Crochet Plant Pot Cover: 10 Free Patterns Sorted by Pot Size
I have read a lot of plant pot cover roundups while putting this one together, and almost none of them tell you the one thing you need to know.
They show you a pretty cover. They do not tell you what size pot it fits.
So you pick the one you like, crochet the whole thing, and discover it sits on your pot like a tube sock on a fire hydrant. Or it will not go over the rim at all.
Every pattern below is free, and every one is listed with the pot size it was actually written for. Small first, big last. That is the whole organising idea.
First, measure your pot, because that is the whole problem
A plant pot is a cone, not a cylinder. It is wider at the top than the bottom, which is why a cover that fits the base gapes at the rim.
Grab a tape measure and take two numbers: the diameter across the top rim, and the height from base to rim.
Watch out for one trap while you are reading patterns. Designers describe pot covers two different ways, and they are not interchangeable.
Some give you the diameter, the distance straight across. Others give the circumference, the distance all the way around. A “16 inch” cover measured around fits a pot only about 5 inches across.
Circumference is roughly three times the diameter, so if a number looks surprisingly big, that is usually why. I have converted everything below so you can compare like with like.
One more thing. Nursery pots, the flimsy black plastic ones your plant came home in, run a little smaller than their stated size. A “6 inch” nursery pot is usually about 5.75 inches across the top.
That quarter inch is the difference between snug and baggy, so measure the actual pot rather than trusting the label.
Quick size guide
| Your pot, measured across | Patterns that fit | Best yarn |
|---|---|---|
| 2 to 3 inches | Simply Made by Erin, Bloodimaryart | Super bulky or aran |
| 4 inches | Juniper and Oakes, Sincerely Pam, Tiny Curl | Worsted to bulky |
| 5 inches | Pretty Darn Adorable, B.Hooked | Bulky home decor |
| 6 inches | Blue Star Crochet, B.Hooked, Tiny Curl | DK cotton or bulky |
| 8 inches | Tiny Curl | T-shirt yarn |
| Anything, including big floor planters | Concrete Gems, Smiling Colors | Scale the yarn to the pot |
1. Chunky Planter Sweaters, by Simply Made by Erin
Fits: 2.25, 3.5 or 4.75 inch pots
Erin calls these planter sweaters, which is the correct name for them and I refuse to argue about it.
The pattern is written in three sizes, which is rare and genuinely useful. You can make the whole set for a windowsill of little pots in an evening.
It is worked with two strands of super bulky held together on an 8 mm hook, so the fabric is thick enough to stand up on its own. That matters on a tiny pot, where a thin cover just slumps.
Her photos show them in Christmas green and red with little leather tags, but there is nothing seasonal in the pattern itself. Make it in cream and it is a plain cover all year.
Half double crochet and single crochet in the round. Nothing else.
Easy. Three sizes from 2.25 to 4.75 inches across. Super bulky held double, 8 mm hook. Hdc, sc.
Get the free pattern at Simply Made by Erin.
2. Hug-Me Pot Cover, by Bloodimaryart
Fits: 2.5 inch and 3.5 inch pots
Marina’s version has a textured basketweave band around the middle and a crab stitch edge, which is more interesting than most covers this small bother with.
There are two versions in the file, and the difference is not just size. Version A uses a 6 mm hook for a looser, chunkier look and Version B drops to 4.5 mm for tighter stitches on the slightly bigger pot.
She calls it a one hour project and that looks about right.
Worth knowing before you click: this one is free but you join her mailing list to get the PDF. Fair trade, just not a one-click download.
Beginner. 2.5 or 3.5 inches across. Aran or worsted, 4.5 to 6 mm hook. Sc, dc, dc cluster, crab stitch.
Get the free pattern at Bloodimaryart.
3. Striped Moss Plant Pot Cover, by Juniper and Oakes
Fits: 4 inch pots
If you only know how to chain and single crochet, this is your pattern. The moss stitch is just those two, alternating, and it produces a texture that looks far harder than it is.
The three colour stripe is the clever part. Because you carry the colours up the side rather than cutting them, you finish with almost no ends to weave in.
Anyone who has ever abandoned a striped project at the weaving-in stage will understand why that matters.
The free version is the 4 inch size. Erin sells 2 inch and 6 inch versions if you want the matching set.
