Got Milk? Or, I should say, “Got a milk carton crochet pattern?” Sorry, that was a stretch. But I do think this is a pretty adorable little crochet milk carton that will be a great addition to your kids toy food collection. The finished toy is about the size of the little milk cartons they give out at school.

Oh my gosh, flashback to “hot lunch”… I was ALWAYS jealous of the kids that got to buy hot lunch every day. My sister and I always had to make our lunch for school and once in a while, as a special treat, we were sent to school with some lunch money to buy lunch. Now, looking back, I’m like, “REALLY?” Why would I have been so excited about processed/fake fish sticks and stale tater tots? Gross. I have NO IDEA why I was so jealous of the kids that got to eat those delicious pretend-food meals everyday. So, I guess it’s time for me to say it:

Thank you, mom.

My son has ZERO interest in hot lunch. I asked him if he thought it would be fun to get hot lunch on, say, Fridays (please, give me a break one day per week). He looked at me and sort of stared blankly and said, “No. Hot lunch looks… just gross”. I guess I should take is as a compliment that he prefers healthy home cooked food.

Okay, back to the crochet milk carton pattern…

This milk free crochet pattern is supported by ads on my blog. If you’d rather print the pattern for some cozy couch crocheting, you can find the ad-free, printable PDF in my shop here or on Ravelry here.

This pattern is written in US terms. If needed, you can find a handy term conversion chart right here in my Resource Library.

Milk Carton Crochet Pattern Guide:

Size & Gauge:

Size: 4.5″ tall x 2.25″ square

Gauge: N/A. Ultimately with toys, gauge doesn’t matter. It won’t have to fit someone’s body or a specific space. My patterns will include the size of the finished toy based on the yarn and hook I use. But if you want it smaller or bigger, just use a bigger yarn and hook! Just remember, when crocheting toys, crochet tightly and choose a hook one size smaller than the yarn size recommends in order to avoid holes between each stitch where the stuffing will show through.

Yarn & Stuffing:

Yarn: Take your choice of yarn! Choose colors that bring you joy and fibers that feel good between your fingers. I use 100% cotton yarn because I make these toys for my kids and need them to be functional. Cotton is natural, washable, soft, and relatively inflexible so the toys don?t stretch and sag ? even after being thrown across the house, down the stairs and adventured through every part of the garden!

Stuffing: Stuff more than you think you should. Not enough for the stitches to stretch and show holes, but enough to make the toy stiff and able to withstand the rough trials of toy life. The filling will compress a bit over time. I encourage you to use an alternative to poly-fill (unless it’s recycled!). Try using leftover yarn scraps and snippets or old non-donate-able clothes and materials cut into strips. For this milk carton crochet pattern, I used recycled polyester stuffing.

Policies & Disclaimers:

This milk carton crochet pattern is for PERSONAL USE ONLY. This pattern or parts of it may not be reproduced, resold, distributed, published, altered, translated, posted or shared without authorization. You can sell your finished items provided that you credit Off the Beaten Hook as the designer using this verbiage, “This pattern was designed by Lindsey Roe and Off the Beaten Hook.” Thank you for your respectfulness!

This post contains affiliate links for materials I use and love. If you purchase something using one of these links I may earn a small commission which in no way affects the cost to you. These partnerships help me support my small business which allows me to provide you with free crochet patterns. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your support!

What makes this pattern eco-friendly and sustainable?

THE YARN: I use only sustainable and eco-friendly yarn that has been ethically grown/raised and processed, putting the people and the planet first. This is why I chose 100% cotton yarn for this pattern.

THE STUFFING: I used 100% Post-Consumer Recycled Polyester Filling (recycled water bottles) for this milk carton crochet pattern. You can also use recycled cotton stuffing, left over yarn snippets (save them all – they add up fast!) or old fiber you’ve cut into strips.

THE SLOW YARN MOVEMENT: I’m participating in the Slow Yarn Movement. There’s far too much to talk about here, but please take a few minutes to learn about what this means by reading the article I wrote about the Slow Yarn Movement as part of my 6-part Sustainable Crochet Series.

