Intermediate
What the pattern's own author called it. Nothing here is graded again.
Toys & Games 5 Laid out for paper No account, no download
Crochet tic-tac-toe pouch set with flower and butterfly markers
Drawstring pouch, 12 rounds, with crochet flower and butterfly markers for a stitched tic-tac-toe board. 3.5 mm hook.
- Skill
- Intermediate
- Time
- 3-4 hours
- Yarn weight
- Fingering
- Hook
- 3.5 mm
- Rounds
- 5
Fingering
What the sample was worked in. Any weight works; the size moves with it.
5
Each one is typed out whole and gets its own line.
This set pairs a drawstring pouch with two small appliqués worked as game markers: butterflies in purple two-ply and flowers in red, used as the X's and O's of a tic-tac-toe board stitched onto the pouch front. The pouch body is a flat oval worked in rounds from a foundation chain, built up with ten rounds of double crochet before a single crochet round finishes the top edge. Have both hooks on hand — 3.5 mm for the pouch, 2 mm for the pieces — along with a needle for the grid lines and a stitch marker for tracking rounds.
Common mistakes and their fixes
- Missing the 3-dc corner
- the end of Round 1 on the pouch, work the 3 dc into the very last chain, not the one before it, or the oval end will pull short on one side.
- Losing the ring cinch
- the butterflies and flowers, pull the magic ring tail tight immediately after the last wing or petal is complete, before weaving in any ends, or the center stays open and floppy.
- Crooked tic-tac-toe grid
- Mark the center of the pouch front before stitching the lines so the two horizontal and two vertical lines cross evenly instead of drifting to one side.
The materials list
- 3 ply yarn (green and white)
- 2 ply yarn (red and purple)
- Scissors
- Needle
- 3.5 mm hook
- 2 mm hook
- Stitch marker
Listed by the pattern's own author, in their words.
Key to this pattern, 5 short forms
Pouch
Made with green 3 ply yarn and the 3.5 mm hook.
Work the top single crochet round after completing the 10 double crochet rounds.
Round 1
Chain 22; in the third chain from hook work 1 double crochet and continue with 19 double crochet across the chain; at the end of the row work 3 double crochet in the last chain; continue along the other side of the foundation chain making 18 double crochet; in the last chain make 2 double crochet and join with a slip stitch.
Rounds 2–11
Chain 2 and work 1 double crochet in each stitch around; join with a slip stitch.
Round 12
Work a round of single crochet in each stitch to form the top.
Butterflies
Made with purple 2 ply yarn and the 2 mm hook.
Round 1
Create a magic ring; chain 3 then work a puff stitch 5 times into ring; chain 3 and slip stitch into ring, then repeat once more; for second wing chain 3 and work a puff stitch 7 times into ring; chain 3 and slip stitch into ring; cinch ring tightly to form butterfly shape.
Flowers
Made with red yarn.
Round 1
Create a magic ring; chain 2, work 2 double crochet, chain 2, then slip stitch into ring; repeat for a total of 5 petals; cinch magic ring tightly.
Assembly, in order
Step 1Weave a white yarn through the top stitches of the pouch and tie a bow for the drawstring.
Step 2Use a needle and white yarn to stitch two horizontal lines across the pouch front.
Step 3Stitch two vertical lines to complete the tic-tac-toe grid.
Step 4Tie a small piece of black yarn in the centre of the butterfly, leaving the ends loose as antennae.
Check these before you start
- Keep tension even across the puff stitches in each butterfly wing; uneven tension skews the wing shape once the ring is cinched.
- Mark the start of each pouch round with a stitch marker, since every round from Round 2 to Round 11 begins with a chain 2 after the joining slip stitch.
On one line
| Rounds | 5 |
|---|---|
| Parts | 3 |
| Level | Intermediate |
| Time | 3-4 hours |
| Hook | 3.5 mm |
| Yarn | Fingering |
Set-up
- Check yarn amounts: three-ply green and white for the pouch and drawstring, two-ply red and purple for the flowers and butterflies.
- Read Round 1 of the pouch fully before starting — the stitch count shifts between the long sides and the two chain ends.
- Set a stitch marker at the join point of Round 1 on the pouch so the later rounds of double crochet don't drift off-count.
- Work a quick swatch with the 2 mm hook to check puff stitch tension before starting the butterflies.
Finishing
- Weave in all loose ends on the pouch, butterflies, and flowers before assembly.
- Stitch the tic-tac-toe grid onto the pouch front with a needle and white yarn — two horizontal lines first, then two vertical lines to complete the board.
- Weave white yarn through the top stitches of the pouch and tie a bow for the drawstring, then tie a short length of black yarn at the center of each butterfly, leaving the ends loose as antennae.
Construction
The pouch starts as a flat oval: Round 1 works down one side of the chain and back up the other, with 3 dc into the last chain at one end and 2 dc into the last chain at the other, which shapes the two curved ends before the sides build upward in rounds.
Time per section
| Pouch | about 2-3 hours because it runs 12 rounds total and the stitch count on Round 1 needs close attention |
|---|---|
| Butterflies | about 20 minutes because the piece is a single round of puff stitches worked for two wing sizes before cinching |
| Flowers and grid finishing | about 45 minutes because the flower is a quick single round, but the hand-stitched grid and drawstring take a careful hand |
Photographs of this one
Every one was taken by whoever published the pattern, in the order the source listed them.
Common questions
These answers came from whoever first published the pattern, kept word for word.