Speckled Egg Bath Melt Sack Free Crochet Pattern

Speckled Egg Bath Melt Sack: A Free Beginner Crochet Pattern

Introduction

If you have never held a crochet hook before, this Speckled Egg Bath Melt Sack is the perfect first project for you. It is small, quick, and forgiving, and it teaches you the handful of skills every crocheter needs: the magic ring, single crochet, increasing, decreasing, and a simple chain cord. The finished sack looks like a little speckled egg, about the size of a real egg, with a soft matte texture and a rustic brown band at the top. Tucked inside, it holds a bath melt or a small bar of soap, and a crocheted drawstring pulls it closed with a tidy bow. It feels dense and squishy in your hand, and it makes a lovely handmade gift that costs only a few yards of yarn.

Materials Needed

• Yarn: Worsted weight (category 4) acrylic or cotton yarn, approximately 25–30 yards total. You need about 18 yards of speckled cream (Color A) and about 8 yards of speckled brown (Color B).
• Crochet hook: G/6 (4.0 mm).
• Stitch marker: 1, to mark the first stitch of each round.
• Tapestry needle: A blunt-tipped needle with a large eye, for weaving in ends.
• Scissors: Any small sharp pair.
• Finished size: Approximately 3 inches (7.5 cm) tall and 2.25 inches (5.5 cm) wide at the widest point, not counting the drawstring cord.

Abbreviations and Beginner Glossary

• ch – chain. Wrap the yarn over your hook and pull it through the loop already on your hook. This makes one chain stitch.
• sc – single crochet. Insert your hook into the next stitch, wrap the yarn over the hook, pull up a loop (you now have 2 loops on the hook), wrap the yarn over again, and pull it through both loops. One single crochet made.
• sc2tog – single crochet 2 stitches together (a decrease). Insert your hook into the next stitch, pull up a loop, insert your hook into the following stitch, pull up a loop (3 loops on hook), wrap the yarn over and pull through all 3 loops. Two stitches become one.
• sl st – slip stitch. Insert your hook into the stitch, wrap the yarn over, and pull it through both the stitch and the loop on your hook in one motion. It joins without adding height.
• st(s) – stitch(es). One completed loop of yarn in your work.
• rnd – round. One full circle of stitches worked around the piece.
• magic ring – an adjustable loop. Make a loop of yarn, work your stitches into it, then pull the short tail to close the hole in the center.
• 2 sc in next st – an increase. Work two single crochets into the same stitch, turning one stitch into two.
• eyelet space – a small gap made by chaining 1 and skipping a stitch, used as a hole for the drawstring.
• fasten off – cut the yarn a few inches from your work and pull the tail through the last loop to lock it.

Gauge

Gauge: 4 single crochet stitches and 4.5 rounds = 1 inch (2.5 cm) in continuous single crochet worked in the round.

Gauge matters because it controls the finished size. If your stitches are looser than this, your sack will be bigger and floppier; if tighter, it will be smaller and stiffer. To check, crochet a small flat swatch of about 12 single crochets and 12 rows, lay it flat, and measure 1 inch across and 1 inch up with a ruler. Count the stitches and rounds inside that inch. If you have more than 4 stitches per inch, try a larger hook; if fewer, try a smaller hook. For this tiny accessory gauge is not critical, but a slightly tight, even tension helps the sack hold its egg shape.

Beginner Tips Before You Start

• Use a stitch marker. This sack is worked in a spiral, so there is no seam to tell you where a round begins. Place the marker in the first stitch of each round and move it up every time you start a new round.
• Do not pull the yarn too tight. Keep an even, relaxed tension. Yanking the yarn makes the stitches hard to enter on the next round.
• Count out loud. Count your stitches at the end of every round. The number in parentheses at the end of each line tells you exactly how many you should have.
• Close the magic ring firmly. Pull the short tail snug after Round 1 so no hole shows at the bottom of the egg.
• Keep the right side out. As the cup forms, the smooth side should face you. If it curls inward, gently push it back out with your fingers.
• Change color on the last stitch. When the pattern says to change color, pull the new color through the final loop of the last stitch so the join is invisible.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Notes

The sack is worked in continuous rounds (a spiral) without joining. Do not turn at the end of rounds. The body is worked in speckled cream (A); the top band and drawstring cord are worked in speckled brown (B).

