The Seaside Shell holder is a hanging organizer with three round baskets, one roll in each. Teal and white shell rounds stack in a staggered scallop pattern, and a crisp white corded rim finishes each basket. A tapered teal tab with a white stripe loops over a wooden ring, so the whole piece hangs from a single hook.
The look is clean and coastal. Two colors, bright teal and white, alternate every round, and that one color change makes the shells pop. The pattern uses US crochet terms throughout.
Each basket measures 5¼ in (13.3 cm) across and about 4½ in (11.4 cm) tall. The finished holder hangs about 22 in (55.9 cm) from the top of the ring loop to the bottom of the lowest basket, not counting the ring.
You’ll crochet three identical baskets from the bottom up: a flat circle base, a short plain wall, six shell rounds, and a three-round rim. Then you’ll make four short straps and one hanger tab and sew everything together stitch to stitch.
Finished Size and Construction
- Finished size: about 5¼ in (13.3 cm) wide x 22 in (55.9 cm) long
- Skill level: Easy / advanced beginner
- Terminology: US crochet terms
- Yarn weight: Worsted (#4) cotton
- Hook: 5.0 mm (H-8)
- Number of pieces: 8 (3 baskets, 4 straps, 1 hanger tab)
- Layout: 3 baskets in a single vertical column, 1 x 3
- Piece size: each basket 5¼ in (13.3 cm) diameter x 4½ in (11.4 cm) tall
- Size before border: wall height 3¾ in (9.5 cm) after Round 20
- Border depth: 3 rim rounds, ½ in (1.3 cm)
Materials
Use a smooth, firm 100% cotton or cotton blend in worsted weight. Cotton holds its shape, stands up to bathroom humidity, and washes well. The amounts below assume a 50 g ball of about 85 m (93 yd).
- Teal: 150 g, about 255 m (279 yd), 3 balls
- White: 100 g, about 170 m (186 yd), 2 balls
Quantities include a margin of about 20% for your gauge swatch and tails.
Tools:
- 5.0 mm (H-8) crochet hook
- 1 wooden ring, 3 in (7.6 cm) diameter
- 4 stitch markers
- Tapestry needle
- Scissors
- Measuring tape
Abbreviations (US Terms)
- ch – chain
- sl st – slip stitch
- sc – single crochet
- dc – double crochet
- sc2tog – single crochet 2 together
- BLO – back loop only
- MR – magic ring
- st(s) – stitch(es)
- WS – wrong side
Shell: 5 dc in the same stitch.
Reverse sc (crab stitch): Working from left to right (right-handed), insert hook in next st to the right, yarn over, pull up a loop, yarn over, pull through both loops.
Gauge and Checkpoints
Gauge: 16 sc x 18 rows = 4 in (10.2 cm) in sc with a 5.0 mm hook. In the shell pattern, one 6-st repeat = 1½ in (3.8 cm) and 2 shell rounds = 1 in (2.5 cm).
Make one complete basket before starting the others. It’s your real gauge test, and every other piece is sized to match it.
Checkpoints:
- After Round 6 (36 sts): base about 2.9 in (7.4 cm) across
- After Round 11 (66 sts): base 5¼ in (13.3 cm) across
- After Round 14: wall ¾ in (1.9 cm) tall
- After Round 20: wall 3¾ in (9.5 cm) tall
- After Round 23: wall 4¼ in (10.8 cm) tall
A standard roll measures about 4½ in (11.4 cm) across and 4 in (10.2 cm) tall, so it should drop in easily with a little room to spare.
If the base is too big, go down a half or full hook size. If it’s too small or the roll fits tightly, go up a hook size. Don’t change the stitch counts. The 66-stitch total is what makes the shell repeat work.
Basket (Make 3)
Base
Use teal.
Round 1: Make a MR, ch 1, 6 sc in ring, sl st to first sc. (6 sts)
Round 2: Ch 1, 2 sc in each st around, sl st to first sc. (12 sts)
Round 3: Ch 1, sc in next st, 2 sc in next st; repeat from * 6 times total, sl st to first sc. (18 sts)
Round 4: Ch 1, sc in next 2 sts, 2 sc in next st 6 times, sl st. (24 sts)
Round 5: Ch 1, sc in next 3 sts, 2 sc in next st 6 times, sl st. (30 sts)
Round 6: Ch 1, sc in next 4 sts, 2 sc in next st 6 times, sl st. (36 sts)
Round 7: Ch 1, sc in next 5 sts, 2 sc in next st 6 times, sl st. (42 sts)
Round 8: Ch 1, sc in next 6 sts, 2 sc in next st 6 times, sl st. (48 sts)
Round 9: Ch 1, sc in next 7 sts, 2 sc in next st 6 times, sl st. (54 sts)
Round 10: Ch 1, sc in next 8 sts, 2 sc in next st 6 times, sl st. (60 sts)
Round 11: Ch 1, sc in next 9 sts, 2 sc in next st 6 times, sl st. (66 sts)
Check: 5¼ in (13.3 cm) across, lying flat.
