Espresso Lace Mesh Soap Saver Free Crochet Pattern

Espresso Lace Mesh Soap Saver: A Free Beginner Crochet Pattern

Introduction

If you have never held a crochet hook before, this is the perfect first project to make you fall in love with the craft. The Espresso Lace Mesh Soap Saver is a small rectangular pouch that holds a bar of soap, letting water drain through an open mesh so your soap lasts longer and never sits in a puddle. It is worked in two colors: a deep dark chocolate brown for the airy mesh body and a warm caramel for the solid top band and drawstrings. The finished bag is about 5.25 inches tall and 4 inches wide, soft and slightly fuzzy in cotton, with a delicate diamond-like lattice that looks far more complicated than it really is. You only need one hook, two small balls of cotton yarn, and an evening to spare.

Materials Needed

• Yarn: Worsted weight (category 4) cotton yarn, approximately 60–70 yards total. You need 45–55 yards of dark chocolate brown (main color, MC) and 10–15 yards of caramel (contrast color, CC). The sample used Lily Sugar 'n Cream or a similar worsted cotton.
• Crochet hook: 4.5 mm (US size 7).
• Stitch markers: 2 or 3, to mark your first stitch and the top band rows.
• Tapestry needle: a blunt-tipped yarn needle for seaming and weaving in ends.
• Scissors: any small pair for cutting yarn.
• Finished size: approximately 5.25 inches (13.5 cm) tall x 4 inches (10 cm) wide when flat, before seaming. It comfortably fits a standard bar of soap up to 3.5 x 2.5 x 1 inches.

Abbreviations and Beginner Glossary

Every term below is explained as if you have never crocheted. Read this list once before you begin.

• ch – chain: Make a loop of yarn on your hook (a slip knot), then wrap the yarn over the hook and pull it through the loop already on the hook. That is one chain. Chains look like a row of little V shapes.
• sc – single crochet: Insert your hook into the next stitch, wrap the yarn over the hook and 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.
• sl st – slip stitch: Insert your hook into the next stitch, wrap the yarn over and pull it through both the stitch and the loop on your hook in one motion. It makes a flat, tight joining stitch.
• sk – skip: Do not work into the next stitch. Simply leave it empty and move on to the one after it.
• sp – space: The little gap created by a chain. When a pattern says "ch-1 sp," it means the hole made by a single chain in the row below.
• st / sts – stitch / stitches: One completed unit of crochet work.
• MC – main color: The dark chocolate brown yarn.
• CC – contrast color: The caramel yarn.
• RS – right side: The front, outward-facing side of your work.
• turn: Flip your work over so you can crochet back across the row you just finished.
• fasten off: Cut the yarn a few inches from your work, then pull the tail all the way through the last loop to lock it.
• whipstitch: A simple seaming stitch: pass the needle over both edges and back through, over and over, like lacing a shoe.
• blocking: Dampening the finished piece and pinning it flat to dry so the stitches even out and the mesh opens up.

Gauge

Gauge: In the mesh pattern, 4 chain-1 spaces and 4 single crochet = 4 inches (10 cm) wide; 8 rows = 4 inches (10 cm).

Why gauge matters: Gauge is simply how big your stitches turn out. If your stitches are larger than the pattern's, your bag will be too big for the soap; if smaller, it will be too snug. Gauge is not critical for fit here, but it does affect the finished size, so it is worth a quick check.

How to make a gauge swatch: With MC, chain 18 and work Rows 1–2 of the mesh body exactly as written below. Measure the width of your swatch. If it is about 4 inches wide, you are on track. If it is much wider, try a smaller hook; if much narrower, try a larger hook. You can unravel the swatch and reuse the yarn.

