Free Pattern: Bobble Anchor Resistance Band Pad — Crochet Hygge Gym Square

Free Pattern: Bobble Anchor Resistance Band Pad — Crochet Hygge Gym Square

Introduction

Welcome! If you have never held a crochet hook before, you are in exactly the right place. This Bobble Anchor Resistance Band Pad is a plush, double-thick crocheted square worked in soft bulky wool, with a raised grid of bobbly bumps on the front that grips a resistance band so it will not slip against a door or wall. It is perfect for a total beginner because it is built almost entirely from one simple stitch (single crochet) and one fun, confidence-building stitch (the bobble). The finished pad is about 8 x 8 inches, roughly 1 inch thick, and feels like a cozy little hygge cushion — squishy, woolly, and cheerful — with a neon lime base and a hot magenta bobble grid that pops right off the surface. By the end you will have a genuinely useful gym accessory you made with your own hands, and a whole new skill.

Materials Needed

• Yarn: Bulky weight (category 5) 100% wool, approx. 180–200 g / 260–290 yds total. Sample uses two colors: Color A (neon lime) approx. 130 g / 190 yds and Color B (hot magenta) approx. 60 g / 85 yds.
• Crochet hook: 6.0 mm (US size J-10), or whatever size you need to match gauge.
• Stitch marker: 1 (to mark the first stitch of each round).
• Tapestry needle: a large blunt needle with an eye big enough for bulky yarn, for seaming and weaving in ends.
• Scissors.
• Stuffing: a small handful of wool roving or polyester fiberfill (about a fistful).
• Finished size: approx. 8 x 8 in / 20 x 20 cm square, about 1 in / 2.5 cm thick when lightly stuffed and seamed.

Abbreviations and Beginner Glossary

• ch – chain. Make a loop, yarn over (wrap the yarn around the hook), and pull it through the loop on your hook. This makes a small chain link.
• sc – single crochet. Insert your hook into the stitch, yarn over, pull up a loop (2 loops on hook), yarn over again, pull through both loops. One loop remains. That is one single crochet.
• sl st – slip stitch. Insert hook into the stitch, yarn over, and pull that loop straight through the loop on your hook. It joins stitches without adding height.
• bobble – 5-double-crochet bobble. Yarn over, insert hook in the indicated stitch, yarn over, pull up a loop, yarn over, pull through 2 loops. Repeat that 4 more times in the same stitch until 6 loops remain on your hook. Yarn over and pull through all 6 loops at once, then ch 1 to lock it. The bobble pops out to the front.
• st / sts – stitch / stitches.
• sp – space (a gap between stitches).
• yo – yarn over (wrap the working yarn around your hook).
• RS / WS – right side (the front, outward-facing side) / wrong side (the back side facing you while you work).
• magic ring – an adjustable loop you crochet into, then pull snug so there is no hole in the center.
• 2 sc in next st – work two single crochets into the same stitch (an increase, which makes the piece wider).
• fasten off – cut the yarn, pull the tail through the last loop, and tighten.
• turn – flip your work over so you work back across the row you just made.

Gauge

12 sc x 14 rows = 4 x 4 in / 10 x 10 cm in single crochet, worked flat and unblocked. Bobble rows measure slightly tighter; the finished square is approx. 8 x 8 in / 20 x 20 cm.

Why gauge matters: gauge is simply how big your stitches come out. If your stitches are bigger than the pattern's, your pad will be too large; if smaller, too small. How to check: with your yarn and 6.0 mm hook, chain 16, then single crochet into the second chain from the hook and in each chain across (15 sc). Work 15 rows of single crochet, then lay the swatch flat and measure a 4-inch square in the middle. If you have more than 12 stitches in 4 inches, go up a hook size; if fewer, go down a size. Use the hook that gives you the right count.

Beginner Tips Before You Start

• Use a stitch marker. Place it in the first stitch of each round so you always know where the round began and ends — this prevents accidentally adding or losing stitches.
• Do not pull your yarn too tight. Tension should be relaxed. Tight stitches make the hook hard to insert and make the pad stiff and small.
• Count every round. The stitch count in parentheses at the end of each round is your safety net. If it does not match, undo that round and try again — it is much easier to fix one round than ten.
• Push each bobble to the front. After you finish a bobble, poke it through to the right side with your finger so it sits raised on the outer face.
• Keep your magic ring tail long (about 6 inches) so you can pull the center snug and weave it in later.
• Work in good light and take breaks — bulky wool is grippy, and tired hands make tight stitches.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Front Panel (with bobble grid) — make 1

With Color A, make a magic ring.

Round 1 (RS): Ch 1 (does not count as a st), work 8 sc into the ring, join with sl st to first sc. (8 sc) Pull the ring tail snug.

