Free Crochet Pattern | Cotton Sleeping Mask

Time for a fun story which will segue into a free crochet pattern! A few years ago I had a really lovely eye infection for about three months (TMI, I know). My eyes had been really itchy and sensitive to light for a few days, but suddenly one night I was in such excruciating pain, I almost ended up at the hospital. My eyes felt like sandpaper and my eyelids felt like shards of glass. Super awesome. By the end of that day I didn’t even know if my tears were from me actually crying or just from the pain I was feeling

I cycled through several eye-doctors before anyone could help me figure out what to do to resolve my situation. Turns out I had a severe case of “dry eye” which was causing all of these back-to-back eye infections. I think the most peculiar thing in the whole situation was the cause of my dry eyes. Apparently I don’t blink fully. My eyes don’t actually close all the way when I am naturally blinking. This also meant that I was sleeping with my eyes partially open. All the time. Freaky.

The only solution I was given by a doctor that actually worked in the long-term was wearing a sleeping mask to bed every night. Having just a little bit of pressure on my eyelids helped to keep my eyes closed during the night, which reduced my dry-eye symptoms almost entirely.

But guess what was hard to find? The sleeping mask, of course. I checked spas, department stores, grocery stores, specialty beauty stores, you name it. Sure, there were the cutesy overly decorative ones for spa-parties and kids; I couldn’t find anything practical. I considered ordering one online but I couldn’t find anything for a reasonable price.

So I made one! It took me a few tries to figure out the most ergonomically comfortable design, but I’m really happy with how it looks and fits now! This pattern requires very little yarn, so it’s a great way to use up little odds and ends.

I opted to make mine out of cotton yarn for a few reasons.

• Cotton washes really well. If you are going to be wearing this mask on your face for around 8 hours (hopefully) per night, you want to clean it regularly. It can be thrown into literally any load of laundry, which is super helpful.
• Cotton also has a really lovely felting-effect that takes place when it’s washed. The fibres blend into each other, any seams or knots become almost invisible, and the fabric just gets so soft and squishy.
• And finally, I chose cotton because it’s always guaranteed to be soft and comfortable on skin.

Here’s how you can make one:

Supplies Needed:

• About 50 yards of cotton yarn
  • I used Knit Picks Dishie in Conch
• F/5 – 3.75 mm crochet hook
• Scissors
• Tapestry or yarn needle

Pattern:

Ch 39
Turn and insert your hook into the second chain from the hook. Sc across. Ch 1, turn (38)

• I like to start my first row off the foundation chain by working into the back of each chain stitch. Here’s an awesome Youtube video to learn how (about half way through it shows how to find the back “bump” of the chain)!

Repeat until you have a total of 13 rows of sc

• Note: DON’T ch 1 at the end of row 13 otherwise you will have a funny corner in your mask

This next row will create the shaped edge to go over the bridge of your nose. Follow it carefully so your mask is symmetrical!

• Insert your hook directly into the next stitch from your hook
• Sl st 3
• Sc 2
• Hdc 2
• Dc 5
• Hdc 2
• Sc 2
• Sl st 6
• Sc 2
• Hdc 2
• Dc 5
• Hdc 2
• Sc 2
• Sl st 3

Now we are going to sc around the entire mask while also working in the ties

• Following the direction you were working in from the shaped edge, sc 10 up the side of the mask
• First tie: ch 61, insert hook in second chain from hook, sc 60 back to the side of the mask
  • Note: I also made my ties using the “back bump” method of working off a foundation chain

• Sc 3 more along the side of the mask
• Turn and work 38 sc across the top of your mask
• Turn and sc 3 down the other side of the mask
• Second tie: ch 61, insert hook in second chain from hook, sc 60 back to the side of the mask
  • Note: Again, I also made this tie using the “back bump” method
• Sc 10 more along the side of the mask
• Turn and work 30 sc across the shaped edge of your mask
• Join to first sc going around the edge with a sl st

Weave in and knot any ends in your preferred method

Voila! There you have your own comfortable, breathable sleeping mask!

These masks would make awesome gifts for spa days with your girlfriends, or even kids birthday parties. It’s a really unisex style and fit, so you can dress it up or down however you’d like. Or if you’re like me and actually need one to sleep, now you know how!

As always, I love seeing your work! Tag me at @strings.and.things on Instagram so I can see your beautiful masks.

Happy yarning!