Crochet guide
Pockets in crochet
There are two kinds of crochet pocket. A patch pocket is a square or rectangle made apart and sewn onto the finished piece. A slit pocket is an opening left in a row, with a lining behind it. This guide explains how each is made. It is not a pattern.
The two kinds of pocket
| Kind | How it is worked | When it is made |
|---|---|---|
| Patch pocket | A flat piece is crocheted apart and sewn on top of the main piece | After the main piece, or after the whole thing is finished |
| Slit pocket | An opening is left in a row and a lining is fixed behind it | While the main piece is worked |
A patch pocket shows on the outside. A slit pocket shows only as an opening, with its lining hidden on the inside. A patch pocket is the simpler of the two. A square is easy to make, and it can be added afterward.
A patch pocket
A patch pocket is a square or a rectangle of crochet, made to the size of pocket you want. It can go on any flat piece: the front of a sweater or a cardigan, or the side of a bag.
- Make the pocket. Crochet a flat piece in rows. Fasten off.
- Choose the place. Lay the main piece flat with its right side up and set the pocket on it.
- Pin it. Pin the pocket in place when you are happy with where it sits.
- Sew it on. Sew round three sides: the two sides and the bottom. Leave the top open.
Whip stitch and joining and seaming pieces show the sewing.
A slit pocket
A slit pocket has two parts: the opening in the main piece, and a lining behind it that holds what is put in the pocket. There are two ways to make one.
With the lining made first
- Crochet the lining first. It is a flat piece as wide as the pocket opening. Set it aside.
- Work the main piece up to the row where the top of the pocket will be.
- On that row, work as far as the place for the pocket. Then work across the top row of the lining instead of the main piece.
- Skip the same number of stitches on the main piece as the lining has, and finish the row on the main piece.
- Go on with the main piece. The lining now hangs behind the opening.
- When the main piece is finished, sew the side and bottom edges of the lining down on the inside.
With the opening made first
- Work the main piece up to the row for the pocket. Chain across the opening and skip the stitches under the chain. On the next row, work into the chains.
- When the main piece is finished, join yarn at the upper edge of the opening, in the chains. Work the lining in rows until it is as deep as the pocket. It hangs behind the opening.
- Close the lining into a bag on the inside. Sew its side and bottom edges down, as for the lining made first. A pattern may instead work a second flap from the lower edge of the opening and join the two flaps round their edges.
Two pockets that match
Mark both pockets before you make or sew either one.
- Lay the piece flat and find the middle of the front.
- Place a marker for each pocket the same number of stitches from the middle.
- Put both on the same row.
For patch pockets, pin both in place and check them before sewing.
Where to go next
- Whip stitch for sewing a patch pocket on.
- Sewing crochet to fabric, and things onto crochet for sewing with thread.
- How a crochet sweater is put together for the pieces a pocket goes on.
- Closures for crochet for buttons, loops and ties.