 29 in (19.1 cm × 73.7 cm), including the ring
- Skill level: Easy+ (working in rounds, surface slip stitch, seaming)
- Terminology: US crochet terms
- Yarn weight: Worsted (#4) cotton
- Hook: 5.0 mm (H-8)
- Number of pieces: 6 (3 pockets, 2 straps, 1 collar)
- Layout: 3 pockets stacked in 1 column, with rims spaced 8 in (20.3 cm) apart
- Pocket size: 7.5 in wide × 6 in tall (19.1 cm × 15.2 cm)
- Pocket size before rim border: 7.5 in wide × 5.6 in tall (19.1 cm × 14.2 cm)
- Rim border depth: 0.4 in (1.0 cm)
Materials
Yarn: Use a smooth, firm worsted-weight cotton or cotton blend. Cotton holds its shape well and copes with bathroom humidity. Avoid soft acrylic, because the pockets will sag under the weight of the rolls.
- Sage green: 150 g / about 255 m (279 yd)
These quantities include a safety margin of roughly 40%. The holder itself uses about 85–95 g.
Tools:
– 5.0 mm (H-8) crochet hook
– Wooden ring, 2 in (5.1 cm) across
– 6 locking stitch markers
– Tapestry needle
– Scissors
– Measuring tape
– 1 toilet paper roll (for blocking and fit checks)
Abbreviations (US Terms)
- ch – chain
- sc – single crochet
- inc – 2 sc in the same stitch
- sl st – slip stitch
- st(s) – stitch(es)
- MR – magic ring
- Rnd – round
Special stitch – surface slip stitch (surf sl st): Hold the working yarn behind the fabric. Insert the hook from front to back through the fabric, pull up a loop, and draw it through the loop on your hook. Repeat, moving one stitch or one round at a time. This makes a raised line of chains on the front.
Gauge and Checkpoints
Gauge: 16 sc × 18 rnds = 4 in (10.2 cm) in sc worked in rounds.
Make one full pocket before you start the straps. The pocket is your gauge swatch.
Checkpoints:
– After Rnd 15: The cup measures 7.5 in (19.1 cm) across when flattened and about 3.3 in (8.4 cm) tall from the tip.
– After Rnd 25: The pocket is 5.6 in (14.2 cm) tall.
– After the rim: The pocket is 6 in (15.2 cm) tall. A standard roll, about 4.25 in (10.8 cm) across, should drop in easily and show about 1.5 in (3.8 cm) above the rim.
If the pocket is too big: Go down one hook size, to 4.5 mm.
If the pocket is too small, or the roll is tight: Go up one hook size, to 5.5 mm.
Fix the pocket size before you make the other two pockets.
Pocket (Make 3)
Work in joined rounds. Start every round with ch 1, which does not count as a stitch, and join with a sl st to the first sc. Place the first sc of each round in the same st as the join. The join line becomes the back center of the pocket.
To keep the cup round instead of square, stagger the increases. On even rounds, work half the sc before the first inc and the rest at the end of the round.
Rnd 1: In MR, 4 sc. Join. (4 sts)
Rnd 2: Inc in each st around. Join. (8 sts)
Rnd 3: (Sc in next st, inc) 4 times. Join. (12 sts)
Rnd 4: (Sc in next 2 sts, inc) 4 times. Join. (16 sts)
Rnd 5: (Sc in next 3 sts, inc) 4 times. Join. (20 sts)
Rnd 6: (Sc in next 4 sts, inc) 4 times. Join. (24 sts)
Rnd 7: (Sc in next 5 sts, inc) 4 times. Join. (28 sts)
Rnd 8: (Sc in next 6 sts, inc) 4 times. Join. (32 sts)
Rnd 9: (Sc in next 7 sts, inc) 4 times. Join. (36 sts)
Rnd 10: (Sc in next 8 sts, inc) 4 times. Join. (40 sts)
Rnd 11: (Sc in next 9 sts, inc) 4 times. Join. (44 sts)
Rnd 12: (Sc in next 10 sts, inc) 4 times. Join. (48 sts)
Rnd 13: (Sc in next 11 sts, inc) 4 times. Join. (52 sts)
Rnd 14: (Sc in next 12 sts, inc) 4 times. Join. (56 sts)
Rnd 15: (Sc in next 13 sts, inc) 4 times. Join. (60 sts)
From Rnd 2 on, each round has 4 more stitches than the one before, so the count for Rnd n is always 4 × n. Check: 4 × 15 = 60.
