6 Cute DIY Knitted Makeup Brush Holders You’ll Want to Make This Weekend
If you’ve ever dug through a jumbled pile of makeup brushes first thing in the morning, you already know the frustration. Brushes roll off counters, bristles get crushed, and finding that one perfect blending brush when you’re already running late feels like searching for a needle in a haystack. The good news? A handmade knitted makeup brush holder is one of the most practical and charming solutions you can create with just a ball of yarn, a pair of needles, and an afternoon of your time.
Knitted holders have a texture and warmth that plastic organizers simply can’t replicate. They look beautiful sitting on a vanity, they protect your brush bristles from bending, and because you make them yourself, you can customize every detail — the color, the height, the stitch pattern, the embellishments. Whether you’re an experienced knitter or someone who has just mastered the knit stitch, there’s a design in this list that fits your skill level and your style.
Below you’ll find six of the most adorable, creative, and genuinely useful DIY knitted makeup brush holders, complete with the materials you’ll need, step-by-step guidance, and ideas for making each one uniquely yours.
1. The Classic Ribbed Cylinder Holder
There’s a reason ribbed knitting never goes out of style. The alternating columns of knit and purl stitches create a stretchy, structured fabric that holds its shape beautifully when worked in the round, making it the perfect candidate for a simple but elegant brush holder.
What You’ll Need
For this project, choose a medium-weight yarn (worsted weight works wonderfully) in any color that complements your bathroom or vanity décor. You’ll need a set of double-pointed needles or a short circular needle in a size appropriate for your yarn — typically US size 7 or 8. Pick up a stitch marker, a tapestry needle for weaving in ends, and a glass jar or sturdy cardboard tube to use as an interior form. The glass jar is key: it gives your holder the rigid structure it needs to stand upright and actually hold brushes without flopping over.
How to Make It
Cast on a multiple of four stitches. For a holder that fits a standard mason jar snugly, 48 stitches on a US size 7 needle is a good starting point. Join in the round carefully, making sure your stitches aren’t twisted, and place your stitch marker.
Work a 2×2 rib (knit 2, purl 2, repeated to the end of the round) for as many inches as you’d like your holder to be tall. Most makeup brush holders look proportional at around five to seven inches. When you’ve reached your desired height, bind off in pattern — meaning you knit the knit stitches and purl the purl stitches as you bind off. This keeps the edge looking neat and prevents any puckering.
Weave in your ends, slip the knitted tube over your mason jar, and you’re done. The ribbing will grip the glass gently, holding itself in place without any need for stitching.
Making It Your Own
This is a great project for playing with color. Try a self-striping yarn for effortless color changes, or hold two thinner yarns together for a tweedy, textured effect. You can also add a simple crochet border along the top edge for a finishing touch, even if you only know the single crochet stitch.
2. The Boho Macramé-Inspired Wrapped Holder
This design borrows the earthy, layered aesthetic of macramé but executes it entirely in knitting, using a combination of yarn wrapping and basic stitches to create a holder with serious bohemian personality.
What You’ll Need
Gather a chunky or bulky weight yarn in a natural fiber like cotton or jute-blend — these materials give the holder an organic, textured look that complements the boho vibe. You’ll also want a few accent yarns in earthy tones for decorative wrapping, along with wooden beads or small shells if you’d like to add fringe details at the base. A thick glass or ceramic cup serves as the inner vessel.
How to Make It
Start by knitting a rectangular swatch large enough to wrap around your chosen vessel with a slight overlap. Work in a simple seed stitch — knit one, purl one, alternating so each stitch sits opposite to the one below it — to create a dense, flat fabric. The seed stitch lies flat without curling, which is exactly what you want for a piece that needs to wrap cleanly around a cylindrical surface.
Once your rectangle is knitted and blocked (dampening it and pinning it flat to dry removes any curl and evens out the stitches), wrap it around your vessel and seam the short ends together using a mattress stitch. The seam should be nearly invisible when done correctly.
Now comes the fun part: the wrapping details. Cut lengths of your accent yarns and use them to wrap horizontally around the holder at different heights, knotting them at the seam line. Add a few wooden beads by threading them onto the yarn ends before tying them off. For fringe, cut equal lengths of yarn, fold them in half, and use a crochet hook to pull the looped end through the bottom edge of the knitted fabric, then thread the loose ends through the loop and pull snug.