Lower Wall
Round 12: Ch 1, sc in BLO of each st around, sl st to first sc. (66 sts)
This turns the wall upward and leaves a ridge of unused front loops around the base edge. You’ll use that ridge later for the straps.
Rounds 13–14: Ch 1, sc in each st around, sl st to first sc. (66 sts)
Fasten off teal. The column where your rounds join is the jog column. Every round from now on starts in this column.
Shell Rounds
Colors alternate every round: Rounds 15, 17 and 19 in white, Rounds 16, 18 and 20 in teal. Because every round starts in the jog column, you can carry the unused color loosely up the inside wall instead of cutting it.
Round 15 (white, Shell Round A): Join white in first st. Ch 1, sc in same st, skip 2 sts, shell in next st, skip 2 sts, sc in next st; repeat from * 10 times total, skip 2 sts, shell in next st, skip 2 sts, sl st to first sc. (11 shells + 11 sc = 66 sts)
Round 16 (teal, Shell Round B): Join teal in first sc. Ch 3 (counts as dc), 2 dc in same st, skip 2 dc, sc in center dc of next shell, skip 2 dc, shell in next sc; repeat from * 10 times total, skip 2 dc, sc in center dc of last shell, skip 2 dc, 2 dc in first st, sl st to top of ch-3. (11 shells + 11 sc = 66 sts)
The beginning ch-3 is now the center of the split first shell. The shells sit directly above the previous round’s sc, so the colors stagger.
Round 17 (white, Shell Round A): Pick up white. Ch 1, sc in top of ch-3, skip 2 dc, shell in next sc, skip 2 dc, sc in center dc of next shell; repeat from * 10 times total, skip 2 dc, shell in last sc, skip 2 dc, sl st to first sc. (11 shells + 11 sc = 66 sts)
Round 18 (teal): Repeat Round 16. (66 sts)
Round 19 (white): Repeat Round 17. (66 sts)
Round 20 (teal): Repeat Round 16. (66 sts) Fasten off teal.
Check: wall 3¾ in (9.5 cm) tall. That’s your size before the border.
Make All Pieces
Baskets: 3, as above.
Straps (make 4), teal:
Row 1: Ch 6, sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across, turn. (5 sts)
Rows 2–16: Ch 1, sc in each st across, turn. (5 sts)
Fasten off, leaving a 12 in (30.5 cm) tail. Each strap is 1¼ in (3.2 cm) wide x about 3½ in (8.9 cm) long.
Hanger tab (make 1):
Row 1 (teal): Ch 22, sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across, turn. (21 sts)
Rows 2–6: Ch 1, sc across, turn. (21 sts)
Row 7: Ch 1, sc2tog, sc to last 2 sts, sc2tog, turn. (19 sts)
Row 8: Repeat Row 7. (17 sts) Change to white.
Rows 9–12 (white): Repeat Row 7 four times. (15, 13, 11, 9 sts) Change to teal.
Row 13 (teal): Repeat Row 7. (7 sts)
Rows 14–25 (teal ring strap): Ch 1, sc across, turn. (7 sts)
Side edging (teal): Work 1 sc in each row end along each slanted side of Rows 1–13. (13 sc per side)
Fasten off, leaving a 12 in (30.5 cm) tail. The tab is 5¼ in (13.3 cm) wide at Row 1, 1¾ in (4.4 cm) wide at Row 13, and about 2.9 in (7.4 cm) tall through Row 13. The ring strap adds about 2.7 in (6.9 cm).
Totals per color: Teal: 3 bases and lower walls, 9 shell rounds, 4 straps, most of the tab. White: 9 shell rounds, 9 rim rounds, 4 tab rows.
Layout grid (front view):
( ring )
[hanger tab]
[ Basket 1 – top ]
| | straps
[ Basket 2 – mid ]
| | straps
[ Basket 3 – low ]
Border (Rim, All 3 Baskets)
Border gauge: 16 sts = 4 in (10.2 cm), so 66 sts = 16½ in (41.9 cm) around, which gives a 5¼ in (13.3 cm) diameter. That matches the base exactly, so the walls rise straight with no flare.
