Cobalt Cabin Frog Zipper Pull - Free Crochet Pattern
Introduction
Meet the Cobalt Cabin Frog Zipper Pull, a tiny mountain-cabin companion for your jacket, backpack, or bag. This little flat frog is worked in a dense moss stitch grid in deep cobalt, then framed with a bright orange border and topped with two tiny orange eyes and a short crocheted loop. It's a wonderful project for advanced beginners who want to practice the moss (linen) stitch and simple shaping without committing to a large piece. The finished charm is about 2.5 inches wide and 2 inches tall, sturdy enough to grab every day, and it works up in minutes from small scraps of worsted weight yarn.
Materials Needed
- Yarn: Worsted weight acrylic yarn — approximately 10 yards cobalt and 5 yards orange.
- Hook: 4.0 mm (G-6) crochet hook.
- Notions: Tapestry needle for weaving in ends and attaching pieces, scissors, and a stitch marker (optional, for the magic ring).
- Finished size: Approximately 2.5 inches (6.5 cm) wide and 2 inches (5 cm) tall, excluding the loop.
Abbreviations
- ch — chain: yarn over and pull through the loop on your hook.
- sc — single crochet: insert hook in stitch, yarn over, pull up a loop, yarn over, pull through both loops.
- sl st — slip stitch: insert hook in stitch, yarn over, pull through both the stitch and the loop on your hook.
- sp(s) — space(s): the ch-1 gap between single crochets.
- st(s) — stitch(es).
- MR — magic ring: an adjustable loop you crochet into, then pull closed.
Gauge
16 stitches and 16 rows = 4 inches (10 cm) in moss stitch. To check, crochet a small swatch in moss stitch and measure the center of the fabric; adjust your hook size if your stitch count is far off.
Tips Before You Start
- Keep your chain-1 spaces loose and even — the moss stitch texture depends on consistent spacing, and tight chains make the border harder to work.
- Work the border single crochets into the row-ends rather than the chains for a neat, firm edge that won't gap.
- Use a slightly smaller hook for the eyes if you want them to sit flat and tight against the body.
- Leave long tails on the eyes and loop — you'll use them to sew the pieces on securely.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Body (cobalt)
Row 1: Ch 11. Sc in 2nd ch from hook, [ch 1, skip 1 ch, sc in next ch] across, turn. (6 sc, 5 ch-1 sps)
Rows 2-10: Ch 1, sc in first ch-1 sp, [ch 1, sc in next ch-1 sp] across, sc in last sc, turn. (6 sc, 5 ch-1 sps)
Do not fasten off.
Border (orange)
Rnd 1: Ch 1, sc evenly around the entire body, working 1 sc in each st and 1 sc in each row-end, and 3 sc in each corner. Join with sl st to first sc. Fasten off.
Eyes (orange) — make 2
Rnd 1: MR, 6 sc into the ring, join with sl st to first sc. (6 sts) Fasten off, leaving long tails.
Loop (cobalt)
Rnd 1: Ch 12, join with sl st to form a ring. Sc in each ch around. (12 sts) Fasten off, leaving a long tail.
Assembly and Finishing
Using the long tails, sew one eye to each top corner of the body, keeping them level with the orange border. Sew the loop to the top center of the body, between the eyes, with a few firm stitches so it can take the pull of a zipper. Weave in all ends on the wrong side, then gently block the piece by misting it lightly and pressing it flat under a cloth to even out the moss stitch and border.
Pro Tips and Variations
- Swap the cobalt for forest green and the orange for mustard to make a different cabin-inspired colorway.
- Add a tiny black embroidered dot inside each eye for extra character.
- Make the loop longer (ch 16-18) if you want to hang the charm from a bag strap instead of a zipper.