Making It Your Own
Experiment with the placement of your yarn wraps — clustering them toward the top of the holder creates one look, while spacing them evenly gives a more geometric result. You can also try natural dyeing techniques to color your yarn with tea, turmeric, or avocado skins before you even start knitting, giving the finished piece truly one-of-a-kind coloring.
3. The Fair Isle Patterned Statement Holder
If you’ve always wanted to try colorwork knitting but felt intimidated by complex charts, a small cylindrical project like a makeup brush holder is the most perfect low-stakes introduction you could find. The finished piece is small enough that even if you make a few tension mistakes along the way, the overall effect is still charming.
What You’ll Need
You’ll need two or three colors of fingering or sport weight yarn — a base color and one or two contrast colors. Fingering weight yarn creates a finer fabric with more stitch definition, which really lets the pattern shine. Grab a set of small double-pointed needles (US size 1 to 3 depending on your yarn), a stitch marker, and a narrow glass vase or a repurposed candle jar as your inner form.
How to Make It
Cast on enough stitches for a snug fit around your chosen vessel — this will vary depending on your gauge, so it’s worth knitting a quick gauge swatch first. Join in the round and work a few rows of stockinette stitch in your base color to establish a clean foundation.
Then introduce your colorwork. Fair Isle patterns are worked by carrying the yarn not in use loosely across the back of the work, a technique called stranding. The key to beautiful stranded colorwork is maintaining even, relaxed floats — the little bridges of yarn that cross the back of your fabric. If you pull them tight, your fabric will pucker; if you leave them too loose, they’ll snag. Practice spreading your stitches apart on the needle before you bring the new color across.
Classic Fair Isle motifs like snowflakes, diamonds, tiny hearts, or geometric borders work especially well on a curved surface. You can find countless free charts online, or graph your own pattern on knitter’s graph paper.
Finish with a few rounds of stockinette in your base color to match the bottom, then bind off. Slip your knitting onto its glass vessel, and the colorwork pattern will show up beautifully from every angle.
Making It Your Own
Consider matching your color palette to your existing bathroom décor, or go bold with high-contrast colors for a graphic, modern look. This style of holder also makes an absolutely gorgeous handmade gift, especially when you customize the colors for the recipient.
4. The Mini Tote Bag Brush Caddy
Who says a makeup brush holder has to be cylindrical? This design takes the shape of a tiny tote bag, giving your vanity a playful, fashion-forward focal point while keeping your brushes neatly sorted in a structure that naturally holds multiple tools upright.
What You’ll Need
A cotton yarn in worsted or aran weight works best here because cotton is firm and holds its shape well without blocking. You’ll need two straight needles or a short circular needle, a tapestry needle, and a stitch of cardboard cut to fit inside the bag’s base to keep the bottom flat and rigid.
How to Make It
This project is worked flat in two panels (front and back) that are then seamed together along the sides and bottom. Cast on about 30 stitches for each panel and work in a basketweave stitch — a combination of knit and purl blocks arranged in a checkerboard pattern — until each panel measures around six inches tall. The basketweave stitch creates a thick, structured fabric with beautiful texture that really suits the tote aesthetic.
Seam the two panels together along the bottom and sides using a mattress stitch, leaving the top open. Slip the cardboard base inside. For the handles, cast on 6 stitches and work a simple I-cord — a narrow tube created by knitting across your stitches, then sliding them back to the other end of the needle and pulling the working yarn across the back — until it measures about eight inches long. Make two handles and stitch them securely to the inside of the bag at even intervals.
Making It Your Own
Embellish the front panel with a small duplicate stitch motif — a lipstick, a star, your initial — after the bag is complete. You can also knit the two panels in different colors for a two-tone look, or add a small button and loop closure at the top to keep everything secure when you travel.
5. The Cozy Owl-Shaped Holder
This one is for the knitters who love a project with serious personality. The owl-shaped brush holder features a rounded body, tiny wing details, and embroidered eyes that make it look more like a little creature sitting on your vanity than a practical organizer — though it very much is both.
What You’ll Need
Choose two contrasting colors of bulky or super bulky yarn to give the owl its body and facial detail. The chunkier the yarn, the faster this knits up, and the more plush and huggable the finished piece looks. You’ll also need safety eyes or small buttons for the owl’s eyes, a bit of brown or gold yarn for the beak, and stuffing or a firmly packed inner tube to give the body its rounded shape.
