Scalloped Honeycomb Pot Cover Free Crochet Pattern

Scalloped Honeycomb Pot Cover: A Beginner-Friendly Crochet Pattern

This sweet little pot cover is the perfect first project for anyone who has just learned a few basic crochet stitches and wants to make something beautiful and useful. It is a simple straight tube worked in the round, so you never have to turn your work or sew a single seam. The raised honeycomb texture comes from a clever stitch called alpine stitch, which looks impressive but is really just single crochet and double crochet taking turns. Worked in cherry red cotton with a soft pink scalloped edge, the finished cover feels smooth, matte, and slightly stiff, so it holds its shape around a standard 3-inch nursery pot. Slip it over a plain plastic pot and your windowsill instantly feels warm and Scandinavian.

Materials Needed

• Yarn: Worsted weight (category 4) cotton yarn, approximately 150 yards total: 120 yards cherry red and 30 yards soft pink. Cotton is recommended because it is sturdy and holds the raised texture well.
• Crochet hook: 5.0 mm (US H-8), or whatever size you need to match the gauge below.
• Stitch marker: One removable stitch marker (or a scrap of contrasting yarn) to mark the first stitch of each round.
• Tapestry needle: A blunt-tipped yarn needle for weaving in ends.
• Scissors: Any small sharp pair for cutting yarn.
• Measuring tape: For checking gauge and the finished size.
• Finished size: Height 4.5 inches (11.5 cm); diameter 3.75 inches (9.5 cm) at the base and 4 inches (10 cm) at the top before the scalloped edge. It fits a standard 3-inch (7.5 cm) nursery pot.

Abbreviations and Beginner Glossary

• ch – chain. Wrap the yarn over your hook and pull it through the loop already on your hook. This makes a small link.
• sc – single crochet. Insert your hook into the stitch, yarn over, pull up a loop (2 loops on hook), yarn over again, pull through both loops. One loop remains.
• dc – double crochet. Yarn over, insert hook into the stitch, yarn over, pull up a loop (3 loops on hook), yarn over, pull through 2 loops, yarn over, pull through the last 2 loops.
• fpdc – front post double crochet. Work a double crochet exactly as above, but instead of inserting your hook into the top of the stitch, insert it from front to back around the vertical "post" (the body) of the stitch below. This pushes the stitch forward and creates the raised honeycomb ridge.
• sl st – slip stitch. Insert hook into the stitch, yarn over, and pull the loop straight through both the stitch and the loop on your hook. Used here to join each round.
• st(s) – stitch or stitches.
• sp – space. The gap created by a chain (for example, a "ch-2 sp" is the little hole under two chain stitches).
• magic ring – an adjustable loop of yarn you crochet into to start a circle, then pull tight so no hole remains. If you prefer, chain 4 and join with a sl st to form a ring instead.
• join – finish the round by working a slip stitch into the first stitch of that round.
• fasten off – cut the yarn a few inches from your work and pull the tail through the last loop to secure it.
• 2 sc in next st – work two single crochet stitches into the same stitch. This is an increase and makes the circle grow.
• skip 1 st – do not work into that stitch; move on to the next one, leaving a small gap.

Gauge

16 stitches and 12 rounds = 4 inches (10 cm) in alpine stitch pattern.

Gauge simply means how big your stitches turn out. If your stitches are looser or tighter than the designer's, your cover will come out bigger or smaller than the pot it is meant to fit. To check, crochet a small square about 5 inches wide in the alpine stitch pattern (alternate a round of double crochet, a round of single crochet, then the texture rounds). Lay it flat, place a ruler across the middle, and count how many stitches fit in 4 inches. If you have more than 16, your stitches are too tight, so try a larger hook. If you have fewer, try a smaller hook. It is worth the ten minutes: a cover that fits snugly looks far better than one that slips off.

Beginner Tips Before You Start

• Use a stitch marker. Place it in the first stitch of each round so you always know where the round begins and ends. It is the single easiest way to avoid losing your place.
• Do not pull your yarn too tight. Keep an even, relaxed tension. Tight stitches make the tube stiff and too small for the pot.
• Count your stitches at the end of every round. The numbers in parentheses tell you exactly how many stitches you should have. If you are off, fix it now rather than three rounds later.
• Work the fpdc loosely. The front post double crochet wraps around a stitch below, so it needs a little slack to sit nicely on the surface.
• Keep the right side out. Because you never turn your work, the texture naturally pushes to the outside. If it looks inside out, you have worked the fpdc around the wrong side of the post.
• Try the cover on the pot as you go. Once the base is done, slide it onto the nursery pot to check the fit before you continue up the sides.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Note: The first stitch of each round is a ch 1 (which does not count as a stitch) unless stated otherwise. Join every round with a sl st to the first stitch. All instructions are in US terms.