Checkpoint: The cup is 7.5 in (19.1 cm) wide when flattened, because 60 sts ÷ 4 sts per in = 15 in (38.1 cm) around.
Rnds 16–25: Sc in each st around. Join. (60 sts per round, 10 rounds)
Checkpoint: The pocket is 5.6 in (14.2 cm) tall. Do not fasten off; the rim border comes next.
Rim Border (on Each Pocket)
Border gauge: This is the same as the body, 16 sc = 4 in (10.2 cm). The rim must not flare or pull in.
For counting, number the 60 rim stitches starting just after the back-center join. The back half is sts 1–15 plus sts 46–60, which makes 30 sts. The front half is sts 16–45, which also makes 30 sts. Front center is at st 31.
Rnd 26: Ch 1, sc in each st around. Join. (60 sts: 30 front + 30 back)
Rnd 27: Do not ch. Sl st loosely in the back loop only of each st around. (60 sl sts: 30 front + 30 back)
Fasten off and leave a 6 in (15.2 cm) tail.
Checkpoint: The pocket is now 6 in (15.2 cm) tall. The rim border is 0.4 in (1.0 cm) deep.
Why the math works: Rnd 26 places exactly one sc in each of the 60 body stitches, so the opening stays 15 in (38.1 cm) around. Rnd 27 adds height without adding stitches. A slip stitch is slightly tighter than an sc, so the rim firms up and hugs the roll a little. You get the braided-chain look without any ruffle.
Leaf Veins and Outline
Flatten the pocket with the join line centered on the back. The fold at front center is your leaf midline. The two side folds, at roughly st 16 and st 46, are the leaf edges. Use a strand about 36 in (91.4 cm) long for each line, and weave in the ends on the inside.
Center vein: Starting at the MR tip, work surf sl st straight up the front center, one st per round, through Rnd 26. (26 sl sts)
Side veins: Work 4 veins on each side of the center, 8 in total. Each vein starts right next to the center vein and moves one st outward per round as it goes up. This makes a V that points down.
– Vein 1: starts on Rnd 6 and ends on Rnd 12 (7 sl sts)
– Vein 2: starts on Rnd 10 and ends on Rnd 16 (7 sl sts)
– Vein 3: starts on Rnd 14 and ends on Rnd 20 (7 sl sts)
– Vein 4: starts on Rnd 18 and ends on Rnd 24 (7 sl sts)
Mirror each vein on the other side. If a vein reaches the side fold, stop 2 sts short of it.
Leaf outline: Work surf sl st up each side fold from Rnd 3 to Rnd 26. (24 sl sts per side)
Make All Pieces
- Pockets: 3, all in sage green
- Straps: 2, in sage green
- Collar: 1, in sage green
Strap (Make 2): Ch 97.
Row 1: Sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across. Turn. (96 sts)
Rows 2–4: Ch 1, sc in each st across. Turn. (96 sts)
Fasten off. Each strap is 24 in (61.0 cm) long and about 0.9 in (2.3 cm) wide.
Collar: Ch 17.
Row 1: Sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across. Turn. (16 sts)
Rows 2–5: Ch 1, sc in each st across. Turn. (16 sts)
Fasten off and leave a 10 in (25.4 cm) tail. The collar is 4 in × 1.1 in (10.2 cm × 2.8 cm).
Layout (wall view, measured down from the bottom of the ring):
[ ring ]
[collar]
| | <- 2 straps
0 in ........ strap fold
5 in (Pocket 1 rim)
13 in (Pocket 2 rim)
21 in (Pocket 3 rim)
27 in Pocket 3 tip
Joining
Method: Whipstitch with the yarn tail, working through the strap edge and one leg of each pocket stitch.