Beginner. 4 inches across. Worsted acrylic, 5 mm hook. Ch, sc, moss stitch.
Get the free pattern at Juniper and Oakes.
4. Alex Basket Pot Cover, by Sincerely Pam
Fits: a pot 13 inches around, roughly 4 inches across, 4 inches tall
This is the most grown-up looking cover on the list, and it is the one to make if you want something that reads as a piece of decor rather than a craft project.
The linked double crochet gives you a dense, woven-looking fabric with no gaps between stitches. It genuinely does not look crocheted from across a room.
Pam wrote the pattern as a pair, a pot cover and a matching 8 inch basket, so you can do both in the same yarn.
Linked stitches are a little fiddly the first time. She links a tutorial, and it is worth watching it before you start rather than halfway through.
Intermediate. 13 inches around, about 4 across, 4 tall. Bulky, 6 mm hook. Linked dc, sc, reverse sc.
Get the free pattern at Sincerely, Pam.
5. Brighton Farmhouse Planter Cover, by Pretty Darn Adorable
Fits: a pot 16 inches around, roughly 5 inches across
Read that measurement carefully, because it is the one most likely to trip you up. Sixteen inches is the distance around the pot, not across it. This is a tabletop cover, not a floor planter.
Cyprianne works it in bulky home decor yarn on a 6.5 mm hook, and it stands about 5.5 inches tall in use.
The long double crochet is what gives it the woven basket texture. It is a taller stitch worked down into an earlier row, and it does most of the visual work here.
There is a video tutorial alongside the written pattern, which is useful if long double crochet is new to you.
Easy. 16 inches around, about 5 across. Bulky home decor yarn, 6.5 mm hook. Sc, dc, long dc, ch, sl st.
Get the free pattern at Pretty Darn Adorable.
6. Granny Square Pot Cover, by B.Hooked
Fits: most 5 to 6 inch pots
Brittany builds this one from granny squares joined as you go, so you never sew a seam at the end.
Join-as-you-go is one of those techniques that sounds advanced and is mostly just fiddly for the first square. After that it is faster than making squares separately and stitching them.
She marks it intermediate and that is honest. The reverse single crochet edge in particular is not a beginner’s first edging.
About two hours, 80 yards, and it uses a cotton and nylon blend that holds its shape well.
Intermediate. 5 to 6 inches across. Bulky cotton blend, 4.5 and 5 mm hooks. Granny squares, sc, dc, reverse sc.
Get the free pattern at B.Hooked Crochet.
7. Boho Plant Pot Cover, by Blue Star Crochet
Fits: a pot 47.5 cm around, roughly 6 inches across, 13 cm tall
Veronika’s is the fastest on this list. She puts it at under an hour, and having read the pattern I believe her.
It is DK cotton on a 4 mm hook, which makes it the only cover here in a genuinely fine yarn. That gives you a neater, more fitted look than the chunky ones, and it costs you a bit more time per round.
The double treble openwork band is what makes it read as boho rather than plain.
Cotton is also the right call for a pot cover in a way it is not for a lot of projects. It does not sag when it picks up humidity from watering, and acrylic does.
Beginner. About 6 inches across, 13 cm tall. DK cotton, 4 mm hook. Magic circle, dc, dtr, sc, sl st.
Get the free pattern at Blue Star Crochet.
8. T-Shirt Yarn Pot Cover, by Tiny Curl
Fits: 4, 6 and 8 inch pots
Kristina’s pattern covers the widest size range here, and it is made from old t-shirts or plastic bags cut into strips.
A 4 inch pot takes exactly one t-shirt. That is a satisfying unit of measurement.
On a 12 mm hook with super bulky t-shirt yarn this works up very fast, and the fabric is thick and structural in a way no normal yarn manages at this scale.
The plastic bag version is the one I would actually use outdoors, since it does not care about rain.
She also includes instructions for turning the cover into a hanging planter, which effectively gives you two patterns.
If you want a proper hanger rather than a converted cover, I have rounded up ten free crochet plant hanger patterns sorted by pot size, from 2 inch succulents up to 8 inch pots.
Beginner. 4, 6 or 8 inches across. T-shirt or plastic bag yarn, 12 mm hook. Sc, ch, sl st, BLO.
