A tiny knit pouch that swims happily on your bag.

Release date: January 1, 2026

It’s a free pattern. If you download it, please consider adding it to your favorites. Enjoy!

Inspired by Japanese koinobori, carp-shaped windsocks traditionally flown to celebrate Children’s Day in Japan, with the hope that children will grow up healthy and strong. This pouch may not flutter in the wind, but it can happily hang from your bag as a charm.

INTRODUCTION
The Koinobori Pouch is worked from bottom to top. The body is constructed using a double-sided method, with the outside and inside worked separately.

First, the bottom of the outside is shaped while stitches are placed on hold to be used later for the tail. Next, the outside and inside bodies are worked in the round, creating a divider between them. The bottom of the inside is then shaped, and the body is completed by folding the upper section to the inside.

The drawstring hems are worked by picking up stitches along the divider on both sides and sewing them to the inside. The cords are made using the I-cord method and threaded through the hems.

The fish scales are added by threading scrap yarn through the stitches according to the chart. The eyes are attached after the body is complete.

Finally, the tail is shaped by placing the held stitches back onto the needles and working the right and left fins one at a time.

SIZE GUIDE
This pouch is designed to be small enough to hang on a bag. Therefore, the finished size may feel compact. However, you can adjust the height to create a more traditional koinobori shape and make it large enough to fit your phone.

Materials
Yarn : Body: 2 balls of Oscar Organic Cotton Lace by Decent Crochet, held double or approx. 100 g fingering weight yarn
Fish Scales: Any scrap yarn, approx. 300 cm in length
Needles : 3.50 mm circular needles 80 cm long, spare needles smaller than 3.50 mm
Notions : Scrap yarn and crochet hook for provisional cast-on, stitch markers, tape measure, tapestry needle, safety pin, scissors

Gauge : 23 sts x 35 rows = 10 cm x 10 cm in stockinette st on 3.50 mm needles

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Feel free to share your version on Instagram using the hashtag #koinoboripouch