Base (cherry red)

Round 1: Make a magic ring. Ch 1. Work 8 sc into the ring. Join with sl st to first sc. (8 sc)

Round 2: Ch 1. Work 2 sc in each st around. Join. (16 sc)

Round 3: Ch 1. *2 sc in next st, sc in next st; repeat from * around. Join. (24 sc)

Round 4: Ch 1. *2 sc in next st, sc in next 2 sts; repeat from * around. Join. (32 sc)

Round 5: Ch 1. *2 sc in next st, sc in next 3 sts; repeat from * around. Join. (40 sc)

Round 6: Ch 1. *2 sc in next st, sc in next 4 sts; repeat from * around. Join. (48 sc)

Round 7: Ch 1. Sc in each st around. Join. (48 sc)

Do not fasten off. The base is complete at about 3.75 inches (9.5 cm) across.

Body (alpine stitch, cherry red)

Round 8 (texture round): Ch 2 (counts as first dc). Dc in each st around. Join with sl st to top of ch 2. (48 dc)

Round 9 (sc round): Ch 1. Sc in each st around. Join. (48 sc)

Round 10 (texture round): Ch 2. *Fpdc around the post of the next dc from Round 8, sc in next st; repeat from * around, ending with fpdc around the last dc. Join to top of ch 2. (24 fpdc, 24 sc)

Round 11 (sc round): Ch 1. Sc in each st around. Join. (48 sc)

Round 12 (texture round): Ch 2. *Sc in next st, fpdc around the post of the next fpdc from two rounds below; repeat from * around. Join to top of ch 2. (24 sc, 24 fpdc)

Round 13 (sc round): Ch 1. Sc in each st around. Join. (48 sc)

Rounds 14–23: Repeat Rounds 10–13, then repeat Rounds 10–13 again, then work Round 10 once more. (48 sts each round) The tube now measures about 4 inches (10 cm) from the base. Do not fasten off.

Scalloped Edge (soft pink)

Change to soft pink by pulling the new color through on the final sl st of Round 23. Fasten off cherry red.

Round 24: Ch 1. Sc in each st around. Join. (48 sc)

Round 25: Ch 1. *Sc in next st, ch 2, skip 1 st; repeat from * around. Join. (24 sc, 24 ch-2 sps)

Round 26: Ch 1. *Sc in next sc, 3 dc in next ch-2 sp; repeat from * around. Join. (24 sc, 72 dc)

Round 27: Ch 1. *Sc in next sc, ch 1, skip next dc, dc in next dc, ch 1, skip next dc; repeat from * around. Join. (24 sc, 24 dc, 48 ch-1 sps)

Round 28: Ch 1. *Sc in next sc, ch 2, skip ch-1 sp, dc in next dc, ch 2, skip ch-1 sp; repeat from * around. Join. (24 sc, 24 dc, 48 ch-2 sps)

Round 29: Ch 1. *Sc in next sc, 3 dc in next ch-2 sp, dc in next dc, 3 dc in next ch-2 sp; repeat from * around. Join. (24 sc, 168 dc)

Round 30: Ch 1. Sc in each st around. Join. Fasten off soft pink. (192 sc)

Assembly and Finishing

There is no seaming in this project, which is one of the reasons it is so beginner-friendly. To finish, first weave in all ends: thread each yarn tail onto your tapestry needle, turn the cover inside out, and run the needle back and forth through the backs of several stitches before trimming the yarn close. This hides the tails securely so they never work loose.

Next, block the cover lightly. Dampen it with a fine mist of water (or spritz it and press gently with a towel), then slide it over a glass or a slightly smaller cup so it holds its round shape. Smooth the scalloped edge outward with your fingers so the points open up, and let it dry completely at room temperature. Blocking settles the alpine texture and makes the pink scallops lie flat and even.

Finally, slip the cover over a 3-inch nursery pot. The flat base sits on the shelf and the scalloped edge falls just below the pot rim. If you like, tuck the plastic pot's own rim inside so only the crochet shows.

Pro Tips and Variations

• Change the colors: Keep the body one color and choose any contrast shade for the scalloped edge. Mustard, sage green, or cream all look lovely against cherry red, and a neutral edge suits almost any room.
• Adjust the size: To fit a larger pot, add one more increase round to the base (for example, *2 sc in next st, sc in next 5 sts; repeat around for 56 sc), then work the body over that new stitch count. Every texture round simply repeats around whatever number of stitches you have.
• Substitute the yarn: Any worsted weight cotton works well. Avoid fluffy or slippery yarns, which hide the honeycomb texture. If you use a different fiber, check your gauge again before you begin.
• Make a matching set: Work the same pattern in three or four colors for a row of pots on a shelf, or add a simple hanging loop by chaining 12 and joining it to the top edge before you fasten off.