How to Make It
Knit the body as a wide, slightly tapered tube in your main color — you want it wider at the bottom and slightly narrower at the top to suggest an owl’s silhouette. Transition to your contrast color for the owl’s face panel by picking up stitches along the front of the tube and working back and forth in short rows to create an oval “face” shape.
Knit two small rounded triangles in your main color for the ears (called “ear tufts” in real owls) and seam them to the top of the holder. For the wings, pick up stitches along each side of the body and work a few rows that taper outward, then bind off in a gentle curve. Embroider large circles around the safety eyes using a contrasting yarn, and stitch a small triangular beak just below them. Finish by weaving in all ends and inserting your inner form.
Making It Your Own
Change the color scheme to create different owl personalities — a snowy owl in white and pale gray, a classic barn owl in cream and tan, or a fantastical rainbow owl that makes the whole bathroom smile. You can also adapt this basic approach to other animals, such as a cat, bear, or fox, by adjusting the ear shapes and facial embroidery details.
6. The Striped Scandinavian Bucket
Clean lines, simple geometry, and a satisfying repetition of color — the Scandinavian-inspired striped bucket is for those who prefer their handmade items to look intentionally modern rather than overtly crafty. This is the kind of piece that looks right at home on a minimalist vanity alongside ceramic soap dispensers and geometric candles.
What You’ll Need
Select two to four colors of smooth, plied yarn in a worsted weight. Classic Scandinavian color palettes lean toward deep navy, warm white, dusty red, and forest green, but the design works equally well in modern neutrals like charcoal, oatmeal, and blush. You’ll need double-pointed needles or a short circular, a stitch marker, and a tall cylindrical vessel — a repurposed tin can works beautifully and can even be spray-painted to match your yarn.
How to Make It
Cast on in your first color and work a few rounds of stockinette stitch to establish the base. Begin striping by carrying your unused yarn up the inside of the work rather than cutting and rejoining at each stripe — this keeps the inside of the holder neat and reduces the number of ends you have to weave in. Work stripes of varying widths to create visual rhythm: perhaps three rounds in one color, two in another, five in the first, two in a third.
For a truly polished finish, work the top edge in a folded hem. After reaching your desired height, work an additional inch of stockinette, then fold this portion to the inside and whipstitch it in place to create a smooth, rolled rim that conceals your bound-off edge.
Making It Your Own
Add a graphic element to one of the wider stripes using duplicate stitch after the knitting is complete — a simple row of X shapes, a line of small dots, or even a phrase like “brushes” worked in the smallest possible lettering. This turns an already attractive piece into something that feels truly curated and personal.
Tips for Success With Any Knitted Holder Project
Before you cast on for any of these projects, there are a few general principles that will make the whole process smoother and ensure a beautiful finished result.
Choose the right yarn for the job. Natural fibers like cotton and linen hold their shape better than wool for structured items, though a wool-acrylic blend can work well if the fabric is firm. Avoid very stretchy yarns for holders, as they tend to sag over time.
Always use a vessel inside your holder. A glass jar, a tin can, a ceramic cup — anything that gives the holder an inner structure will keep it standing tall and looking intentional. Without a vessel, even the most beautifully knitted piece will slump and lose its shape over time.
Block your finished pieces. Wet blocking — soaking your finished knitting in cool water, squeezing out the excess, and pinning it to shape while it dries — evens out uneven stitches and gives any piece a more polished, professional appearance. It’s especially important for colorwork and textured stitch patterns.
Protect your bristles. One of the main reasons to make a brush holder in the first place is to keep your brush bristles from bending or splaying. Make sure your holder is tall enough that the bristle ends extend a full inch above the rim, and that the opening is wide enough to remove brushes without dragging the bristles across the edge of the fabric.
Make multiples and mix them up. A set of three coordinating holders — perhaps in the same color scheme but different stitch patterns, or the same stitch pattern in complementary colors — looks absolutely stunning arranged together on a vanity tray. It’s also a practical way to organize your brushes by use: face brushes in one, eye brushes in another, lip brushes in the third.
There is something genuinely satisfying about reaching for a makeup brush in the morning and finding it exactly where you left it, cradled in something you made with your own hands. Each of these six designs offers a different aesthetic and a different level of knitting challenge, but all of them share the same reward: a finished object that is as useful as it is beautiful. Whether you work your way through one on a quiet afternoon or make the whole set as a weekend project, your vanity — and your brushes — will thank you.