Body (Color A, speckled cream)

Rnd 1: Make a magic ring. Work 6 sc into the ring. Pull the tail to close the ring. (6 sc)

Rnd 2: Work 2 sc in each st around. (12 sc)

Rnd 3: [2 sc in next st, 1 sc in next st] around. (18 sc)

Rnd 4: [2 sc in next st, 1 sc in each of next 2 sts] around. (24 sc)

Rnds 5–11: Sc in each st around. (24 sc) The piece should measure about 2.25 inches (5.5 cm) across and about 2 inches (5 cm) tall at this point.

Rnd 12: [Sc2tog, 1 sc in each of next 2 sts] around. (18 sc)

Rnd 13: [Sc2tog, 1 sc in next st] around. (12 sc)

Rnd 14: Sc in each st around. (12 sc) Do not fasten off yet.

Top Band (Color B, speckled brown)

Change to speckled brown by pulling the new color through on the last stitch of Rnd 14. Cut the cream yarn, leaving a 4-inch tail to weave in later.

Rnd 15: Sc in each st around. (12 sc)

Rnd 16: Ch 1, then work a round of eyelet holes for the drawstring: [ch 1, skip next st, sc in next st] around, ending with ch 1, skip the last st, then sl st to the first ch-1 space. (6 eyelet spaces)

Rnd 17: Ch 1, sc in each ch-1 space and in each sc around. (12 sc)

Rnd 18: Sc in each st around. (12 sc)

Fasten off, leaving a 4-inch tail. Thread the tail onto the tapestry needle, weave it through the stitches of the last round, and pull gently to close the top opening slightly. Weave the end in securely on the inside.

Drawstring Cord (Color B, speckled brown)

Leave a 3-inch starting tail. Chain 30. Fasten off, leaving a 3-inch tail. Thread one end of the cord through the eyelet holes of Rnd 16, going in and out around the top band. Tie the two ends together in a small knot or bow to secure. Trim the yarn tails to about 1 inch for a rustic look, or weave them into the cord.

Assembly and Finishing

There are no seams to sew on this project, which is one of the reasons it is so beginner-friendly. Start by weaving in all remaining yarn ends on the inside of the sack. To weave in, thread a tail onto the tapestry needle, run the needle through the backs of several stitches in one direction, then turn and run it through a few more in the other direction so it cannot work loose, and trim the yarn close to the fabric.

Next, gently shape the sack with your fingers into a rounded egg form, pushing out any dents from the inside. To block it, mist the sack lightly with cool water, stuff it loosely with a little tissue or a plastic bag so it holds its egg shape, and let it dry flat overnight. Do not use heat, which can melt acrylic yarn.

To use, place a bath melt or small bar of soap inside, pull the drawstring cord to close, and tie it in a bow. Hand wash gently in cool water and lay flat to dry, and always remove the bath melt before washing.

Pro Tips and Variations

• Change the colors. Swap the speckled cream and brown for any two colors you love, such as soft pink and white for spring, or deep green and gold for the holidays. Use up leftover yarn from your stash.
• Adjust the size. To make a larger sack for a full bar of soap, add one more increase round before Rnd 5 (working up to 30 sc) and add two extra plain rounds before the decreases. To make a tiny sack, stop the increases at Rnd 3.
• Substitute the yarn. Cotton yarn gives a crisper, more washable sack, while acrylic is softer and stretchier. Just keep to worsted weight (category 4) so the gauge stays close.
• Add a hanging loop. Before fastening off the top band, chain 10 and slip stitch back into the same stitch to create a small loop for hanging the sack by the tub.