Crochet Plant Hanger: 10 Free Patterns for Pots, Cars and Fake Plants
When I started looking for crochet plant hanger patterns, I assumed everyone searching for one wanted the same thing. A pretty net, a real pot, a hook in the ceiling.
Then I looked at what actually comes up on Pinterest.
Some of it is hangers for real plants. A lot of it is crocheted plants that hang, the kind that never need watering. And a surprising amount is tiny plants swinging from car mirrors.
Three different projects, one search term. No wonder most roundups feel a bit off.
So this list covers all three, and every pattern on it is free.
Real-pot hangers come first, sorted from the smallest pot to the biggest. Then the crocheted hanging plants. Then the car ones.
Before you start: the weight problem nobody mentions
A plant pot cover just sits there. A plant hanger holds the whole thing in the air, and that is a very different job.
A small plastic nursery pot with a pothos in it barely weighs anything. A 6 inch terracotta pot full of wet soil is several pounds, and terracotta soaks up water, so it gets heavier right after you water it.
That changes three decisions.
Yarn. Use cotton or cotton cord. Acrylic stretches under a steady load, so a hanger that looked perfect on day one can hang noticeably lower a month later. Almost every designer below uses cotton for exactly this reason.
Pot. Plastic or light ceramic is kinder to your hanger and your ceiling. If you love terracotta, keep it on the small end.
Hook. The ceiling hook matters more than the crochet. Screw it into a joist or use an anchor rated well above the weight of your pot. Pop the potted plant on a kitchen scale right after watering and you will know the real number.
One more habit worth having.
Water hanging plants in the sink, let them drip, then hang them back up. Yarn that stays damp against a wet pot for weeks will eventually smell, and nobody wants a mildew ceiling.
Quick pick guide
| What you want to hang | Patterns | Pot size |
|---|---|---|
| A tiny real pot or a crocheted succulent | PlanetJune | About 2 inches |
| A small to medium real pot | A Crocheted Simplicity, Sarah Maker | 3 to 6.5 inches |
| Cuttings in water on a window | Hearth Hook Home | Small glass jars |
| Any pot you already own | Joy of Motion Crochet | Sized to your pot |
| A big real pot | Never Ending Star, You Should Craft | 5 to 10 inches |
| A crocheted plant that never needs water | Creative State, Yarnicorns | Pot is crocheted too |
| Your car mirror | VivCrochets, Creative State | Pocket sized |
1. Crochet Plant Hanger, by PlanetJune
Fits: small pots about 2 inches across
June Gilbank is one of the most careful amigurumi designers out there, and this hanger is a good example. It is a modern take on a macrame hanger, made with crochet thread instead of knots.
It was written to hold the little pots from her crocheted cactus and succulent patterns. It works just as well for a real 2 inch succulent pot from the garden centre.
You start at the top with a chain that wraps around the rim of the pot, then work down into a star-shaped mesh that cradles the bottom. That star base is what stops a small pot from slipping through.
It is donationware. The small hanger is free on her site, and if you donate you also get the any-size version plus three different hanging loop options.
Intermediate. About 2 inches across. Size 3 crochet thread or sport weight mercerized cotton, 3.5 mm hook. Ch, sc, hdc, dc, triple treble.
Get the free pattern at PlanetJune.
2. Crochet Plant Hanger in 3 Sizes, by A Crocheted Simplicity
Fits: 3 to 3.5 inch, 3.5 to 4 inch, or 6 to 6.5 inch pots
If you want a set of matching hangers at different heights, this is the pattern. Jennifer wrote it in three sizes, so you can do a little group across one window.
The basket is a diamond mesh that shows off the pot instead of hiding it, and the top section has a braided, macrame-looking strap that is honestly the prettiest part.
She gives you three options for the ring at the top: a wooden ring, a ring cut from a milk jug, or a crocheted one. The milk jug trick is the kind of thing I would never have thought of.
The small size takes about 100 yards and the big one about 200. That is one or two balls of kitchen cotton.
Easy. Three sizes, 3 to 6.5 inches across. Worsted cotton, 4 and 5 mm hooks. Ch, sc, hdc, dc, tr, sl st.
Get the free pattern at A Crocheted Simplicity.
3. Houseplant Clippings Hanger, by Hearth Hook Home
Fits: small glass jars, like yogurt jars or baby food jars
This one is not for a potted plant at all. It is for cuttings.
If you have ever stuck a pothos stem in a glass of water on the windowsill and watched it slowly grow roots, this is the upgrade. Ashlea’s hanger holds a small glass jar of water, and it hangs from a suction cup hook stuck to the window.
She designed it around those little glass yogurt jars, which are the perfect size and free once you have eaten the yogurt. Mason jars and baby food jars work too.
