Hey hey it’s been a good long while since I made a free pattern! The story behind this one is a kind of boring one if you’re not into growing things.
Basically I was reading about pots, and from my research I concluded that fabric pots were clearly superior. Why? Well they have ample drainage, for one. Too much water? It just falls right out through the fabric, no need for drainage holes! Fabric won’t get crazy hot or cold like plastic. They’re also great for root growth, because instead of the roots growing round and round in a plastic or clay pot, they grow into the fabric and once they hit air, BOOM, that root stops growing and a new root starts growing. You can actually buy fabric sacks for plants OR sew your own! Or, of course, you can crochet one. :D
I had a spicy oregano plant that was nearly dead and I had some ugly green cotton yarn, so I decided to make a little pot, but I didn’t know how well it would work out, so I tested it out on this little tree seedling I had first.
As you can see, it works just fine!
This is about 2 month’s worth of growth, I believe. Except for a few run-ins with some aphids last week, it’s a very happy little tree! I added some dried out grass as mulch because it’s been so hot recently. Speaking of the oregano…
It’s quite happy! Look how big it’s grown! It was literally just one tiny sprout growing a couple of months ago, nearly the entire plant died. So glad it came back because spicy oregano is REALLY GOOD omg. The fabric sack in the middle has 2 apple seed sprouts growing! They’re just organic apples from the grocery store. I’ll make another post on how to make fabric pots later on! Btw the oregano planter was started with green yarn until I ran out, then I switched to brown. It’s not so covered in dirt that it turned brown hahaha.
Now one last thing to note, these planters are definitely for outdoor use. As the water runs out of the holes, inevitably some dirt will, too. You could use a plastic/ceramic tray underneath but I think those are ugly so…well, do what you like; you’ve been warned!
The planter is worked in the round without joins and uses sc, hdc and the puff stitch (not to be confused with the popcorn stitch).
Supplies:
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worsted weight cotton* in any color you like. cotton is sturdy and doesn’t stretch, you need cotton for this. it will probably be bleached by the sun eventually though, keep that in mind.
(*affiliate link) -
5mm hook
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yarn needle
plastic canvas (optional, but very useful. you could also cut up the top or bottom of a plastic container but be sure to put a few drainage holes in it if you do)
Let’s go!
Instructions
Make a magic ring of 12. Use stitch markers, trust me.
R1: 2hdc into each st
R2: *hdc, hdc, 2hdc* repeat
R3: *hdc x 3, chain 2, skip 1, hdc x 3, 2hdc* repeat. Although probably not that necessary, this makes some drainage holes on the bottom.
R4: *hdc x 4, 3hdc into previous ch2 skip 1, hdc x 3, 2hdc* repeat. You should have 48 stitches if you didn’t miscount, but it really isn’t that important. Now this is where the base finishes, you should have a 4-5 inch circle. If you want a larger planter, you can keep going around with increases until it’s the size you want, then continue on. You want to end on an even number though. Just add a stitch at the end if you’re odd. Or rather, if your stitch count is odd. Right…you’re perfectly normal, don’t worry…heh…heh…
R5: sc into each stitch through back loops only
R6: Do a 3yo puff in the first st, then skip the next. Repeat
Now pause a minute and grab your plastic canvas. Cut a circle shape that fits nicely into the bottom of your pot. This will help keep its shape and generally make filling it with dirt easier. Continue to crochet without the plastic inserted, but it’s easier to make it fit perfectly NOW vs when the pot is done.
R7-R12: 3yo puff in between each puff from the last row. No skips.
If you feel like it’s not tall enough feel free to do more rows. Especially if you made the planter base larger, you’ll need more rows. The rest of the rows are for the handles so right now your planter is the max height. Don’t be lazy, if it’s too short, add more rows! You’ll regret it later when it’s full of dirt and green things!
R13: sc into each stitch, back loops only, in the top of each puff and between each puff, you should have 48 or however many stitches you had on rows 4&5
Now we’ll make the handles. If you’re not at 48 stitches, I’ll help you figure it out! First count your stitches, let’s just say you have 60 to keep it simple. Now divide by half and you get 30. Place a stitch marker at the beginning of your row, and on stitch 31. Now decide how many stitches long you want your handles to be. Let’s say you think 10 looks good. Now count 10 stitches after each stitch marker, and place additional stitch markers on the stitch AFTER that, the 11th stitch. Now you have your handle marks! If you’re on 48 stitches follow this pattern exactly, otherwise use this as a guideline:
R14: *chain 8, skip 6 stitches, hdc into the next 18 stitches* repeat (we added 4 stitches with the extra chains so we’re at 52)
We chain 8 but only skip 6 to make the handle stand up a little bit. If you’re not on 48 count, you should also chain more than you skip. It’s easy to pull out and redo this row so experiment a little if you need to
R15: sc into each st though back loops only, then slip stitch, cut your yarn off and weave in the tail!
Now stick your plastic in the bottom, fill it up with some dirt & compost and stick your happy little plant in there!
Yay!
I'd love to see any planters you guys make, tag me on social media if you do!
Tags: crochet pattern, freebies, Planter