My problem with loofas, body scrubbers, and washcloths is that they never seem to have the right texture or size. They’re either too harsh on my skin, or too soft to do any real cleaning, and they’re either too small or too large to hold and use. Fortunately, the solution to my problem can also be the answer to yours – crocheting your own body scrubber that doubles as a soap holder. These crochet body scrubbers can be thrown in the wash, and they’ll always be the right texture. They’re also inexpensive, and you won’t have to waste money buying replacements every few months.
If you want to try out a free, simple crochet body scrubber pattern first to see if it’s something you’ll want to make more of, Let’s Knit has a free pattern from Susie Johns that is perfect for a beginner. It creates an openwork design that can be used to both hold your favorite soap and massage your body while you wash. Sounds wonderful, right?
There are patterns for both a small and large soap holder, and both patterns are simple and elegant, and you won’t need to know any fancy stitches, just the basic chain stitch, slip stitch, single crochet, and double crochet stitches. All you’ll need for the project is yarn (I’d recommend using a cotton yarn), a hook, a sewing needle, thread, and scissors. (The pattern recommends a 4mm size hook for both the small and large sizes so you might want to try making both sizes since they work up so quickly. You’ll be done in a couple of hours!)
The pattern from Let’s Knit would be a perfect one to use to make coordinating crochet soap holders for a guest bedroom or a His & Her’s situation, or even for each of the kids (each one gets a different color). This can be helpful if one or more of the family has allergies and needs to avoid certain brands. They also make great gifts for neighbors, teachers, and friends, especially if you’ve got some special homemade or organic soap to include with it.
If you’re up for a bit more of a challenge, you could also try Moogly’s Pampering Massage Soap Saver, which has several massage “bumps” crocheted onto the soap saver so that you can keep massaging even after the soap has lost its bumps. The pattern recommends a size “I” crochet hook and cotton yarn, as well as a pair of scissors. Of course, if you don’t want a bumpy soap holder, there are instructions for leaving them off of the pattern. There’s also a video tutorial for the Puff Stitch used in the pattern if you need a little extra help. If you enjoy the Moogly site, you might also want to check out their Facebook page. They also recommend purchasing Bean Tree Soap to put in the Soap Saver.
If you’d like to make one or both of these patterns, the free crochet Soap Holder pattern is available from Let’s Knit, and the Pampering Massage Soap Saver is available on the Moogly Blog. Be sure to follow or bookmark their sites for other free crochet patterns.