It is single crochet in rounds, then three long chain straps knotted together at the top. Very quick, and a lovely way to keep an eye on the roots.
Use a suction hook rated for a few pounds and keep the jar small. A jar of water is heavier than it looks.
Beginner. Small glass jars. Cotton yarn, 5 mm hook. Magic circle, sc, ch.
Get the free pattern at Hearth Hook Home.
4. Free Crochet Plant Hanger Pattern, by Sarah Maker
Fits: a 5 inch tapered pot
This is the pattern for anyone who loves the macrame look but does not want to learn knots. Sarah Stearns gets the same boho feel with a lacy crochet basket and six long cords.
The basket base is 5 inches across and 4 inches tall, written for a standard tapered pot that is 5 inches at the top and 3.75 inches at the bottom. The cords are 24 inches long.
She gives two ways to make the cords, a quick slip stitch version or a braided version, and also tells you how to adjust it for a straight-sided pot. That last bit saves a lot of frogging.
It uses Dishie cotton in worsted weight, about 61 yards. One ball.
Easy to advanced beginner. 5 inch tapered pot. Worsted cotton, 5 mm hook. Magic circle, ch, sl st, sc, dc.
Get the free pattern at Sarah Maker.
5. Easy Crochet Plant Hanger, by Joy of Motion Crochet
Fits: any pot, sized to the one you have
Janne’s pattern is the one to grab when your pot is an odd size and nothing else on this list fits it.
It is written to be adjusted. She gives you two worked examples, a small pot about 7 cm across and a big one about 16 cm across, and shows you how to size the base and sides for your own.
The sides are open rings of front post double crochet, so you see the pot through the hanger. The strap length is up to you too.
The small version used about 10 grams of cotton. The big one about 32 grams. Either way, less than one ball.
Easy. Any size. Worsted cotton, 5.5 mm hook. Ch, sc, hdc, fpdc, sl st.
Get the free pattern at Joy of Motion Crochet.
6. Never Ending Star Plant Hanger, by Kristyn Crochets
Fits: 5 to 6 inch pots, up to about 10 inches
You might have seen “never ending star” pop up in search suggestions. This is the one.
The base starts as a star shape, and the star keeps going up the sides, so the points become the straps. It is a clever bit of design, and it means there are no separate cords to attach.
Kristyn has stepped away from blogging, so Tonya at Nana’s Crafty Home now hosts the free pattern. Her sample in bulky cotton blend took less than an hour and fit pots from 5 to 6 inches all the way up to 10 inches.
The large size came out about 20 inches long from top to bottom. If you want to use worsted instead of bulky, hold two strands together and size up your hook.
Adventurous beginner. 5 to 10 inch pots. Bulky cotton blend, 8 mm hook. Ch, sc, hdc, dc.
Get the free pattern at Nana’s Crafty Home.
7. Big Bohemian Hanging Planter, by You Should Craft
Fits: pots about 8 inches across
Most free hangers stop at 6 inches. Alex wrote this one for a proper 8 inch pot, which is the size your big trailing pothos probably lives in.
It is worsted cotton held double on an 8 mm hook, which gives you thick, strong cords. That is exactly what you want on the heaviest pot in the list.
The whole thing is 32 inches long without the tassel, finished with wooden beads and a chunky tassel at the bottom. There is a full video tutorial too.
About 115 yards of Dishie cotton, held double. Plan for a heavier ceiling hook with this one.
Beginner. 8 inch pots. Worsted cotton held double, 8 mm hook. Magic ring, ch, sc, dc, tr, sl st.
Get the free pattern at You Should Craft.
8. String of Hearts Hanging Plant, by Creative State
A crocheted plant, pot and hanger in one, about 27 inches long
Now for the plants that never die.
Jenna’s string of hearts is a whole crocheted plant: a little brown pot, long trailing vines of tiny heart leaves, and a white macrame-style holder to hang it from.
It is the closest free pattern I found to the real plant. The vines are long and thin, and they swing in the same lazy way real string of hearts does.
The whole thing is about 27 inches long and 3.5 inches wide, which makes it work in two places. Hang it from a shelf or a curtain rod, or shorten the vines and hang it from your car mirror, the way she has it in her photos.
She marks it beginner and puts it at about two hours.
Beginner. About 27 x 3.5 inches. Worsted yarn in green, tan and white, 4 mm hook. Magic ring, ch, sc, hdc, dc, inc, sl st.
Get the free pattern at Creative State.
9. Pothos Hanging Plant, by Yarnicorns
A crocheted pothos in a hanging basket, about 8 to 10 inches long
Pothos is the plant everyone owns and everyone eventually forgets to water. This is the version that does not care.
