We all know that plants make people happy, so what better way to boost your mood this summer by combining your love of knitting with nature using our knitted plant hanger patterns created by Ann Franklin? Even if you don't have a garden you can still enjoy being surrounded by green by making a DIY plant hanger to fill your home with fab foliage – in fact, we recommend you make all three of the knitted plant hangers! This brilliant knitted plant hanger set was designed by Ann Franklin and originally published in Simply Knitting magazine issue 174.
The knitted plant hangers are all made with needles that are a larger size than usually used for the yarn to enable the stitches to stretch to fit a variety of pot shapes, so don't worry if your tension feels looser than normal. Those big loose loops on the DIY plant hangers let them stretch and shape around your pots and accommodate different sizes, but the basic shape of the knitted plant pot hangers has been designed with a 12cm plant pot in mind. Really big and heavy plants are not suitable for these DIY plant hangers, but who would want to use a knitted plant holder to hang a heavy plant, anyway? But the different style of DIY plant hangers will work better with different weights. We recommend the dropped stitch knitted plant hanger for larger pots, as this is less delicate than the other two DIY plant hangers in the set. Looking for some more in-depth guidance for the knitting techniques used in the knitted plant hanger patterns? Check out our knitting for beginners guide, or brush up with our how to cast on knitting instructions or our how to cast off knitting instructions.
Like the look of these? Make even more DIY plant hangers using our how to make a macrame plant hanger tutorial, or browse our collection of knitting kits to buy and make.
Knitted plant hanger materials
- Paintbox, Cotton DK (100% cotton, 50g/125cm), 1 ball of each: Yarn A Dusty Rose (442) Yarn B Seafoam Blue (432) Yarn C Vanilla Cream (408)
- A pair of 4½mm needles
- A pair of 6mm needles
- 2.5cm diameter curtain ring
- 2.5m of 5mm wide ribbon in baby blue and sewing thread to match
If you have other yarn on your stash you want to check could work with this project, or if you are a US knitter looking to understand the UK terminologies in this pattern, use our yarn weight conversion chart.
Knitted plant hanger tension
Yarn used knits as DK to this tension: 18 sts and 16 rows to measure 10x10cm (4x4in) over st st using 6mm needles or 20 sts and 24 rows to measure 10x10cm (4x4in) over st st using 41/2mm needles. The knitted plant hangers are all made with needles that are a larger size than usually used for the yarn to enable the stitches to stretch to fit a variety of pot shapes, so don't worry if your tension feels looser than normal
Knitted plant hanger abbreviations
The knitted plant hanger uses standard UK knitting abbreviations, for a full list, see our knitting abbreviations post, or to see how these compare with US terms, see our yarn weight conversion chart.
Knitted plant hanger measurements
All holders have been made to fit a 12cm (5in) plant pot.
Faggoting Stitch knitted plant holder Length 40cm (153/4in), circumference 50cm (19¾in)
Stocking Stitch and Eyelet knitted plant holder
Length 60cm (23½in), circumference 38cm (15in)
Dropped Stitch knitted plant holder Length 50cm (19¾in), circumference 39cm (15¼in)
All measurements have been taken with the work in a ‘rested’ state. They will change considerably when the holders are in use.
DIY plant hanger knitting patterns
Faggoting Stitch knitted plant hanger
Note While a right side has been indicated in the pattern, this stitch pattern is reversible and you can choose which side you prefer.
Cast on 9 sts using 6mm needles and Yarn A.
Row 1 (RS) K1, *yo, K1; rep from * to the end of the row. [17 sts]
Row 2 and every WS row Purl.
Row 3 K1, *yo, k2tog; rep from * to the end of the row.
Row 5 K1, *yo, K1; rep from * to the end of the row. [33 sts]
Rows 7 and 9 K1, *yo, k2tog; rep from * to the end of the row.
Row 11 K1, *yo, k2tog, yo K1, yo K1; rep from * to the end of the row. [49 sts]
Row 13 K1, *yo, k2tog; rep from * to the end of the row.
Row 14 Purl.
Repeat Rows 13 and 14 six times.
Divide for Straps
First strap
Row 1 K1, (yo, k2tog) six times, turn.
Working on these 13 sts only:
Row 2 P2tog, purl to last 2 sts, p2tog. [11 sts]
Row 3 K2tog, (yo, k2tog) 3 times, yo, k3tog. [9 sts]
Row 4 P2tog, P to last 2 sts, p2tog. [7 sts]
Row 5 K2tog, yo, k2tog, yo, k3tog. [5 sts]
Row 6 Purl.