I’M MAKING SUSTAINABLE TOYS FOR MY KIDS: This is the reason I learned how to crochet to begin with! I wanted my son to have mostly sustainable toys to play with as I eliminated a huge amount of non-renewable plastics from our home.

If you’re interested in learning more about sustainable crochet you can read all about it in the 6-part series I did covering everything about Sustainable Crochet and how to implement it into your own crafting starting today!

Materials you will need:

YARN:

Paintbox Yarns Cotton DK | 100% Cotton | Weight: 3/DK/Light Worsted

• Royal Blue: x1 ball (you won’t use the whole ball)
• White: x1 ball (you won’t use the whole ball)
• Black: leftovers

YARN SUBSTITUTION OPTIONS:

If you can’t access the recommended yarn, want to explore other colors, or would just prefer to use a different yarn for this cauliflower free crochet pattern, here are some others that will work well! All of these are DK weight:

100% Cotton Options:

• Stylecraft Naturals Organic Cotton
• Rico Essentials Organic Cotton DK
• Paintbox Yarns Cotton DK
• Rowan Handknit Cotton
• Debbie Bliss Cotton DK

Cotton Blend & Other Fiber Options:

• Scheepjes Linen Soft (Cotton/Linen/Acrylic)
• Paintbox Yarns Simply DK (Acrylic)
• Stylecraft Bamboo & Cotton Blend
• Sirdar Stories DK (Cotton/Acrylic)
• Valley Yarns Haydenville DK (Wool/Acrylic)

OTHER TOOLS & MATERIALS:

• Crochet Hook Size: 3.00 mm
• Tapestry Needle
• Stitch Markers
• Scissors
• Stuffing
• Optional: cardboard scraps for making the sides more rigid

Abbreviations used in the milk carton crochet pattern:

ch – chain
st – stitch
hk – hook
sl st – slip stitch
mc – magic circle
sc – single crochet
inc – increase
dec – decrease
(…) x – repeat instructions indicated number of times
[…] – number of stitches in row/round
PH – photo reference number

The Pattern:

Notes:

• The milk carton is worked in continuous rounds from bottom to top
• Photo reference numbers are given – you can see the photos at the end of the pattern

Start in blue.

Rnd 1: st 8 sc in a magic circle [8]

Rnd 2: (sc in next st, 3 sc in next st) x4 [16]

Rnd 3: sc in next 2 st, (3 sc in next st, sc in next 3 st) x3, 3 sc in next st, sc in next st [24]

Rnd 4: sc in next 3 st, (3 sc in next st, sc in next 5 st) x3, 3 sc in next st, sc in next 2 st [32]

Rnd 5: sc in next 4 st, (3 sc in next st, sc in next 7 st) x3, 3 sc in next st, sc in next 3 st [40]

Rnd 6: sc in next 5 st, (3 sc in next st, sc in next 9 st) x3, 3 sc in next st, sc in next 4 st [48]

Rnd 7: sc in next 6 st, (3 sc in next st, sc in next 11 st) x3, 3 sc in next st, sc in next 5 st [56]

Rnd 8: BLO sc in each st around [56]

Rnd 9-13: sc in each st around [56] photo 01

Switch to white

Rnd 14-24: sc in each st around [56] photo 02

Switch to blue

Rnd 25-38: sc in each st around [56]

Embroider “MILK”

Using the black yarn and a tapestry needle, embroider “MILK” on the front of the carton (opposite side as the color changes). Fasten off. photo 03

OPTIONAL: use scrap pieces of cardboard to shape a small rectangle box the same size as the inside of the milk carton if you want it to be more stiff with rigid sides and corners. If you do this, be sure the rectangle isn’t the full height of the carton up to Rnd 38 – you will need to leave room to pinch and fold in the sides of the carton to create the top fold. If not using the cardboard, stuff and shape carton. Fold in sides and pin closed. photo 04

Row 39: with the white yarn, slip knot onto hook and rejoin yarn in the top corner of the fold you just made – pushing the hook through both sides of the carton (photo 05). Sc in each st across, ch 1, turn [18]

Row 40-41: sc in each st across [18]

Fasten off and weave in end. photo 06