How to use your scrappy cotton yarn to crochet Soap SACK (Supporting A Community with Kindness)

Crocheting isn't merely a pastime; it can transform into a heartfelt mission of kindness. With each stitch, you can create items that directly help those in need and at the same time reduce your pile of leftover cotton yarn from previous projects!

Well, during my studio cleaning, I found several piles of cotton yarn, left over from my crocheting blanket time and half finished projects that I knew I would never finish. Who doesn't have an obsession with crocheting blankets? Mine lasted 3 years, when I was living in the UK many years ago. So this time around I decided not to rearrange my cotton yarn stash, not to color sort it, not to put it into plastic bags instead of plastic box, like I have done so many times through the years. This time would be different, this time I decided to use this treasure and make something, anything!

After few hours of searching for projects I found the perfect project - Soap S.A.C.K.

In this blog post, I will dive into how to crochet soap sacks using leftover cotton yarn from your scrappy cotton yarn stash, turning your excess cotton yarn into a valuable resource for your community.

What is a Soap S.A.C.K?

S.A.C.K. is a grassroots effort to connect people from all over the world to make soap sacks, with bar of soap in each one, and donate them to homeless shelters, food pantries, veteran clinics, hurricane relief efforts and social service agencies. They provide patterns, labels and suggestions of yarn and places to donate these crochets or knitted soap sacks. They also have a vibrant Facebook group.

A soap sack is a small crochet bag specifically designed to hold a bar of soap. They are practical bags, that offer a convenient way to carry soap. Given that many struggle to afford basic hygiene items, creating soap sacks with a bar of soap can make a real difference. They're an ideal project not only for those interested in crocheting but also for anyone wanting to minimize yarn waste.

Materials Needed to use up your scrappy cotton skeins

Before you start, gather the materials you will need for this project. Here’s what you'll need:

• Cotton Yarn: Choose cotton yarn from your yarn stash. If needed knot threads together to make a big ball of continuous threads by using the magic knot method. Just make sure the knots are tight and cut the excess yarn very close to the knot for a continuous ball of yarn.

• Crochet Hook: Depends on the thickness of your yarn, but I found hook size H (5.0 mm) or J (6.0mm) works best. If the yarn is thinner, I used 2 threads together.

  
  

• Scissors: Essential for cutting yarn very close to the knot if using scrappy yarn from your stash and tying threads together.

  
  

• Yarn Needle: Use for weaving in any loose ends.

  
  

• Measuring Tape: The sack needs to be 4 inches wide and 6 inches tall.

  
  

Select multiple yarn colors from your yarn stash to make each soap sack unique and visually appealing. You could create themed bundles or even use colors that reflect local schools, athletic teams or organizations.

Basic Crochet Stitch Techniques

To successfully crochet soap sacks, get comfortable with a few basic stitch techniques:

• Chain Stitch (ch)

• Single Crochet (sc)

• Double Crochet (dc)

• Slip Stitch (sl st)

  
  

If you're new to crocheting, numerous really great online resources are readily available. I prefer picture tutorials, but choose any video or picture tutorials that provide step-by-step guidance for mastering these fundamental stitches.

Pattern for Crocheting Soap Sacks

S.A.C.K. provides many different patterns for you to try and I recommend skimming through their pattern library. I tried several and then came up with my own pattern that you are welcome to try. Just be mindful that you might need to adjust the number of stitches and rows depending on your yarn thickness to get a sack that is 4"x6".

Yarn: I love this cotton yarn, (1 skein made 4 sacks).

Hook size: 6mm or J

Rnd1: Begin by making 14 chain stitches, turn.

Rnd2: In the second chain from the hook, make a single crochet into the back loop of the chain. Continue working a single crochet into each back loop of the chain until you reach the end of the chain (13 sc), turn, work a single crochet into the back loop of the chain (total 26 sc).

Rnd3: Crochet 2 dc into the back loop of the first sc of Rnd2. Then single dc into the back loop of the next 12 stitches. Crochet 2 dc into the back loop of the next stitch (corner stitch) and one dc into the back loop of each 13 stitches until the next corner (total 28 dc).

The sack should be 4" wide, if not then repeat Rnd3!

Rnd4-13: Make single dc into every stitch (both loops of each stitch) until the sack measures 5.5" long.

Rnd14: Crochet 6 sc until you reach the middle of the front panel, crochet 2 ch, skip 2 stitches and crochet 14 sc or until you reach the center of the back panel. Make 20 ch, make a slip stitch into the first stitch, crochet 6 sc.

Rnd15:

Crochet 6 single sc, 2 sc into the 2 ch from the previous round, 13 sc, hold the chained hook down and sc into the two next stitches, sc into the next 6 stitches, finishing the round with a slip stitch. Cut the thread.

Use the yarn needle to weave in any loose ends to complete your soap sack neatly.

Donate Soap Sacks

Once you've made several soap sacks, the next step is donating them to local charities or organizations in need or hand them out to a person that needs them while your are out and about in your neighborhood. Many shelters, churches, and community centers are grateful for personal hygiene items like soap sacks, especially when paired with bars of soap for distribution. S.A.C.K. webpage has a list of organizations in need of Soap Sacks and their Facebook group regularly posts donation opportunities.

I found a local charity, People Help People that provide showers for homeless, food and health service for all and decided to donate the sacks that I made by cleaning out my yarn stash.

This Spring cleaning of my cotton yarn not only was a super rewarding activity, but genuinely uplifted my spirits. The recipients of my creations benefit from enhanced hygiene, which can boost their self-esteem and overall well-being, but more importantly I connected my craft with acts of kindness, helping to address hygiene disparities in my area. This feels good!

Crocheting soap sacks is an effective way to use leftover cotton yarn while supporting your community with compassion. Each stitch you make presents a chance to spread warmth and make lives better, one soap sack at a time. So, gather your scraps, grab your crochet hook, and start crafting today!

Happy crocheting!