Beginner Tips Before You Start

• Count every row. The mesh rows all look alike, so place a stitch marker in the first stitch of each row to keep your place.
• Do not pull the yarn too tight. Keep your chains loose enough that your hook slides through easily. Tight chains close up the mesh and make the next row hard to work.
• Work into the space, not the stitch. In the mesh rows you single crochet into the chain-1 space of the row below, not into the single crochet. This is what creates the open grid.
• The beginning chain-1 does not count as a stitch. It just lifts your yarn to the right height. Your first single crochet goes into the very first stitch.
• Keep both yarns handy. Leave the brown attached until you switch to caramel at Row 21, then leave the caramel attached for the band.
• Relax and go slowly. This is a small project, so there is no rush. Mistakes are easy to unravel and redo.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Mesh Body (worked flat in MC)

Row 1 (RS): With MC, ch 18. Sc in the 2nd ch from the hook and in each ch across. (17 sc)

Row 2: Ch 1, turn. Sc in the first sc, *ch 1, sk the next sc, sc in the next sc; repeat from * across. (9 sc, 8 ch-1 sps)

Row 3: Ch 1, turn. Sc in the first sc, *ch 1, sk the next sc, sc in the next ch-1 sp; repeat from * across, ending with sc in the last sc. (9 sc, 8 ch-1 sps)

Rows 4–20: Repeat Row 3. (9 sc, 8 ch-1 sps) — 17 rows total in the mesh section; the piece measures approximately 4.25 inches (11 cm) tall. Do not fasten off. Change to CC.

Top Band (worked flat in CC)

Row 21: Ch 1, turn. Sc in each sc and in each ch-1 sp across. (17 sc)

Rows 22–25: Ch 1, turn. Sc in each sc across. (17 sc)

Row 26 (drawstring opening row): Ch 1, turn. Sc in the first 2 sc, *ch 2, sk 2 sc, sc in the next 2 sc; repeat from * across, ending with sc in the last sc. Fasten off CC. (This creates four 2-chain openings for the drawstring.)

Note: If you prefer a simple folded casing without openings, work Rows 22–26 as plain sc rows and thread the drawstring through the fabric between stitches instead.

Drawstring (make 2, in CC)

Drawstring: Ch 45. Sl st in the 2nd ch from the hook and in each ch across. Fasten off, leaving a 4-inch tail. (44 sl sts) Make a second drawstring the same way.

Assembly and Finishing

1. Fold: Fold the rectangle in half lengthwise with right sides together so the mesh rows align. The piece is now approximately 4 inches wide and 5.25 inches tall.
2. Seam the side: Using MC and a tapestry needle (or your 4.5 mm hook), whipstitch or slip stitch the two side edges together from the bottom edge up to the top of the mesh section (through Row 20). Fasten off securely. This forms the tube.
3. Turn: Turn the tube right side out so the seam is hidden inside.
4. Thread the drawstrings: Thread one drawstring through the Row 26 openings from one side, and the second drawstring through the opposite side, so the ends exit on opposite sides. Knot each end.
5. Weave in ends: Thread each yarn tail onto the tapestry needle and run it back and forth through a few stitches on the wrong side, then trim close to the fabric.
6. Block: Gently steam the bag, or wet it and pin it flat to dry. This opens the mesh and evens the band.

Optional bottom reinforcement: With MC, join yarn at the bottom seam and work 1 round of sc evenly around the bottom opening (approximately 16 sc), then sl st to the first sc. Fasten off. This closes the bottom securely and gives a neat edge.

Pro Tips and Variations

• Change the colors: Swap the chocolate and caramel for any two shades you love — a soft sage green with cream, or navy with mustard. The mesh body always looks best in a slightly darker shade than the band.
• Adjust the size: To fit a larger bar of soap, add 2 chains to the starting chain (Row 1 becomes 19 sc) and add 2 more mesh rows. To make it smaller, remove 2 chains and 2 mesh rows.
• Substitute the yarn: Any worsted weight cotton works. Avoid acrylic, which does not absorb water as well and can feel slippery when wet.
• Add a hanging loop: After the top band, chain 12 and slip stitch back down to the band to create a small loop for hanging the bag in the shower.