Strap position: On each pocket’s back, strap A covers rim sts 6–9 and strap B covers rim sts 52–55. That puts 4 rim sts under each strap, which matches the strap’s 0.9 in (2.3 cm) width. The straps’ centers sit 3.5 in (8.9 cm) apart, with 10 sts, or 2.5 in (6.4 cm), of bare back between them.
Stitch-to-stitch logic: Line up each strap so it runs straight down over the same stitch column. Sew both long edges of the strap to the pocket back, from Rnd 27 down to Rnd 21. That is 7 rounds, about 1.5 in (3.8 cm). Make one whipstitch per round on each edge, so each strap gets 14 stitches per pocket. Sew across the top of the strap through the 4 rim stitches.
Order:
1. Pass both straps through the ring together. Fold 1.5 in (3.8 cm) of each strap back down and stitch the fold flat.
2. Attach Pocket 1 with its rim 5 in (12.7 cm) below the fold.
3. Attach Pocket 2 with its rim 13 in (33.0 cm) below the fold.
4. Attach Pocket 3 with its rim 21 in (53.3 cm) below the fold. The last 1.5 in (3.8 cm) of each strap is sewn under Pocket 3.
The strap length checks out: 1.5 in fold + 21 in to the last rim + 1.5 in overlap = 24 in (61.0 cm).
Collar: Wrap the collar around both doubled straps just below the ring. Seam the short ends together at the back.
Tension: Pull the whipstitches snug but not tight. If they puckers the pocket, the rim will dip at the straps.
Size checkpoint: Hang the holder. It should measure 27 in (68.6 cm) from the strap fold to the bottom tip, and 29 in (73.7 cm) overall including the ring.
Final Blocking
- Spritz each pocket lightly with water until it is damp.
- Wrap a roll in a plastic bag and set it inside the pocket to shape the cup.
- Pinch the tip into a neat point and smooth the veins so they lie straight.
- Lay the straps flat and press them gently so they are straight and 0.9 in (2.3 cm) wide.
- Leave everything to dry completely, at least 24 hours.
- Take out the bagged rolls, hang the holder, and check the rim spacing.
Final Quality-Control Checklist
- Every pocket measures 7.5 in × 6 in (19.1 cm × 15.2 cm).
- Every pocket has 60 rim stitches.
- The center vein runs straight from the tip to the rim.
- The 8 side veins are symmetrical on each pocket.
- The outlines follow both side folds.
- The rims are spaced 8 in (20.3 cm) apart.
- The straps hang straight and parallel.
- The collar seam faces the wall.
- All ends are woven in on the inside.
Troubleshooting
- The cup comes out square: Stagger the increases more, so they don’t stack in the same place each round.
- The rim ruffles: Your Rnd 27 slip stitches are too loose. Redo the round with a 4.5 mm hook.
- The roll won’t fit: Your gauge is tight. Go up a hook size.
- The veins look puckered: Loosen your surface slip stitches, or work them with a hook one size larger.
- A pocket tilts forward: Sew the strap edges all the way down to Rnd 21.
- The tip is blunt: Pull the magic ring fully closed and reshape the tip while blocking.
Care
Hand wash in cool water and lay flat to dry, with a roll inside each pocket to hold the shape. Do not tumble dry.
Final Notes
The measurement chain is simple to follow:
– Gauge: 16 sc = 4 in (10.2 cm)
– Each pocket: 60 sts around, which is 15 in (38.1 cm) around and 7.5 in (19.1 cm) wide when flattened
– Pocket height: 5.6 in (14.2 cm) of body plus a 0.4 in (1.0 cm) rim, for 6 in (15.2 cm)
– Rims spaced 8 in (20.3 cm) apart, on 24 in (61.0 cm) straps
– Total length: 29 in (73.7 cm) including the ring
Check your first pocket against the checkpoints, and the rest of the holder will follow.
Happy crocheting!