This holder hangs from a wooden dowel and keeps three spare rolls in sight. Each of its three round pockets has a small snowman on the front, so it works as winter bathroom decor. The fabric is firm, heathered light-blue single crochet with crisp cream trim.
The palette is light blue, cream and medium blue, plus small touches of orange and black for the faces. The style is soft and cozy. The pockets look like little snow-dusted tubs, and wooden buttons and a wooden dowel finish the look. All terms are US crochet terms.
The finished holder measures 17 in (43.2 cm) wide and 9 in (22.9 cm) tall, not counting the hanging tabs. Each pocket is 4.75 in (12.1 cm) across and 5.5 in (14.0 cm) tall, which fits a standard roll.
The construction is simple. You crochet the back panel flat in rows and add a two-round cream border. Each pocket is worked in the round from a flat circle base. The snowmen are small appliqués that you sew on before assembly. Last, you sew the pockets and tabs to the panel and button the holder onto the dowel.
Finished Size and Construction
- Finished size: 17 in x 9 in (43.2 cm x 22.9 cm), not including tabs
- Skill level: Intermediate
- Terminology: US
- Yarn weight: Worsted (#4)
- Hook: 4.0 mm (G-6)
- Number of pieces: 1 back panel, 3 pockets, 3 tabs, plus 3 snowman appliqué sets
- Layout: 3 pockets side by side across the lower panel
- Pocket size: 4.75 in (12.1 cm) across x 5.5 in (14.0 cm) tall
- Panel size before border: 16 in x 8 in (40.6 cm x 20.3 cm)
- Border depth: 0.5 in (1.3 cm)
Materials
Choose a smooth worsted acrylic or cotton blend. A heathered light blue gives the frosty look in the photo. Cotton blends make a stiffer pocket, and acrylic is easier to wash.
- Light blue (main): 160 g, about 300 m
- Cream: 30 g, about 55 m
- Medium blue: 15 g, about 28 m
- Orange: 2 g, about 4 m
- Black: 2 g, about 4 m
All quantities include a margin of about 15%.
Tools:
– 4.0 mm (G-6) crochet hook
– Tapestry needle
– Stitch markers
– 3 wooden buttons, 0.75 in (1.9 cm)
– Wooden dowel, 20 in (50.8 cm) long and 0.75 in (1.9 cm) thick, with knob ends
– Sewing pins
– Optional: plastic canvas, 15.5 in x 7.5 in (39.4 cm x 19.1 cm), to stiffen the panel
Abbreviations (US Terms)
- ch: chain
- sc: single crochet
- inc: 2 sc in the same stitch
- sc2tog: single crochet 2 together
- sl st: slip stitch
- BLO: back loop only
- MR: magic ring
- st(s): stitch(es)
- rnd: round
Special stitch: reverse single crochet (rev sc). This is single crochet worked from left to right. Insert the hook into the next stitch to the right, yarn over and pull up a loop, then yarn over and pull through both loops. It makes a corded, rope-like edge.
Gauge and Checkpoints
Gauge: 16 sc and 16 rows = 4 in (10.2 cm). This is firm single crochet, which keeps the pockets from sagging.
Make one pocket first and use it as your gauge test.
- After Rnd 10 of the base: the circle should be 4.75 in (12.1 cm) across.
- After Rnd 30: the pocket wall should be 5 in (12.7 cm) tall, measured from the BLO ridge.
- Panel after Row 16: 16 in (40.6 cm) wide and 4 in (10.2 cm) tall.
If your piece comes out too big, drop to a 3.75 mm hook. If it comes out too small, go up to a 4.5 mm hook. Square gauge (equal stitches and rows per inch) matters here, because the border places 1 sc in every row end.
Pocket (Make 3)
Use light blue. Work in continuous spiral rounds and move a marker up to the first stitch of each round.
Base:
– Rnd 1: MR, 6 sc in ring. (6)
– Rnd 2: inc in each st around. (12)
– Rnd 3: (sc 1, inc) 6 times. (18)
– Rnd 4: (sc 2, inc) 6 times. (24)
– Rnd 5: (sc 3, inc) 6 times. (30)
– Rnd 6: (sc 4, inc) 6 times. (36)
– Rnd 7: (sc 5, inc) 6 times. (42)
– Rnd 8: (sc 6, inc) 6 times. (48)
– Rnd 9: (sc 7, inc) 6 times. (54)
– Rnd 10: (sc 8, inc) 6 times. (60)
Checkpoint: the base should be a flat circle 4.75 in (12.1 cm) across.
Walls:
– Rnd 11: sc in BLO in each st around. (60) The unused front loops form a ridge, so the wall turns up sharply.
– Rnds 12–30: sc in each st around. (60)
Checkpoint: the wall is 5 in (12.7 cm) tall, 20 rounds.
Rim:
– Rnd 31: Change to cream. Sc in each st around. (60) Join with a sl st to the first sc.
– Rnd 32: Ch 1. Work rev sc in each st around: 60 worked 1 per existing stitch + 0 added = 60. Join, fasten off and weave in the end.
The finished pocket is 5.5 in (14.0 cm) tall.
Snowman Appliqué (Make 3 Sets)
Leave a 10 in (25.4 cm) tail on every piece for sewing.
Body (cream):
– Rnd 1: MR, 6 sc. (6)
– Rnd 2: inc in each st around. (12)
– Rnd 3: (sc 1, inc) 6 times. (18)
– Rnd 4: (sc 2, inc) 6 times. (24)
Sl st to join and fasten off. The body is 2 in (5.1 cm) across.
Head (cream): Work Rnds 1–3 as for the body. (18) It is 1.5 in (3.8 cm) across.
Hat (medium blue):
– Row 1 (cuff): Ch 8. Sc in the 2nd ch from the hook and across. (7) Turn.
– Row 2: Ch 1, sc2tog, sc 3, sc2tog. (5) Turn.
– Row 3: Ch 1, sc 5. (5) Turn.
– Row 4: Ch 1, sc2tog, sc 1, sc2tog. (3) Fasten off.
The hat is 1.75 in (4.4 cm) wide and 1 in (2.5 cm) tall. Add a line of sl sts across Row 1 to give the cuff some definition.
Scarf (medium blue):
– Band: Ch 8. Sc in the 2nd ch from the hook and across. (7) The band is 1.75 in (4.4 cm) long.
– Tail: Ch 6. Sc in the 2nd ch from the hook and across. (5) The tail is 1.25 in (3.2 cm) long.
Placement: Center the snowman on the pocket front, directly opposite where the pocket will meet the panel.
- Pin the body with its lower edge on Rnd 13.
- Pin the head so it overlaps the body by 0.25 in (0.6 cm). The stacked circles measure 3.25 in (8.3 cm) tall.
- Pin the hat over the top 0.5 in (1.3 cm) of the head. The top of the hat should reach Rnd 27, so the full snowman is 3.75 in (9.5 cm) tall.
- Lay the scarf band across the join between head and body. Let the tail hang down on one side.
- Whipstitch each piece around its edge.
Embroidery:
– Eyes: 2 black French knots.
– Nose: 3 orange straight stitches that taper into a carrot shape, pointing sideways.
– Buttons: 2–3 medium-blue French knots down the body.
– Snowflakes: One cream snowflake on each side of the head, 0.75 in (1.9 cm) across, made of 3 crossed straight stitches.
Back Panel
Use light blue.