Use white.
Round 21 (leveling): Join white at the top of ch-3. Ch 1, sc in same st and in next 2 dc, dc in next sc, sc in next 5 dc; repeat from * 10 times total, dc in next sc, sc in last 2 dc, sl st to first sc. (3 + 60 + 1 + 2 = 66 sts: 55 sc + 11 dc)
The dc fills each dip between shells, so the top edge turns level.
Round 22: Ch 1, sc in each st around, sl st to first sc. (66 sts)
Round 23: Ch 1, reverse sc in each st around, sl st to first st. (66 sts) Fasten off and weave in ends.
Why the math works: 66 = 11 shell repeats x 6 sts, and every round from 11 to 23 holds 66 sts. For placement, the rim splits into a 21-st back span (the jog column plus 10 sts on each side) and a 45-st front: 21 + 45 = 66. On each basket, mark back-span sts 1–5 and 17–21 with stitch markers. That leaves 11 sts between the strap positions (5 + 11 + 5 = 21), and the hanger tab’s 21-st Row 1 matches the back span 1:1.
Joining
Method: Whipstitch with matching yarn through both loops, one stitch to one stitch.
Hanger to Basket 1: Hold tab Row 1 against the inside of the back span on Round 22. Whipstitch its 21 sts to the 21 back-span sts. Pass Rows 14–25 through the ring from front to back, fold the strap down, and whipstitch Row 25 (7 sts) to the WS of Row 13 (7 sts).
Straps, upper end: On the outside of Basket 1, line up strap Rows 14–16 over wall Rounds 12–14 under back-span sts 1–5. Whipstitch Row 16 (5 sts) to the 5 matching sts of Round 14. Tack both side edges down, then sew across the strap into the 5 matching front loops on the Round 11 ridge. Repeat for the second strap under sts 17–21.
Straps, lower end: Tuck strap Rows 1–4 inside Basket 2 against the back span. Whipstitch Row 1 (5 sts) to the 5 marked sts of Round 22 and tack the side edges. Join Basket 2 to Basket 3 the same way.
Tension: Pull each stitch snug but not tight. The seam should lie flat without puckering the rim.
Size checkpoint: Rows 5–13 of each strap (9 rows) form the visible gap: about 2 in (5.1 cm) between baskets. Both straps on each level should match within ¼ in (0.6 cm).
Final Blocking
- Weave in all remaining tails along same-color stitches.
- Mist the whole holder until it’s evenly damp.
- Put a toilet roll in each basket to shape the walls into round cylinders.
- Hang it from a hook so the straps and tab settle straight under the weight.
- Smooth the shells and pat the rims level with your fingers.
- Let it dry completely, about 24 hours.
Final Quality-Control Checklist
- Each basket base is flat and measures 5¼ in (13.3 cm) across.
- Every round from Round 11 to Round 23 has 66 sts.
- Each shell round has 11 shells, offset from the round below.
- Rims are level, with 11 filled dips.
- All three baskets match in height, about 4½ in (11.4 cm).
- Strap gaps are even, about 2 in (5.1 cm).
- The hanger tab is centered over the jog column, and the ring strap is sewn securely.
- No loose tails show on the outside.
Troubleshooting
Base cups or ruffles: Cupping means your increase rounds are too tight; ruffling means they’re too loose. Change the hook by a half size.
Shell count is off: Count in repeats of one shell plus one sc, and start every round in the jog column.
Visible jog line: This is normal for joined rounds. Keep it at the back, where the hanger and straps hide it.
Basket tilts: The straps are uneven. Resew them so both show exactly 9 rows.
Roll fits tightly: Your gauge is tight. Rework with a larger hook.
Care
Hand wash or machine wash cold on a gentle cycle, then reshape while damp. Dry flat or hanging with rolls inside, and don’t tumble dry, since heat can shrink cotton.
Final Notes
Here’s the measurement chain: a gauge of 16 sts = 4 in (10.2 cm) gives a 66-st base of 5¼ in (13.3 cm). All 66 sts carry through every wall round, building a 3¾ in (9.5 cm) wall before the rim and 4¼ in (10.8 cm) after the ½ in (1.3 cm) border. The 21-st back span matches the hanger tab exactly, and each 5-st strap fits a 5-st marked position. The 2 in (5.1 cm) gaps bring the whole holder to about 22 in (55.9 cm). Check each step as you go and the holder will hang straight.
Happy crocheting!