Serah’s pattern gives you a little crocheted basket and big rounded pothos leaves that spill over the edge. Her photos show a few colour versions side by side, and they look great as a group.
It is written for beginners and uses DK cotton on a 3.5 mm hook. The hanging loop is optional, so it can sit on a shelf as well.
If you have a dark corner where real plants keep dying, this is your answer.
Beginner. About 8 to 10 inches long. DK cotton, 3.5 mm hook. Ch, sc, hdc, dc, tr, sl st.
Get the free pattern at Yarnicorns.
10. Car Hanging Plant, by VivCrochets
A mini string of pearls for your rearview mirror, about 8 x 24 cm
This is the crochet car plant hanger I would make first. Viv calls it a one hour project, and it looks it.
It is a tiny pot with a string of pearls plant trailing out of it. She suggests making 10 strands with different numbers of pearls, from 3 to 7, so the plant looks full and natural instead of neat and fake.
The strap is about 32 cm long in total, and she tells you how to adjust it to fit your own mirror. About 15 grams of medium weight yarn is all it takes.
She marks it advanced beginner, because the pearls use a double crochet decrease that might be new if you have only made flat things so far.
Advanced beginner. About 8 x 24 cm. Medium weight yarn, 4 mm hook. Ch, dc, dc2tog, sl st.
Get the free pattern at VivCrochets.
A quick word about car mirror hangers
Viv makes a point I want to repeat. Keep it small.
Anything that dangles from your mirror sits right in your line of sight. Several US states, including California and Minnesota, have laws about objects hanging from the rearview mirror that block your view.
Short strap, small pot, short vines. If it swings into the windshield when you brake, shorten it.
If you would rather have a flower than a plant, my lily of the valley crochet pattern is a small two-bell charm on a cord. Hang it from a mirror instead of a bag and it makes a very sweet car charm.
How to pick one
If you have a small pot and want something done tonight, take A Crocheted Simplicity in the small size or the PlanetJune hanger.
If you want the macrame look without learning a single knot, take Sarah Maker.
If your pot is an odd size, take Joy of Motion Crochet and size it to fit.
If you have a big heavy pot, take You Should Craft or the Never Ending Star. They are the two built for weight.
If you keep killing real plants, skip the real ones completely and make the Creative State string of hearts or the Yarnicorns pothos.
And if you mostly see your plants from the driver’s seat, take VivCrochets.
I have not published a plant hanger of my own yet. When the crocheter I work with makes one, it will go up here with a photo of every step, the same as everything else on this site. Until then, these ten are the best free ones I could find.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best yarn for a crochet plant hanger?
Cotton or cotton cord, in worsted weight or thicker. Cotton is strong and stretches far less than acrylic, so the hanger keeps its length under the weight of a pot.
For a big pot, hold two strands together or use bulky cotton. Thicker cords spread the weight and hold up better over time.
How much weight can a crochet plant hanger hold?
It depends on the yarn and the pattern, and no designer can promise an exact number. A cotton hanger worked tightly handles a normal houseplant pot without trouble.
The weak points are usually the ceiling hook and the knot at the top, not the crochet. Weigh your pot right after watering and pick a hook rated well above that.
What size pot fits a crochet plant hanger?
Every pattern above lists its pot size. Measure your pot straight across the top rim and match it.
If nothing matches, use the Joy of Motion Crochet pattern, which is written to be sized to any pot.
Can I put the soil straight into the crochet hanger?
No, the hanger holds a pot.
Keep the plant in a pot with a drainage hole, ideally with a saucer or a cachepot inside the hanger, so water does not soak the yarn.
Is a crochet plant hanger the same as macrame?
Not quite. Macrame is made with knots and cord, and crochet uses a hook and loops.
Many crochet hangers, like the Sarah Maker and A Crocheted Simplicity patterns, are designed to look like macrame, but they are much quicker if you already crochet.
Is it legal to hang a crochet plant from my car mirror?
It depends where you live. Some US states have laws against objects on the rearview mirror that block the driver’s view. Keep car hangers small and short, and check your local rules.
Are these patterns really free?
Yes, all ten have the full pattern free on the designer’s site.
PlanetJune is donationware, so a donation unlocks the any-size version. Several others sell an ad-free printable PDF if you prefer that.
If you make one, leave the designer a comment. It is what keeps free patterns coming.
Hang one up and show me
Ten free patterns, from a 2 inch succulent pot to an 8 inch pothos, plus plants that never need watering and one for your car.
Start with the plant you look at the most. That is the one a hanger will change.
If you want your pots looking good on the shelf too, my crochet plant pot cover roundup has ten free covers sorted by pot size. And for a quick plant-themed make, the crochet leaf sprout bookmark takes about 20 minutes and looks like a seedling growing out of your book.
