The weather has been great lately here in Nor Cal, and I’ve been working on several projects in my garden- some blog-worthy, some not- and working on some time-heavy knitting and crocheting projects. I was going to save this particular project for a later date, but since it’s such a quick project to do I thought I’d whip it up and post it now to give everyone something to look at while I work on getting my other stuff done! It didn’t even take me an hour to work up and is a great use of all the cotton yarn I’m trying to make use of (see the The Cotton Yarn Chronicles.)
Use this soap saver by placing your small, leftover pieces of soap inside instead of throwing them away, or use with a whole standard sized soap bar. (Soaps are made in all shapes and sizes nowadays, so what I mean by “standard” is the deodorant-type soaps you typically would buy at a grocery store.) I designed it to be a bit bigger than most other soap savers I’ve come across to fit a whole soap bar and be easier to scrub with. When you’re finished, you can hang it up to dry instead of leaving it in a wet soap dish, so no more soggy/melted soap!
Finished Size: Approximately 5 1/2″ tall by 3 7/8″ wide when flat. It will stretch a bit when being used.
Materials: Medium weight cotton yarn, approximately 75 yards (Brand and color I used here is Lily Sugar ‘n Cream Cotton Yarn in Cool Breeze Ombre) Crochet Hook K (6.50 mm) Yarn Needle Scissors
Gauge: 6 stitches = 2 inches. Gauge is not important for this pattern; I am providing this information for those who want to check their gauge.
Instructions: Start by chaining 12, or a chain as wide as you want your soap saver. If you do decide to do this, with each stitch you add or subtract to the foundation chain, add or subtract 2 stitches to the total stitch count.
Round 1: ch 1, sc in second ch from hook and in each ch across, then do the same on the other side of the chain (24 s).
Round 2 – 18: sc in each sc around (24 s).
Edge: You can either leave as is or turn and sl st around as I did.
Draw String: Chain 80 or however long you want the string to be. Tie off and weave your string in and out of the stitch spaces in the top row below the bag opening. Knot the ends of the draw strings together.
Here is a partial breakdown of the pattern. The pictures show the pattern being worked from left to right because I am left handed. It can be worked either left to right or right to left and achieve the same results.
Foundation chain with sc on both sides.
Soap Saver about 1/2 of the way through.
To attach the draw string easily: after crocheting the chain, tie off and leave a bit of yarn hanging from one end, then use a yarn needle to weave it through the first row of stitches below the bag opening. Tie off securely and snip off the extra yarn when finished.
Finished! :)
If you have any questions or need assistance crocheting this soap saver, just leave a comment- I’ll be happy to help!
-Mi
Hi, from snowy Cape Ann, Gloucester, MA! I made these for our Christmas fair this year. Iam going to try your pattern . Instead of soap chips I’ll use a bar of soap for a bath scrubbie! thanks for a great pattern.
You’re welcome Carol!
I’m glad you enjoyed the pattern and thank you for your feedback!
“Round 1: ch 1, sc in second ch from hook and in each ch across, then do the same on the other side of the chain (24 s).” Confused on getting started. Some more pictures would be great. chain 1 then single stitch at the second stitch.. I’m just confused on where the needle is going into on the “other side” and how it becomes a circle.
Hi Kelly,
I’m sorry you’re having trouble with understanding the pattern. Let’s see if I can help.
What happens in Round 2? The suspense!
(Don’t know if it’s a browser issue, but for some reason there’s nothing after Round 1…)
Whoops- looks like part of the post was lost in the blog move. I restored the missing part so you’re good to go!
Thanks for the heads up (and I love your sense of humor)! 😉
Thank you! It’s a beautiful pattern.