Row 7 K1, (yo, k2tog) twice.
Row 8 Purl.
Repeat Rows 7 and 8 nine times.
Row 27 K2tog, yo, k3tog. [3 sts]
Row 28 Purl.
Row 29 K1, yo, k2tog.
Row 30 Purl.
Repeat Rows 29 and 30 nine times.
Row 49 (Sk2po) and fasten off.
Second strap
With RS facing, rejoin the yarn to the work.
Next row K2, (yo k2tog) 4 times, yo, K2. Working on these 13 sts only:
Next row P2tog, P to last 2 sts, p2tog. [11 sts]
Next row K1, k2tog, (yo, k2tog) 3 times, k2tog. [9 sts]
Next row P2tog, P to last 2 sts, p2tog. [7 sts]
Next row K3tog, yo, k2tog, yo, k2tog. [5 sts]
Work Rows 6-49 as given for the first strap.
Third and fourth straps
Work exactly the same as for the second strap.
To make up the knitted plant hanger
Join the main seam. Work a running thread through the cast-on stitches and pull up tightly to close the stitches. Neaten all ends.
Tie the straps together at the end of the knitted stitches, then make a loop using the long threads. Cut off any excess yarn.
Stocking Stitch and Eyelet knitted plant hanger
Cast on 9 sts using 41/2mm needles and Yarn B.
Row 1 (RS) K1, *yo, K1; rep from * to the end of the row. [17 sts]
Row 2 and every WS row Purl.
Row 3 K1, *yo, K2; rep from * to the end of the row. [25 sts]
Row 5 K1, *yo, K3; rep from * to the end of the row. [33 sts]
Row 7 K1, *yo, K4; rep from * to the end of the row. [41 sts]
Row 9 K1, *yo, K5; rep from * to the end of the row. [49 sts]
Row 11 K1, *yo, K6; rep from * to the end of the row. [57 sts]
Row 13 K1, *yo, k2tog, K5; rep from * to the end of the row.
Row 14 Purl.
Repeat Rows 13 and 14 four more times.
Row 23 K1, *yo, K7; rep from * to the end of the row. [65 sts]
Row 24 Purl.
Row 25 K1, *yo, k2tog, K6; rep from * to the end of the row.
Row 26 Purl.
Repeat Rows 25 and 26 twice.
Row 31 (eyelet row) K1, *yo, k2tog; rep from * to the end of the row.
Row 32 P1, *K1, P1; rep from * to the end of the row.
Cast off in rib.
To make up the knitted plant hanger
Join the main seam. Work a running thread through the cast-on stitches and pull up tightly to close the stitches. Neaten all ends.
Cut 2x1m lengths of ribbon of your choice. Pass both lengths of the ribbon through the curtain ring, then sew each end of the ribbon lengths to the hanger, passing the end through one of the eyelets and sewing down with sewing thread, and making sure that the ribbon ends are spaced evenly. Thread the final length through the eyelets of the holder and tie off.
Dropped Stitch knitted plant hanger
Cast on 10 sts using 41/2mm needles and Yarn C.
Row 1 (RS) Knit.
Row 2 (Kfb) to the end of the row. [20 sts]
Row 3 Knit.
Row 4 Knit, wrapping the yarn twice on every stitch.
Row 5 Knit, dropping the extra loop on the needle.
Row 6 (Kfb) to the end of the row. [40 sts]
Repeat Rows 3–5.
Row 10 (K1, kfb) to the end of the row. [60 sts]
Row 11 Knit.
Row 12 Knit, wrapping the yarn twice on every stitch.
Row 14 Knit, dropping the extra loop on the needle.
Row 15 Knit.
Repeat Rows 11–15 three more times.
Row 30 (K13, yo k2tog) four times.
Cast off.
To make up the knitted plant hanger
Join the main seam. Work a running thread through the cast-on stitches and pull up tightly to close the stitches. Neaten all ends.
Cut 8x1m lengths of yarn. Thread 2 lengths into each of the eyelets made in Row 28. Tie all of the threads together at the top.
Download your DIY plant hanger knitting patterns
If you prefer, you can download a printer-friendly PDF of the DIY plant hanger patterns to keep. Click to download the knitted plant hanger knitting patterns. The download is an A4 PDF with all three of the DIY plant hanger knitting patterns.
More like the knitted plant holders
Make even more DIY plant hangers using our how to make a macrame plant hanger tutorial. Enjoy more free knitting patterns with our fox slippers for cosy winter daysor our knit crop top pattern for summer style.
