Already going through Game of Thrones withdrawal? Dice keep falling out of your pockets? Well fear not because we’ve come to the rescue with a Game of Thrones dice bag.
This pattern, initially inspired by Cindy de Vries’s Ravelry pattern, has been adjusted to close up holes near the bottom of the bag that are common when using the crocodile stitch.
It’s a simple pattern, and the only stitches you’ll need to know how to do are a chain (ch), a half-double crochet (hdc), double crochet (dc) and a slipstich (ss). It looks impressive but it’s extremely beginner friendly. Use a hook a sizes or two smaller than the yarn you’re using suggest; this Lion’s Brand Vanna’s Choice (in Cranberry) has an J hook on the packaging for gauge, but I used a G hook so that the egg would be denser and thus stronger and less likely to drop dice.
The pattern is below, but check out the gallery at the bottom of the post for the visual steps.
Bag Bottom
The bag bottom is worked in rounds, and starts with a magic ring (illustrated below). Apart from being the one ring to rule them all, it also ensures there isn’t a gap at the bottom of your bag and that the bag bottom is nice and tight.
Row 1: Start with a magic ring and work 12 dc into it. Pull the tail of your work to close the ring. Use a ss to link the last dc to the first dc (the chain) and finish the round. (12 stitches)
Row 2: Chain 2 (this will count as your first stitch of the row.) Work 1 dc into the same stitch as the chain. Work 2 dc into the next stitch and every following stitch until you complete the round. Finish the round by ss to link the last dc to the first dc. (24 stitches)
Row 3: Chain 2. Work 2 dc into the next stitch, and one into the following stitch. Repeat the 2 dc, 1 dc increase into each pair of subsequent stitches until you complete the round. Finish with an ss. (36 stitches)
Row 4: Chain 2. Work 1 dc into the into the same stitch as the chain. Work a hdc into each of the next 2 stitches. Work 2 dc into the following stitch (so in the 3 stitches you’ll have a hdc, hdc and 2 dc). Repeat that 3 stitch pattern until you complete the row. Finish the round with a ss. (48 stitches)
Bottom Row Scales
The bottom row is a modified crocodile stitch, where you’ll be working 5 dc around each dc “post pairs” (the 2 dc posts separated by the 2 hdc). The hdc fill the gaps around the bend of the bag which, in the original pattern, had a tendancy to let dice drop from due to the nature of the crocodile stitch. Check out the gallery for a clearer illustration of creating the scales using the dc post pairs and working the 10 dc around them.
Row 5: Chain 2 (counts as your first dc). Working horizontally around one of the dc posts (where there are 2 dcs in the same stitch just below the chain) work 4 dcs around that post. Ch 1, and then work 5 DCs around the other post of the post pair. Congrats! You’ve made your first scale.
Skip 6 stitches (2 hdc, 2 dc, 2 hdc) and start by working 5 dc horizontally around the next dc. Ch 1. Work 5 dc horizontally into the other dc post of the post pair. Repeat around the bottom row (you’ll have made 6 scales total for the row).
Scale Foundation Row
The next row is the foundation row for the next scales, on which you’ll be building the next row of scales. Scales are worked in 2 layers, and you’ll be repeating this row and the scale row until you finish the pattern. On this and every other subsequent row, the post pairs aren’t separated by 2 hdcs but rather by a large gap.
Row 6: Chain 2. Work 1 dc vertically in the space between the post pair in the row directly below the chain. Work 2 dc in the gap in the middle of the following scale. Work 2 dcs in the gap between the 2 post pair in the row below. Continue to work 2 dc in the middle of the scales and exposed pair of dcs in the row below. SS to bring the round to a close. (24 stitches)
Scale Row
Now that you have a foundation row to build off off, you’ll work chains into every other pair of post pair of dc.
Row 7: Chain 2. Work 4 dcs horizontally into the first dc of the post pair beneath the chain. Chain 1. Work 5 dcs horizontally around the 2nd dc of the post pair. Skip the next pair of post pairs and work 5 dcs into the 1st dc of next post pair, ch 1, and 5 dcs horizontally around the 2nd post pair. Repeat until you have 8 scales on the row.
Finish the Bag
Repeat rows 6 & 7 until the bag has reached a sufficient height. Weave in ends. You can use some yarn that’s been chained as a drawstring (weaving the string through the foundation post-pairs to close the top) or whatever cord/ribbon you’d like.
Voila! In less time than it takes to watch an episode of Game of Thrones you can have yourself a dragon egg dice bag. Just don’t put it in the fire.
What kind of crafty goodness are you getting into? Let us know in the comments below!
Featured Image, Blog & Gallery Image Credits (all): Teri Litorco
Teri Litorco is a YouTuber, past Geek & Sundry Vlogger, and all-around tabletop gaming geek. Find her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. She plays a gnome learning the weaving skill in real life, as her tiny childlike fingers are nimble enough for detailed work. Send her questions or photos of your projects via social media!