All dice need a home. Why not make them one yourself?
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| (Let’s all conveniently ignore the fact that these dice bags are not holding dice. I misplaced my set and haven’t got around to ordering new ones because all the games I play are online anyway!) |
This pattern comes in two sizes: medium and large.
The medium bag will comfortably hold a single set of dice, plus or minus a few pieces. Do you have just one set of dice that you use for everything? Maybe you have many sets, but you prefer to keep them nicely organized. Or perhaps one of your dice sets is so special it needs its own handmade container. If so, this is the bag for you.
On the other hand, are you a DM who routinely needs to make five initiative rolls at once? Are you the player that everyone looks to when the warlock casts Circle of Death and deals 8d6 damage to 6 creatures simultaneously? Or perhaps you just love dice, and don’t care whether or not they’re sorted by color. If so, you may want the large bag, which easily holds 5+ sets of loose dice.
Materials
25-75 yards (23-70 meters) of lace weight yarn or size 10 crochet thread.
Scrap of quilting cotton or other medium-weight woven fabric, for lining (optional)
Thread matching the fabric color
Supplies
US size 1 steel crochet hook (2.35 mm)
Stitch marker (optional, to mark beginning of round)
Tapestry/yarn needle
Sewing needle, for lining (optional)
Abbreviations
(Note: this pattern uses US crochet terminology)
sc: single crochet
hdc: half double crochet
inc: increase
ch: chain
sl st: slip stitch
st: stitch
tbl: through back loop
Instructions- Size Medium
Base
Round 0: sc 6 in magic circle. Do not join. (6 sts)
Round 1: inc each st around (12 sts)
Round 2: *1 sc, inc* around (18 sts)
Round 3: *2 sc, inc* around (24 sts)
Round 4: *3 sc, inc* around (30 sts)
Round 5: *4 sc, inc* around (36 sts)
Round 6: *5 sc, inc* around (42 sts)
Round 7: *6 sc, inc* around (48 sts)
Sl st into next st
Sides
Note: You can substitute any other stitch you want for hdc in rounds 2-14. Work your rounds until the sides measure 2.5” (6.5 cm) tall, then proceed to round 15. Some stitch patterns may benefit from joining at the ends of rounds, instead of continuous rounds as written. In this case, at the end of each round, sl st to first stitch in round, and ch 1-3, depending on the height of your chosen stitch.
Round 1: sc tbl, *hdc tbl* around
Round 2-14: hdc around
Round 15: *2 hdc, ch1, skip 1 st, 3 hdc* around (8 ch1 spaces)
Round 16-18: hdc around
sc 1, sl st 1, tie off yarn, weave in ends
Instructions- Size Large
Base
Round 0: sc 6 in magic circle. Do not join. (6 sts)
Round 1: inc each st around (12 sts)
Round 2: *1 sc, inc* around (18 sts)
Round 3: *2 sc, inc* around (24 sts)
Round 4: *3 sc, inc* around (30 sts)
Round 5: *4 sc, inc* around (36 sts)
Round 6: *5 sc, inc* around (42 sts)
Round 7: *6 sc, inc* around (48 sts)
Round 8: *7 sc, inc* around (54 sts)
Round 9: *8 sc, inc* around (60 sts)
Round 10: *9 sc, inc* around (66 sts)
Round 11: *10 sc, inc* around (72 sts)
Sl st into next st
Sides
Note: You can substitute any other stitch for hdc in rounds 2-25. Work your rounds until the sides measure 4.5” (10 cm) tall, then proceed to round 26. Some stitch patterns may benefit from joining at the ends of rounds, instead of continuous rounds as written. In this case, at the end of each round, sl st to first stitch in round, and ch 1-3, depending on the height of your chosen stitch.
Round 1: sc tbl, *hdc tbl* around
Round 2-25: hdc around
Round 26: *2 hdc, ch1, skip 1 st, 3 hdc* around (12 ch1 spaces)
Round 27-31: hdc around
sc 1, sl st 1, tie off yarn, weave in ends
Drawstring – Both Sizes
The drawstring for this bag can be made of many things. Shown above are an I-cord (small white bag), a ribbon (large bag), and a braid (small pink bag). Drawstrings should measure approximately 10” (25 cm) long for the medium bag, or 14” (35 cm) long for the large bag.
To insert the drawstring, weave one end into and out of the holes produced in round 15/26. The ends of the drawstring should end up outside the bag.
Lining (Optional) – Both Sizes
A fabric lining can easily be sewn into these dice bags for added strength and stability. Recommended fabrics are any medium-weight woven fabric, especially quilting cottons. A ¼” (0.5 cm) seam allowance is used throughout.
For the medium size, cut out a circle measuring 3” (7.5 cm) in diameter and a 3.5” x 8.25” (9 x 21 cm) rectangle. For the large size, cut out a circle measuring 4” (10 cm) in diameter and a 6” x 11.5” (15.25 x 29.25 cm) rectangle.
With right sides facing, sew the short sides of the rectangle together by machine or by hand. Optionally, press the seam open using an iron.
Using a pencil, fabric marker, or chalk, make 4 equidistant marks on the edge of the circle, separating it into equal quarters. Do the same thing with one of the long raw edges of the rectangle (now a tube).
Using a long stitch, sew a gathering stitch around the circle about ⅛” (0.25 cm) from the edge. Pull on the thread to gather the edges. Insert the circle into the tube, with right sides facing. Match up the marks on the circle to the marks on the tube and pin in place. Then, add pins to the area between each mark, adjusting the easing as necessary to fit the curves to each other. Sew together, by machine or by hand.
Trim the excess fabric of the new seam to about ⅛” (0.25 cm), and clip the seam to allow the bottom to lie flat. Be careful not to cut your stitches! Finally, fold the top raw edge over ¼” (0.5 cm) on the wrong side (you may find it helpful to press this fold in with an iron). Insert the lining into your crocheted bag so that the right side of the fabric faces inwards (aka, the part you will see when you open the bag) and use a whipstitch to secure the top edge to the top edge of the crocheted bag.
And there you have it: your very own dice bag! It's a great way to use up leftover bits of yarn, and this pattern is very easy to riff on, so feel free to make your own. If you do, comment below with pictures, or head over to my Ravelry (MeadowlarkLace) or my Instagram (@_meadowlarklace_) and show me there. And until next time, stay crafty my friends!