Get the free pattern at Tiny Curl.
9. Granny Plant Pot Cover, by Concrete Gems
Fits: any pot, you do the maths
Gemma’s pattern is the one to use when your pot is an awkward size and nothing above matches it.
You make one granny square, measure it, then divide your pot’s circumference by that width to get the number of squares you need. That is the entire sizing method and it works at any scale.
She gives yarn guidance by pot size: fine yarn for pots under 14 inches around, DK or worsted for 14 to 20, bulky or braided cord above that.
It is the most flexible pattern here and the one that takes the most thinking. Those two things are related.
Easy. Any size. Yarn weight depends on the pot, 3 to 8 mm hook. Granny squares, magic ring, dc, tr, cluster.
Get the free pattern at Concrete Gems.
10. Scalloped Plant Pot Cover, by Smiling Colors
Fits: any pot, sized as you go
Smitha’s approach is different from the granny square method. You crochet a flat base circle to match your pot’s base, then build the sides straight up from it.
Because you are working from the actual pot rather than from a stitch count, it fits properly on the first try.
Her one real tip is the good one: use a smaller hook than the yarn calls for. Bulky yarn on an H8 gives you a stiff fabric that stands up instead of flopping over the rim.
The scalloped edge at the top is what stops it looking like a yarn tube.
Beginner. Any size. Bulky, H8 hook or smaller. Dc, scalloped edging.
Get the free pattern at Smiling Colors.
How to pick one
If your pot is small and you want it done tonight, take Simply Made by Erin or Blue Star Crochet.
If you want the cover to look like something you bought, take Sincerely Pam. The linked double crochet is the reason.
If you want to use what is already in the house, take Tiny Curl and cut up a t-shirt.
And here is the honest gap in this list. Not one of these ten was written for a big floor planter. The largest fixed size is Tiny Curl’s 8 inch version.
If that is the pot bothering you, take Concrete Gems and scale it. The granny square method genuinely does work at any size, and she gives you the yarn weights for the big end.
I have not published a plant pot cover of my own yet. The crocheter I work with is making one, and when it is finished it will go up here with step photos for every round, the same as everything else on this site.
Until then, these ten are the best free ones I could find, and I would rather point you at good work by other people than pad this page out.
Frequently asked questions
What yarn is best for a crochet plant pot cover?
Cotton, if you are choosing on performance. It holds its shape when it picks up moisture from watering, and acrylic tends to sag.
Bulky or super bulky is the easier choice for structure, because a thick fabric stands up on its own instead of slumping down the pot.
Do I put the plant straight into the crochet cover?
No. The cover goes over the existing pot, which keeps doing the actual job of holding soil and draining water.
Treat it as a sleeve, not a planter. Yarn and wet soil is a mould problem waiting to happen.
How do I stop the cover sliding down the pot?
Work it slightly snug rather than to exact measurement, and use a smaller hook than the yarn band recommends.
A stiffer fabric grips the taper of the pot. A loose one slides.
Does a pattern’s size mean across or around?
Check every time, because designers use both and rarely say which they mean in the title.
If a cover is listed at 13 or 16 inches it is almost certainly the measurement around, which is a pot about 4 to 5 inches across. Divide by roughly three to get the diameter.
Can I make a plant pot cover without a pattern?
Yes, and it is one of the few projects where winging it works. Crochet a flat circle the size of your pot base, stop increasing, then work straight up the sides until you reach the rim.
That is what the Smiling Colors pattern formalises, and it is why it fits any pot.
Are these patterns really free?
Yes, all ten. Several designers also sell an ad-free printable PDF, and the Bloodimaryart one asks for an email address, but the full instructions are free in every case.
If you make one, the kind thing to do is leave a comment on the designer’s post. It is what keeps free patterns coming.
Make one and show me
Ten patterns, six pot sizes, and not one of them costs anything.
Start with the pot you walk past most often. That is the one where a five dollar ball of yarn does the most work.
If small home decor makes are your thing, the sunflower coaster pattern is the one people make most from this site, and the rest of the free crochet home decor patterns are built the same way, commissioned from a real crocheter and photographed at every round.
For a quicker plant-themed make, the crochet leaf sprout bookmark takes about 20 minutes and looks like a seedling growing out of your book.
