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Recycled Sari Silks into Yarn...

I went to Wonderwool Wales recently and got my hands on some recycled sari silk yarn...

It cost me £4 for this 100g hank and I got it from Wingham Wool Work.  This yarn is recycled from the weaving of saris.  I'm guessing it would just become waste if not spun into yarn.

I was drawn to the colours and textures in this recycled yarn and made three very simple crochet flower brooches...

Here's a close up.  I stitched a spare button in the centre and sewed a brooch pin on the back...

The petals are simply a row of chain stitch.  I tried making a 'Maybelle' flower but it didn't work out :( 

I do love the colour but it's not the funnest yarn to work with!  It kind of behaved like a naughty toddler, twisting all over the place and not behaving itself.  Still love it tho :) and it's totally unique!

9" Giant Crochet Flower ....'Stella'....

After making a giant 'Maybelle' flower I thought I'd make another giant flower.  This time it's made from my free crochet flower pattern 'Stella' meaning 'star' because of the star-shaped centre. 

It's a huge 9" across and is made with a 10mm hook and three colours of T-shirt yarn.   The original flower is on the photo to show the size comparison.  I'm thinking another placemat or tea-pot stand... if anyone has another bright idea for these giant flowers, let me know!!!

This flower is free here on my blog... check out the left sidebar and click on 'Free PDF Crochet Patterns'. 

 

Giant Crochet flower .....'Maybelle'

Look at the size of this 'Maybelle' flower made with T-shirt yarn and a 10mm hook...

 

I put a normal 'Maybelle' flower next to it to show the size.  I'm thinking it could be a placemat or tea-pot stand. 

If you want the free pattern it's in the left sidebar under 'Free PDF Crochet Patterns', just help yourself :)

Crochet handbag from T-shirt Yarn...

The T-shirt yarn makes a strong, thick fabric, perfect for a bag...

Here's dd modelling the bag for me...

She's got her eye on this bag (always a compliment when someone wants to keep what you made :)

 

Crochet Potholder with T-shirt Yarn

The T-shirt Yarn I've been working with is chunky and very heavy.  It has worked up into a nice thick Potholder with a 10mm hook (US N/P)

I have made concise instructions, but it's basically a square with a hanging loop  then you go all around the edge to tidy it up :)

There's only one stitch and I have used USA terms  'single crochet' the easiest stitch there is.  In the UK we would call this stitch 'double crochet'.  The only thing to mention is I worked the sc stitches into the front loops only of the stitches below... this gives the potholder some variety in texture.  There is a photo to help you if you've never done that before.

 

Right click on the photo above to save the directions as an image or you can download pdf versions below...

 Download How to crochet a Potholder from T shirt Yarn b&w

Download How to crochet a Potholder with T-shirt Yarn Colour

How to Make T-shirt Yarn..... Step-by-Step

If you have an old, washed-out T-shirt you no longer want to wear, you could make it into yarn!   This is a step by step process, which upcycles something no longer wanted into something usable.    I'll show you how :0    I have crocheted a potholder and a handbag from several upcycled T-shirts and it is very satisfying.  Scroll to the end for a downloadable pdf version, in colour or printer-friendly black and white.  It's worth mentioning that not all T-shirts are the same.... side seams don't make for pretty yarn but is still ok... I prefer T-shirts without side seams ('Fruit of the loom' brand is a good source for them)... also 100% cotton is nice too if you can get it.  Just sayin'

 
Download T-shirt Yarn Step by Step how to  (colour)

Download T-shirt Yarn Step by Step how to b&w  (black and white Printer friendlier!)

Or, you can right click on the photos above and save as a picture onto your own computer or tablet  :)Simples!!

Hooked on Crochet 19...convex green scrumble...

I toyed with titling this post "This is NOT a nipple tassel" or "How NOT to scrumble a 'AA' bra cup".  Yeah... the week has begun a little strange!  Mainly I went for a more scientific discription of 'a convex green scrumble' so I didn't get any search engines sending me weirdos looking for photos of bras or nipple tassels (you've got to think of these things).

  So, you want to see the scrumble now don't you??...

Why am I crocheting a curved/cupped scrumble when most of the time you have to be careful to ensure the opposite happens, i.e. making sure scrumbles lay flat..?  OK   here's the answer...

