March 2020
Pattern Overview
One of my 2020 goals was to be kinder to myself, my body, and the planet and in trying to get a better skincare routine (#selfcareandskincare, amiright?), I tried a lot of different products. My favorite ended up being micellar water to remove my makeup, but using a tissue to apply it was not the best option. I felt too wasteful using the fancy makeup wipes or even tissues after a while, so I decided I needed some sort of reusable solution. I saw some videos about reusable cotton pads, and of course there are a lot of patterns out on the internet for crochet facecloths and pads, so I was inspired. I didn’t want to just be throwing little teeny cloths in the laundry (and I don’t have a ton of counter space to store them before using them) so I decided to make a storage bag and a wash bag to go with a set of facepads. I experimented with a few ways of making the face pads themselves, and I personally like a thinner cloth when using it for my eyes, so I settled on really simple options, but you could definitely use some of the awesome patterns for thicker round pads or whatever you wanted.
Construction and Customization Notes
The two bags in the set can be customized to any size, I just went with this small-mediumish size because it seemed like a good fit for the number of cloths I would need (I didn’t want to be stuck doing laundry more often than usual). You could also make two of the open weave bags, or two of the standard bags – either way will work depending on your preference!
I also chose to make small, thin cloths, with a nice dense weave, because I use them for taking off makeup. I used gray for the bags, because I wanted them to be a neutral color since they are both hanging in my bathroom in plain sight. I also used the remaining gray from the ball of yarn to make a couple of face pads, because I don’t care if they get stained. I chose to use red yarn for the others because it’s such a fun vibrant color and less likely to show makeup residue. You could use any yarn you like – though if you plan to use the cloths for makeup removal, I would avoid white – because it will stain easily and you shouldn’t use bleach on a product that will be back in close proximity with your eyes in my opinion.
This pattern is really more of a guide for making your own custom set that will suit your needs. If you want a bigger bag – you can make it! Just add additional rows of increases before the repeated rows. You can also make the pads however you want – circular, square, different textures, thicker stitch patterns, etc.
Supplies Needed
- 8 mm crochet hook (or size needed to meet gauge for bags)
- 5.5 mm crochet hook (or size needed to make a dense but flexible fabric of the pads)
- Approximately 115 yards of cotton yarn for the 2 bags and 2 face pads. I used Lion Brand Re-Up cotton yarn because it is an earth-friendlier recycled cotton yarn, but you could use any soft cotton yarn.
- Tapestry needle (for weaving in ends)
Stitches (*US Terms*)
- Slip stitch (sl st)
- Chain stitch (Ch)
- Single crochet (SC)
- Half double crochet (HDC)
- Double crochet (DC)
- Lemon peel stitch: repeat 1SC, 1DC down row, then turn and alternate back across row, starting with the opposite of the ending (DC into the SC, and SC into the DC)
- *…* = repeat what is within asterisks as instructed
Gauge/Dimensions
Gauge:
- Bags: 11 stitches x 7 rows of double crochet using 8mm hook
- Face pads: FInished facepads have a width or diameter of approximately 3”
Pattern Instructions
Wash Bag (Open weave)
Using 8mm hook:
Foundation: Using a magic ring/circle (or ch 3 and join), ch 2.
Round 1: 9 DC into the center of the circle, join. (10 DC)
Round 2: Ch 2, 1 DC into first DC, *Ch 1, 1 DC into next stitch*, repeat *…* to end (so each stitch has a ch 1 and a DC) join (20 DC)
Round 3: Ch 2, 1 DC into first DC, *Ch1, 1 DC into first ch-1 space, ch 1, 1 DC into same space; ch 1, 1 DC in next ch-1 space*, repeat *…* to end of round. join (30 DC and ch 1 spaces)
Round 4: Ch 3, 1 DC into first ch-1 space, *ch 1, 1 DC into next ch-1 space*, repeat *…* to end of round. join (30 DC and ch 1 spaces)
Round 5 – 12: Repeat round 4.
Round 13: Ch 1, 1 SC into each DC or ch-1 space, join (30 SC)
Round 14: Ch 2, 1 HDC into each SC, join (30 HDC)
Cut yarn and tie off. Weave in ends.
Storage Bag (denser weave)
Using 8mm hook:
Foundation: Using a magic ring/circle (or ch 3 and join), ch 2.
Round 1: 9 DC into the center of the circle, join. (10 DC)
Round 2: Ch 2, 2 DC into each DC, join (20 DC)
Round 3: Ch 2, 2 DC into first DC, 1 DC into next DC, *2 DC into next stitch, 1 DC in the next*, repeat *…* to end of round. join (30 DC)
Round 4 – 12: Repeat round 3.
Round 13: Ch 1, 1 SC into each DC, join (30 SC)
Round 14: Ch 2, 1 HDC into each SC, join (30 HDC)
Cut yarn and tie off. Weave in ends.
Drawstring (both bags)
Using 5.5 mm hook:
Construction: Tightly chain 65. Using the tail/slip knot end, feed it in the spaces between the single crochet stitches from round 13, going around each stitch in an alternating pattern. When you have both ends at the same stitch, join them with a slip stitch, and slip stitch down the chain a couple of stitches (for security). Then cut the yarn, tie off, and weave in the ends. I then work the drawstring around the bag so the seamed end is hidden and somewhat protected.
Square pad
Using 5.5mm hook:
Foundation: Ch 13, turn
Row 1: SC in each stitch across (in the back ridge) turn (12 stitches)
(Now using the lemon peel stitch)
Row 2: Ch 1, *1 SC, 1DC*, repeat *…* to end of row. Turn
Row 3: Ch 2, *1 DC, 1 SC*, repeat *…* to end of row. Turn
Row 4 – 11: Repeat rows 2 and 3.
Row 12: Ch 1, 1 SC in each stitch down the row.
Tie off and weave in ends.
Round pad
Using 5.5mm hook:
Foundation: Using a magic ring/circle (or ch 3 and join, however you prefer to start a circle)
Round 1: Ch 2, 11 DC into center of the ring/magic circle. Join with a sl st to the top of the ch 2
Round 2: Ch 2, 1 DC into first stitch, 2 DC in each stitch around. Join with sl st to the top of ch 2
Round 3: Ch 2, 1 DC into first stitch, *1 DC into next stitch, 2 DC in next stitch*, repeat *…* to end of round. Join with sl st to top of ch 2.
Tie off and weave in ends.
If you enjoy this pattern or have any comments or questions, please feel free to reach out via email, facebook, or instagram, and I will happily help you however I can! Take me in your finished makes @skeinsandstitchesco or #skeinsandstitchesco!
Feel free to sell finished products from this pattern (giving me credit as the designer), but please link to the blog post version of this pattern rather than copy and pasting if you want to share it on your platforms. Thanks!
