Fun Toilet Roll Holder Crochet Patterns: Your Complete DIY Guide

There’s something deeply satisfying about turning a humble skein of yarn into something both charming and practical. Crochet has enjoyed a massive resurgence in recent years, and one of the most beloved categories in the handmade community is functional home décor — pieces that are as useful as they are beautiful. Among the most popular projects in this space are toilet roll holders, tissue cozies, and bathroom accessories that add a personal, cozy touch to one of the most-used rooms in the house.

Whether you’re a seasoned crocheter looking for a quick and rewarding project or a beginner eager to make something genuinely useful, toilet roll holder crochet patterns are a fantastic place to start. They’re small enough to finish in an afternoon, they use minimal materials, and the results are always impressive. In this guide, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know — from the materials and stitches involved, to a selection of fun pattern styles you can try, along with tips for customizing and gifting your work.

Why Crochet a Toilet Roll Holder?

Before we dive into the patterns themselves, let’s take a moment to appreciate why this project has captured the hearts of so many crafters.

First, it’s a genuinely practical item. A crocheted toilet roll holder keeps your spare rolls tidy, adds texture and warmth to your bathroom décor, and can be designed to match any style — from rustic farmhouse to modern minimalist to bright and whimsical. Unlike store-bought holders that tend to look generic, a handmade one becomes a conversation piece.

Second, these projects are economical. You typically need only one or two balls of yarn, a single hook, and a few hours of your time. For beginners, that makes them low-risk and high-reward. For experienced crafters, they’re perfect stash-busters — a wonderful way to use up leftover yarn from bigger projects.

Third, they make thoughtful gifts. A crocheted toilet roll holder tucked into a housewarming basket or paired with some nice hand soap is a genuinely useful, personal gift that most people wouldn’t think to buy for themselves but absolutely love receiving.

Materials You’ll Need

Before we explore the patterns, let’s cover the basics of what you’ll need to get started.

Yarn: Cotton yarn is the most popular choice for bathroom accessories because it’s durable, easy to wash, and holds its shape well. Worsted weight cotton (like Lion Brand 24/7 Cotton or Paintbox Simply DK) is ideal for most toilet roll holder patterns. That said, don’t be afraid to experiment — a chunky acrylic yarn can create a lovely, squishy holder with a different aesthetic entirely.

Hook Size: Your yarn label will suggest the right hook size, but for worsted weight cotton, a 4mm to 5mm hook is a good starting point. For chunky yarn, you might use a 6mm or larger.

Other Supplies: A yarn needle for weaving in ends, scissors, and stitch markers if you’re working in the round. Some patterns also call for a piece of cardboard or a plastic canvas insert for structure, or a small basket frame if you’re combining crochet with another material.

Optional Additions: Decorative buttons, ribbon, small wooden beads, or fabric stiffener if you want your finished holder to stand up on its own without an internal support.

Understanding the Basic Construction

Most toilet roll holder patterns follow one of a few basic constructions, and understanding these shapes will help you adapt any pattern to your needs.

The simplest type is a cylinder or tube — essentially a crocheted sleeve that sits over a toilet roll or holds it upright. These are worked in the round, usually starting with a magic ring or a foundation chain joined into a circle, then building up in rows until the tube is the right height.

The second common construction is a basket or bowl shape — a wider, open container that can hold one or several rolls. These start with a flat circle worked in increasing rounds (similar to a granny square turned three-dimensional), and then the sides are built straight up once the base reaches the desired diameter.

The third type is a wall-hanging holder, which incorporates a loop or hook attachment at the top and is designed to sit flat against a wall while holding one or more rolls. These are flatter in construction and often feature more decorative elements since the front face is always visible.

Once you’re comfortable with these three foundational shapes, you can mix, match, and modify to your heart’s content.

Pattern Ideas to Inspire Your Next Project

Here’s where the fun truly begins. Below you’ll find a range of pattern styles, from beginner-friendly to more advanced, along with guidance on how to approach each one.

1. The Classic Striped Cylinder Holder

This is the perfect starter project for anyone new to crochet in the round. You’ll work a simple tube using single crochet stitches, switching yarn colors every few rows to create cheerful stripes. Because the stitch count stays consistent throughout, you don’t need to worry about increasing or decreasing — just keep going until your tube is the height you want.

For a single-roll holder, aim for a tube about 13–15 cm tall (roughly 5–6 inches) with a diameter of about 11 cm (4.5 inches). For a double-roll holder, simply make the tube wider or taller to accommodate two stacked rolls.

The striped version is endlessly customizable. Use two colors that match your bathroom tiles, go monochromatic for a sleek look, or use every color in your stash for a rainbow version that brings immediate joy to the room.

2. The Lacy Farmhouse Holder

If you love the shabby-chic, cottagecore aesthetic, a lacy holder worked in natural cotton is going to become one of your favorite things you’ve ever made. This style uses open-work stitches like shells, V-stitches, or simple mesh patterns to create a beautiful texture that feels airy and elegant.

A shell stitch holder, for example, is worked by alternating groups of five double crochets (the “shells”) with chain spaces, creating a scalloped fabric that looks intricate but is actually very quick to memorize. The key is maintaining the same multiple of stitches throughout so the pattern lines up row after row.

Work this in off-white or ecru cotton for the full farmhouse effect, or try sage green or dusty blue for something a little more romantic. A small ribbon threaded through the top row of chain spaces adds a gorgeous finishing touch.

3. The Amigurumi Animal Holder

Now we’re getting playful. If you have children in your home, or if you simply embrace whimsy in your décor, an amigurumi-style toilet roll holder is a delightful project. The concept is simple: the toilet roll holder forms the body of a character, and you crochet and attach facial features, ears, arms, tails, and other details to bring it to life.