I'm working on a new teapot cosy.  Makes sense now.  This is a 6 cup 'brown betty' teapot, purchased yesterday in a sale in Whittards.  Husb and I don't often go shopping on Sundays, but yesterday we had a day out.  It was cold and wet but I came home with some new boots (previous boots have a big hole in the sole, broken zip and have lasted 5 Winters so not too bad going) and this teapot.  I know she's not the prettiest teapot but I always wanted a brown betty since my Uni days when a bff called Ruthie had one which she served on a tray with milk-jug and sugar bowl.  High end tea drinking at it's best. 

On another note... yesterday's STATS looked like a date... "1794" .... that's 1,794 hits on the blog yesterday.  A bit higher than my usual daily STATS but no where near the highest number of hits I sometimes get.  That's many, many freedownloads of my FREE crochet patterns.  Many freedownloads.   1% of 1794 is 17.  I would have had 17 comments yesterday if 1% of the hits left a comment.  Maybe folks are too busy to say thankyou or maybe because I give my patterns away free they don't think there're of any value.  Interesting.

Have a good week :)

Hooked on Crochet... when crochet=love

It has been really, really cold here recently.  Our central heating is great but for bedtime and sitting still at the computer, I like a hot water bottle to snuggle.  This is my dd cuddling our hottie... 

As you can see it's nearly old enough to be vintage :)  and has a lovely (but sad) story attatched to it.  Today I'm going to share that story because I think about it every time I use this hotwaterbottle.  OK...I was taught to crochet when I was about 7 or 8 years old, by my Gran, Daisy McDougall, who is in her 80's and lives in Paisley (Scotland).  She worked all her life in Coats' Mills and is a wonderful knitter and crocheter.  I never really took to knitting but enjoyed crochet.  I was taught to make Granny Squares by her, my Gran (totally true).  I didn't know that any other stitches existed.  I didn't know how to shape crochet, I didn't know how to make a fancy trim or do any texture stitches but I could make a granny square as good as the next crocheter.  My Gran had a sister called Margaret (infact she had many sister and brothers and was the youngest of a large family of 13 I think).  My Auntie Margaret was my Great Aunt and lived all her life with two of my other maiden aunties (my gran's older sisters).  Auntie Margaret was very fond of my dad and our family.  She was very good to us.  Sadly, when my children were little, my Auntie Margaret was diagnosed with terminal cancer.  She was living alone by this stage as my other two Aunties (Dorothy and Tilly) had both passed away before her.  My Auntie Margaret moved in with my Gran (and PaPa) for a few months.  She lost weight and lost her spark for life.  She slept a lot and struggled to eat.  I was so upset and wanted to show her how much I loved her.  I made her that crochet hotwaterbottle cover and put a new bottle in it and wrapped it up all pretty with ribbons.  She loved it and used it right up until the end of her life, carrying it from the settee and back to bed while she stayed with my Gran.  I saw her once during this time and again very briefly days before she passed away.  This hotwaterbottle cover wasn't made with expensive yarn.  It wasn't made with fancy stitches.  It was made with love.  After my Auntie's funeral, my Gran gave me back the hotwaterbottle and cover and our family has used it whenever it gets chilly.  Everytime I get it out to use, I think of my Auntie Margaret, my Gran and Papa and all my Scottish relations.  I think of my Scottish heritage.  I think of my family. Mx

Hooked on Crochet [17] Scrumbling around a Spiral is fun!

I really enjoyed scrumbling around the base spiral from the last post...

Here's a closer look at the bullion half circles worked straight into the scrumble...

... and a close look at the row of bobbles....

Starting with a spiral is great... no corners to worry about!

Hooked on Crochet [16] Bullion stitch spiral in two colours...

This is my favourite spiral so far!  Fun to make and a pretty swirl around.  It's not too loose either.  If you want to learn how to make spirals like these... get yourself a download of this e-book 'Spectacular Spirals' by Prudence Mapstone here on Etsy  I'm not kidding when I say this book revolutionised my freeform crochet.  No postage/shipping costs and instant gratification :) 

I'm going to work a scrumble around this spiral... can't wait!!

Just so you know I'm not on commission... just givin' my two-pennorth of unbiased opinion here! x