Round 2: Ch 1, 2 sc in each st around, join with sl st to first sc. (16 sc)

Round 3: Ch 1, [2 sc in next st, sc in next st] 8 times, join with sl st to first sc. (24 sc)

Round 4: Ch 1, [2 sc in next st, sc in next 2 sts] 8 times, join with sl st to first sc. (32 sc)

Round 5: Ch 1, [2 sc in next st, sc in next 3 sts] 8 times, join with sl st to first sc. (40 sc)

Round 6: Ch 1, [2 sc in next st, sc in next 4 sts] 8 times, join with sl st to first sc. (48 sc)

Round 7: Ch 1, [2 sc in next st, sc in next 5 sts] 8 times, join with sl st to first sc. (56 sc)

Round 8: Ch 1, [2 sc in next st, sc in next 6 sts] 8 times, join with sl st to first sc. (64 sc)

Round 9: Ch 1, [2 sc in next st, sc in next 7 sts] 8 times, join with sl st to first sc. (72 sc)

Round 10: Ch 1, [2 sc in next st, sc in next 8 sts] 8 times, join with sl st to first sc. (80 sc)

Round 11: Ch 1, [2 sc in next st, sc in next 9 sts] 8 times, join with sl st to first sc. (88 sc)

Round 12: Ch 1, [2 sc in next st, sc in next 10 sts] 8 times, join with sl st to first sc. (96 sc)

Round 13 (corner-shaping to square): Ch 1, sc in next 12 sts, 2 sc in next st, sc in next 11 sts, 2 sc in next st, sc in next 12 sts, 2 sc in next st, sc in next 11 sts, 2 sc in next st, sc in next 12 sts, 2 sc in next st, sc in next 11 sts, 2 sc in next st, sc in next 12 sts, 2 sc in next st, sc in next 11 sts, 2 sc in next st, join with sl st to first sc. (104 sc) You now have a rounded square; the 8 increase points become the 4 corners and 4 side midpoints.

Round 14: Ch 1, sc evenly around, working 2 sc in each of the 8 increase points from Round 13 and 1 sc in every other st, join with sl st to first sc. (112 sc)

Round 15: Ch 1, sc evenly around, join with sl st to first sc. (112 sc) Fasten off Color A.

Bobble Grid Section (worked in turned rows across the square face)

Join Color B with sl st at the first corner st of Round 15.

Row 1 (RS): Ch 1, sc in each st across one side to the next corner. (28 sc) Turn.

Row 2 (WS): Ch 1, sc in first 2 sts, *bobble in next st, sc in next 3 sts; repeat from * to last 2 sts, sc in last 2 sts. Turn. (6 bobbles)

Row 3: Ch 1, sc in each st across. Turn. (28 sc)

Row 4: Ch 1, sc in first 4 sts, *bobble in next st, sc in next 3 sts; repeat from * to last st, sc in last st. Turn. (6 bobbles, offset)

Row 5: Ch 1, sc in each st across. Turn. (28 sc)

Rows 6–15: Repeat Rows 2–5 twice more, then repeat Rows 2–3 once. Fasten off Color B. This creates a staggered 5-row bobble grid of 6 bobbles per row (30 bobbles total) across the front face.

Back Panel (plain, no bobbles) — make 1

With Color A, make a magic ring and work Rounds 1–15 exactly as for the Front Panel. (112 sc) Do not fasten off yet.

Assembly

Step 1: Place Front and Back panels with wrong sides together, bobble face outward. Pin the edges, matching the 4 corners and side midpoints.

Step 2: With Color B and hook, join through both layers: insert hook through both panels at a corner, join with sl st, ch 1, then work sc evenly through both layers around 3 sides (about 1 sc per st, 2 sc at each corner). At the start of the 4th side, work about 2 in / 5 cm of sc, then pause.

Step 3: Lightly stuff the pad with wool roving or polyester fiberfill to about 1 in / 2.5 cm thickness — enough to be firm but not bulging. Do not overstuff; the bobbles must stay crisp.

Step 4: Continue sc through both layers to close the remaining opening, join with sl st to first sc. Fasten off and weave in ends.

Step 5 (optional hanging loop): With Color B, ch 12, sl st to form a ring, sc 16 around ring, sl st to first sc, fasten off. Sew the loop securely to one corner of the pad.

Assembly and Finishing

Seaming: The single-crochet border you worked through both layers in Assembly is your seam — it joins the two panels and creates a neat, firm edge at the same time. Keep your tension even so the border does not pucker, and remember to work 2 sc at each corner so the square stays sharp.

Weaving in ends: Thread each yarn tail onto your tapestry needle and run it through the back of several stitches (about 2 inches), then change direction and run it back the other way to lock it. Trim close to the work.

Blocking: Gently steam-block the square to 8 x 8 in / 20 x 20 cm. Hold a steam iron a few inches above the fabric (or use a damp cloth between iron and wool) and press only the flat back — never press the bobbles, or they will flatten. Pat into shape, then let it dry completely before use.

Pro Tips and Variations

• Color play: Swap the neon lime and hot magenta for any two colors you love — a tonal cream-and-oat palette gives a calm hygge look, while brights add gym-floor energy. Change Color B only for the bobbles and border to make them really pop.
• Size adjustments: To make a larger pad, add more increase rounds to both panels (each round adds 8 stitches) and work more bobble rows across the wider face. To make a smaller one, stop the increase rounds earlier — just keep Front and Back identical.
• Yarn substitution: Any bulky (category 5) yarn works; a wool blend adds durability, and a superwash wool is easier to clean. Always swatch first, because a different fiber can change your gauge.
• Extra grip: Work one more plain sc round in Color B around the finished border, or add a second hanging loop at the opposite corner so the pad can be anchored either way.