Popular choices include owls (whose round shape is perfectly suited to a cylindrical holder), bears, bunnies, cats, and even cactus plants. The owl toilet roll holder in particular has been a staple of crochet blogs for years — and for good reason. With two large eyes, a tiny beak, and a pair of pointed ears, even a basic cylinder becomes an irresistible bathroom companion.

For this style, work your base cylinder as usual, then use the same yarn and additional scraps to crochet small pieces that you sew on afterward. Safety eyes (available at craft stores or online) give a particularly polished look, but embroidered eyes work beautifully too.

4. The Boho Macramé-Style Hanging Holder

Combining crochet with boho-inspired design elements is one of the trendiest things you can do in the handmade home décor space right now. For a wall-hanging toilet roll holder with bohemian flair, work a flat rectangular or oval panel in a textured stitch like waffle stitch or crossed double crochet, then fold and seam the sides to create a pocket shape. Add a long crochet chain at the top for hanging, and finish the bottom edge with fringe — either crocheted or made from cut yarn lengths.

Natural jute or a cotton-jute blend gives the most authentic boho look, though a natural cotton in cream or warm tan works just as well. This style looks fantastic against white-painted shiplap or over a vintage-style towel rack and makes an excellent photography prop for those who like to share their bathroom transformations online.

5. The Granny Square Basket

If you know how to make a granny square, you’re already halfway to making a charming toilet roll basket. The technique here involves working a flat granny square as the base, then picking up stitches around the outer edge and working upward in rounds to build the sides of the basket. You can keep the sides in solid single crochet, or continue the granny square motif all the way up for a more traditional look.

A small granny square basket with about 15–20 cm diameter (6–8 inches) works perfectly for holding two to four spare rolls in a bathroom corner or on top of a tank. It can also double as a general bathroom storage basket for rolled face cloths, small toiletries, or cotton balls.

The beauty of this approach is that granny squares are one of the most well-documented patterns in the entire crochet world — there are hundreds of variations, from classic to modern, florals to geometric — so you can always find a version that fits your style.

6. The Chunky Minimalist Stand

For anyone who prefers a clean, contemporary aesthetic, a chunky single-color holder worked in a thick cotton or cotton-acrylic blend is the way to go. Use a large hook (7mm–10mm) and bulky yarn to create a holder that works up in under an hour and looks like something you might find in a boutique home goods store.

The stitches to reach for in this category are the HDC (half double crochet), which creates a dense, smooth fabric, or a simple ribbing made by working into the back loops only. Back loop only ribbing gives the holder a stretchy, structured appearance that’s very satisfying both to make and to look at.

Keep the color palette neutral — cream, warm grey, charcoal, oatmeal, terracotta — and the result is a sophisticated bathroom accessory that complements virtually any interior style.

Tips for Getting a Great Finished Result

Even experienced crocheters can run into trouble with small three-dimensional projects, so here are a few tips to keep in mind as you work.

Gauge matters more than you think. For a holder that actually fits a toilet roll, you need your tube to be the right size. A standard toilet roll is about 10–11 cm in diameter and about 10–11 cm tall. Before starting, do a small gauge swatch and adjust your hook size if needed.

Use stitch markers generously. When working in continuous rounds (rather than joined rounds), it’s easy to lose track of where your rows begin and end. Place a stitch marker at the start of each round and move it up as you go.

Block your finished piece. Cotton yarn in particular benefits enormously from blocking — the process of wetting the item, shaping it while damp, and letting it dry flat. Blocking evens out any uneven stitches, opens up lacy patterns, and helps the holder hold its shape.

Weave in ends carefully. In small projects, there aren’t many ends, but they’re visible. Take the time to weave in all yarn tails thoroughly using your yarn needle, going in two or three different directions to secure them.

Consider a fabric stiffener for standalone pieces. If your holder needs to stand upright without support and you find it collapses, a light spray or dip in fabric stiffener (or even a diluted mixture of white PVA glue and water) will hold the shape once it dries.

How to Make These Into Gifts

Crocheted toilet roll holders are among the most under-appreciated handmade gifts, and they deserve more recognition. Here’s how to present them beautifully.

Place the finished holder over an actual toilet roll and tie a simple ribbon around the middle for a sweet, ready-to-use gift. Pair it with a small bar of artisan soap, a folded hand towel, or a bath bomb for an easy housewarming or birthday gift set.

For a baby shower or new parent gift, a set of small crocheted bathroom accessories — holder, small basket, and a folded facecloth — in soft pastel tones makes a wonderfully practical and charming set.

If you sell at craft markets or through an online shop like Etsy, photographing your holders in an actual bathroom setting (or a styled vignette with plants, candles, and tiles) will make a significant difference in how they’re perceived and how quickly they sell.

Final Thoughts

Crochet toilet roll holders sit in a sweet spot where craft meets everyday life. They’re small enough to be approachable for beginners, interesting enough to keep experienced crafters engaged, and the finished result is something you see and use every single day. Whether you go for a simple striped tube, an adorable amigurumi owl, a breezy boho wall-hanging, or a chunky minimalist bowl, you’re creating something that brings a little handmade warmth into your home.

The best part of this craft is that there’s no single right answer. Once you understand the basic construction, your imagination — and your yarn stash — are the only limits. Experiment with color, texture, stitch patterns, and embellishments until you land on a version that feels completely, unmistakably yours.

So grab your hook, pull out that cotton yarn you’ve been saving, and cast on. Your bathroom is about to get a serious upgrade.