Crochet Footbag Pattern (Hacky Sack Style)

Footbags (aka hacky sacks) are officially making a comeback in our house, and I could not resist crocheting one! Not only are they quick and satisfying to make, but they’re also the perfect small project for showing off bold yarn colors and fun stitch texture.

I used Red Heart Super Saver in the color Blacklight and WOW… this yarn was made for tiny projects like this. The short neon color changes mixed with black make every stitch pop. No two rounds look the same and the finished foot bag has such a fun retro arcade/skate park vibe!

I also made a few more using Red Heart Super Saver Speckle, Red Heart Super Saver Bitty Stripes, and lastly, the green striped one pictured is made with Red Heart With Love Better Half. This is a very nice acrylic and cotton blend. If you prefer an all cotton sack, I would suggest Caron All Day Cotton
>>> Red Heart Super Saver Blacklight <<<
>>> Red Heart Super Saver Speckle <<<
>>> Red Heart with Love Better Half <<<
>>> Caron All Day Cotton <<<

If you’ve searched for hacky sack fillings online, you’ve probably seen suggestions like rice, beans, popcorn kernels, lentils, or bird seed. While those can work temporarily, I personally prefer NOT to use food products inside crochet footbags. Food fillings can: Attract rodents or bugs, absorb moisture, eventually mold, rot, or go bad over time, and break down if exposed to humidity or washing.

Instead, I used poly-pellets which are premium polyester weighted stuffing beads often used in stuffed animals, weighted blankets, bean bags, plushies and amigurumi.

They give the footbag sack a nice weight and soft movement without the worry of spoilage.
One thing I highly recommend is placing the poly-pellets inside a nylon stocking, tights, or pantyhose before inserting them into the crochet sack. A baby sock will also work well!

I simply:

Cut a section of nylon tights
Filled it with pellets
Tied knots on both ends if needed (another great option is to sew it closed if you don’t want to the knot).. especially if using a baby sock instead of nylons.
Inserted the little pellet pouch into the crochet footbag

This helps prevent the pellets from escaping through stitches. Even tight crochet stitches can loosen over time with constant kicking and tossing, so this extra step is definitely worth it.

For this first version, I used about 46 grams of poly-pellets inside the nylon pouch. My son tested it immediately and said it could actually be a little heavier, so I did a little research and THE PERFECT WEIGHT IS 53 GRAMS OF POLY-PELLETS! The nice thing about poly-pellets is that you can completely customize the feel depending on how firm or floppy you want your foot bag sack to be.

Materials:
– Red Heart Super Saver in color Blacklight (more yarn options are listed above)
– Size G Crochet Hook (sizing down to a G hook made perfectly tight stitches!)
– Poly Pellets >>> Shop them HERE on Amazon <<<
– Nylon sock or tights or baby socks
– Tapestry needle

Footbag Pattern:
Magic Ring, chain 1 and make 10 SC in ring, join, chain 1
Round 2: 2 SC in each stitch around, join, chain 1 (20 SC)
Round 3: 2 SC in first, SC in next, repeat around, join, chain 1 (30 SC)
Round 4-10: SC in each stitch around, join, chain 1 (30 SC)
Add in 53g poly-pellets that are secured in a nylon sock.
Round 11: SC Decrease, SC in next, repeat around, join, chain 1
Round 12: SC in each stitch around, join, chain 1
Round 13: SC Decrease in each stitch around, join, chain 1
Fasten off yarn. Close top by weaving tapestry needle under front top stitches of last round.
Weave in ends.

These crochet footbags turned out to be such a fun little project! They work up quickly, use only a small amount of yarn, and are a great way to show off bold variegated colorways. I love that they’re practical, nostalgic, and customizable all at the same time. Whether you make them for kids, teens, party favors, stocking stuffers, or just for a little retro fun, they’re surprisingly addictive to crochet!