How to Knit a Soap Pouch to Prolong Your Bar of Soap

Pattern Gauge and Size

Gauge: About five stitches and five rows per inch in pattern. Gauge is not critical.

Size: Before sewing, the knitted piece is four inches wide and 12 inches long. The finished size is eight inches around and six inches tall after sewing, so it fits a large bar of soap.

Knit the Soap Pouch

1. Soap Pouch Knitting Pattern

   Cast on 21 stitches with a stretchy cast-on such as a long-tail cast-on.

   Rows 1 to 4: Work in stockinette stitch.

   Row 5: Knit 2 together, yarn over to the last stitch. Knit the last stitch.

   Row 6: Purl every stitch.

   Rows 7 to 10: Work in stockinette stitch.

   Row 11: Knit every stitch, wrapping the yarn twice to make dropped stitches (process described below).

   Row 12: Purl every stitch, dropping the extra loop from the second yarn wrap.

   Repeat rows 7 to 12 until the piece measures about 11 inches long.

   Repeat rows 1 to 6, then repeat rows 1 to 4 again.

   Bind off with a stretchy bind off. Cut the yarn, leaving a long tail.

   Tip

   To change the size, you can reduce or increase the number of cast-on stitches, as long as you use an odd number of stitches. You can also alter the height by the length you knit the rectangular piece.

   

2. Sew the Sides

   Fold the knitted piece in half and match up the rows of dropped stitches. Use the tail of yarn to stitch the first side with mattress stitch. Attach another piece of yarn and sew the second side the same way.

   

3. Make a Drawstring

   Braid three pieces of yarn together to make a drawstring that's about 20 inches long. You can also use ribbon for this or knit an I-cord.

   Weave the drawstring back and forth through the yarn over eyelets. The two ends should both come out through the same hole.

   

4. Place the Soap Inside the Bag

   Slide the bar of soap inside and tie the drawstring closed with a bow. Your soap is ready to use!

   

How to Do the Dropped Stitch Rows

The special dropped stitch for this project is easy to learn but can feel confusing the first time you try it.

1. Start the Stitch

   On the dropped stitch knit rows, insert your needle to knit the stitch. Next, wrap the yarn around the needle two times instead of just one.

   

   Complete the knit stitch, but you should end up with two loops on the needle within that one stitch.

   Repeat this for every stitch in the row.

   

2. Purl

   On the dropped stitch purl rows, insert the needle to purl, going through just one of the loops from the stitch. You should still see the yarn looped around your other needle.

   

   As you finish the purl, let the extra loop of yarn drop off the needle. This will leave a longer stitch that feels strange. Don't worry! It's supposed to be like that.

   Repeat this for every stitch in the row.

   

   When you complete the set of dropped stitch rows you should have a row of elongated or dropped stitches like this.

   

In addition to this being useful, it also makes a wrapped bar of soap pretty for giving as a gift. In fact, you could use this knitted pouch for more than just soap. Knit little bags to wrap small gifts or to use as a travel jewelry pouch.