Mar
The Basic Setup You’ll Need
So I made my first dice bag back in spring 2022 when my brother kept losing his D&D dice in his backpack and honestly it was driving everyone nuts because we’d spend like 20 minutes every game night looking for them. I used Red Heart Super Saver in this dark purple color called Plum I think? The skein was already in my stash from another project I never finished.
You’re gonna want a medium weight yarn, nothing too thin because it needs to actually hold dice without them poking through the stitches. I’ve also used Caron Simply Soft which worked fine but the Red Heart holds its shape better over time. Get a size H hook (5mm) or maybe a G if your tension is really loose.
Starting the Bottom Part
The bag starts with a magic circle, chain 2, then do like 8 half double crochets into the circle. Pull it tight. If you don’t know magic circle just chain 4 and join it into a ring, works the same basically. Then you increase every round for about 4 or 5 rounds until the bottom is wide enough to fit a standard set of dice plus some extras.
The increase pattern goes: round 2 is 2 hdc in each stitch around, round 3 is 2 hdc in first stitch then 1 hdc in next stitch and repeat that pattern, round 4 is 2 hdc then 1 hdc in each of the next 2 stitches. You’re basically spreading out the increases more each time so it lays flat instead of cupping.
One thing that really annoyed me was counting stitches at this stage because I was watching The Witcher and kept losing track during fight scenes. Just use a stitch marker or you’ll end up with a wonky circle like I did the first time.
When to Stop Increasing
Measure your circle against your palm, it should be about 3 to 3.5 inches across. That fits a standard dice set plus usually some extras. If someone has like 47 dice because they’re a dice goblin then maybe go bigger but honestly those people probably need multiple bags anyway.
Building Up the Sides
Once your circle is the right size just stop increasing and work even. So you’re doing one hdc in each stitch around, no increases. This is where the sides start going up. I usually do about 8 to 10 rounds of straight stitches depending on how deep I want the bag.
This part goes pretty fast, you can finish it while watching a movie or whatever. My cat kept trying to steal the yarn ball during this part which… cats, you know? The purple yarn was apparently very offensive to her.
The Drawstring Holes
This is where it gets slightly tricky but not really. About 2 rounds from where you want to stop, you need to make holes for the drawstring. I do this by: chain 2, skip 2 stitches, hdc in the next stitch, then repeat that around the whole round. The chain-2 spaces create the holes.
Some patterns tell you to do chain 3 and skip 3 but I think that makes the holes too big and the cord can slip around weird. Chain 2 works better in my experience but like… do what feels right for your project.
After the drawstring round, do one or two more regular rounds (hdc in each stitch and in each chain space) to finish the top edge. Fasten off and weave in ends.
Drawstring Options That Actually Work
You can make a simple chain cord which is what I did for that first bag. Just chain until it’s long enough to go around the bag opening plus extra for tying. I made mine about 30 inches I think? You want it long enough to pull closed and still have enough to tie.
Or you can braid three strands of yarn together which looks nicer honestly. Cut three pieces of yarn about 45 inches each, tie them together at one end, braid the whole length, tie the other end. Thread it through the drawstring holes using a yarn needle or a safety pin.
I’ve also just used ribbon from the craft store which works fine if you don’t wanna make a cord. That satin ribbon in 1/4 inch width goes through the holes easy and you can find it in every color.
Variations I’ve Tried
Last summer I made one using Bernat Blanket yarn with a bigger hook (size K I think?) and it came out really thick and cushiony which is good if someone’s carrying expensive metal dice. Takes less time too because it works up faster with the chunky yarn.
You can also add a button flap on the outside which I did once but it was kind of unnecessary? Like the drawstring already keeps everything secure so the flap was just decorative. Looked cool though.
Stripes are easy to add, just change colors every 2 rounds or whatever pattern you want. I made one with Impeccable yarn from Michaels in like four different colors and it looked pretty good, very 90s vibes.
The Single Crochet Version
If you want a tighter fabric you can do the whole thing in single crochet instead of half double. It takes longer and uses more yarn but the stitches are smaller so there’s zero chance of dice poking through. I did this once with some really nice Wool-Ease yarn in grey and it came out almost… stiff? In a good way though, it stood up on its own.
Sizing for Different Dice Needs
Standard bags work for one or two dice sets but if you’re making one for somebody who plays multiple characters or brings backup dice, you gotta go bigger. I made one for my brother’s friend who apparently needs like 15d6 for some spell or—I don’t know the details but he needed a LOT of six-sided dice.
For that I made the bottom circle about 4.5 inches across and did 14 rounds for the sides. Used Vanna’s Choice yarn in that dusty blue color, it held up really well.
What Actually Happens When People Use These
The bags get shoved in backpacks, thrown in cars, stepped on probably. The Red Heart ones have held up best in my experience, that yarn is basically indestructible. The Caron Simply Soft ones stretched out a little over time but still worked fine.
One person told me their dice bag got caught on something and the drawstring pulled out completely which… yeah that can happen. You can prevent this by tying the two ends of the drawstring together or stitching them together after you thread it through.
Embellishments If You Want Them
I’ve sewn little patches onto these, like those iron-on patches but I just stitched them on instead. Dragon patches, band logos, whatever. You could embroider directly onto the bag but single crochet fabric works better for that than half double because the stitches are more defined.
Beads are another option, sew them on randomly or in a pattern. Just make sure they’re secure because if they fall off inside the bag they’ll get mixed up with the dice and that’s annoying.
Some people want their character name or initials on the bag which you can do with surface crochet or just embroider with regular embroidery floss. I’m not great at letters though so I usually skip that part or convince them that a plain bag is more versatile.
The Cord Situation Revisited
Actually I should mention that i-cord works really well for drawstrings if you know how to make it. It’s technically a knitting thing but you can finger knit it or use one of those little knitting spool things. Makes a round cord that’s really sturdy and doesn’t twist up weird like chains sometimes do.
Or friendship bracelet technique with embroidery floss if you remember how to do that from summer camp or whatever, makes a flat cord that’s strong enough for a dice bag.
