Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Instagram YouTube Pinterest Tumblr VK RSS
Close

Tag: crocheting

T-Yarn Swiffer Sock

Cindy1 Comment

Need a swiffer duster sock? Well I did for my Unger so I cut up one white t-shirt and a small amount of a blue jersey sheet to crochet my duster cover. I cut my t-yarn 1 inch wide and stretched it gently as shown in my t-yarn making tutorial.

My Unger is a squeegee with a swiffer-like head on the other side. I want to be able to use the other side to dust and clean high areas in my house with the extended handle on the Unger.

I used the Craftstylish crochet reversible swiffer pattern as a basis for my duster cover. Because my tool is narrower than a Swiffer, I had to modify the original pattern. The beauty of the pattern is that it is easily adjustable to fit different sized cleaning tools. The pattern has great pictures and works up really quickly.

Okay now for my modifications:
I used N (9 mm) crochet hook. I chained 19 to begin my cover. I only crocheted 3 rows of ruffles in the middle. Then one round of SC in each stitch and then several decreases of Sc on last round to fit my Unger.

Finished size: Fits a tool head 10 inches long and 1-1/2 inches wide when stretched.

My finished t-yarn cover turned out perfect and I love the ruffles on the duster. It works great and I plan to use the same ruffle design to make a mop cover. Using recycled t-shirts for this project worked wonderfully as the cotton is soft and absorbent. Now I just need to get busy and do some cleaning with my new tool.

Plarn Pop Tab Tote Bag

Cindy22 Comments


This week I present my first pop tab tote bag project. I was asked to create a tote bag using soda pop pull tabs and recycled plastic bags by a member of my Trash to Treasures group on Ravelry. I have been saving soda pop tabs and beer pull tabs so I could complete this project. It took 252 tabs for my bag. I decided that I would alternate rounds so that it didn’t take so many tabs to do this bag. Plus I like the look of the plastic bags by themselves to separate the pull tab rounds.

I used cotton cord on the base of the bag to give it a sturdy bottom and also on the handles. I found if I wrapped the plastic bag yarn (plarn) around the cord as I crocheted around it, it hides the white cord better. As you may see in the closeup pictures of the base, the first few rows I didn’t wrap it as close as I did in later rounds. The later rounds look better and the white cotton cord doesn’t really show through. I found if I wound the plastic around the cord in small sections and then crocheted around the cord, it worked best to keep the plastic tighter and uniform.

Hope you enjoy this free crochet pattern. Happy 4th of July to everyone!

*********************************************************************************************************************************
Free Plarn Pop Tab Bag Pattern

Materials needed:
One ball of plastic bag yarn aka Plarn
(Approx. 50 plastic newspaper bags cut into 1″ strips of plarn)
252 Soda pull-tabs
4 yards – 12/32 (9.5 mm) cotton cord

Hook: J (6 mm)size metal crochet hook
Description: Plastic Bag & Pop Tab Tote Bag
Bag measures 12 inches wide and 10 inches long with 18 inch straps

Directions:
Ch 20 loosely.

T-Yarn Oven Mitt

Cindy3 Comments

I think most people know the yarn you can create from recycling old t-shirts is called t-yarn or tarn. But did you know that you can also recycle old cotton jersey sheets to make the same type of material?

I recycled an old cotton sheet to create this crocheted oven mitt. I cut the sheet into very thin strips and curled it as outlined in t-yarn making tutorial. I used half a twin sheet which is probably less than two t-shirts should be using tees to make your oven mitt.

Here is my cotton sheet before I started. I was lucky to get it free from the rag box at my local thrift store as it had a few holes and some minor discoloration. As you cut the strips you can work around any holes and the color differences really don’t show in the yarn that is created.

This recycled oven mitt project fits a woman’s size medium hand. Should you need a larger mitt, just do a few more rounds as indicated in the crochet pattern below. As always, I hope you enjoy my free pattern and have fun creating your own t-yarn oven mitt.

****************************************************************************************************************************
Free T-Yarn Oven Mitt Pattern

Materials needed:
About half a twin jersey sheet or a couple of t -shirts cut into 3/8 inch wide strips and
gently pulled to curl your t-yarn or tarn

Fabric for the lining and one piece of insul-bright for heat protection

Hook: H (5 mm) U.S. size metal crochet hook

Size:
Woman’s medium sized hand

Finished Oven Mitt: 6″ wide x 10-1/2″ long with 7-1/2″ opening

Using t-yarn, Ch 44 and join with a Sl St to form a ring. My ring was approx. 7 inches wide if measured flat.

Rnd 1
Sc around the entire chain as you work along the ring. This allows you to slide the sts as needed
to get a smooth band around the ring. Join with a Sl St into beg Sc. (Approx 50 Sc)
Do NOT turn your work in this project. This project is worked in rounds.

Log Cabin Potholder Pattern

Cindy3 Comments

For all those log cabin pattern lovers out there, here is my version of a log cabin potholder. This potholder or hotpad was crocheted using scraps of cotton yarn I had on hand. I have also been saving all my juice and milk jug rings for crafting projects. This plastic ring is a larger one that I recycled from an apple jug. Using these recycled rings saves you from having to purchase store bought rings for your potholder projects.

The potholder or hotpad completes my set that includes the log cabin scrap dishcloth pattern I posted last month. These items are an excellent way to use scraps of cotton that you may have been saving and not sure what could be done with the small bits. My pattern is written with specific colors listed but you can mix and match the colors depending on what you may have on hand.

As always, please enjoy the free crochet pattern below.

Log Cabin Potholder Pattern

Hook:
H (5 mm) USA crochet hook

Materials:
Cotton yarn scraps in 6 colors
2 ozs contrasting Cotton yarn for trim and back of potholder
1 plastic ring

Description:
8 inches x 8-1/2 inches Cotton Potholder/Hotpad

Directions:
Row 1
With light blue yarn, Ch 12, Hdc in 2nd ch from hook and in ea st. (11)

Reclaimed Heart Hotpad

Cindy4 Comments

In honor of Valentine’s Day, I crocheted this heart hotpad from reclaimed yarn. I scored a free cotton/ramie red vest from my local thrift store. It had a hole in it and they had it in their free area so I gladly took it home and unraveled it. It yielded 3 nice balls of red yarn.

I used Rachel’s free sweetheart Valentine heart pattern over at Crochet Spot to create my hotpad. I followed the posted pattern but added an extra round of single crochet by repeating round 4 twice. I crocheted two red hearts and then put them back to back for a double layered heart hotpad. I finished off my hotpad by working a round of single crochet around and through the double layers with a contrasting white cotton yarn. I then worked the final round as outlined in the pattern to create the scalloped edging.

Wishing everyone a wonderful Valentine’s Day and as always happy crafting!