Sock Yarn (the Other Kind)

The sockalypse has come! My husband and I bought new socks to replace our pairs that are wearing out. He HATES sorting socks, so he insists that he own only one kind of white sock. What to do with all the socks that he no longer wants?

Sock yarn.

Yep. You didn’t think I really meant “all kinds of yarns,” did you?

Simply cut each cotton sock into one long strip. This could probably done in a spiral fashion, but I prefer to snip it into strips one direction, not cutting all the way to the end, then slit each strip in half from the opposite end, again not cutting all the way to the end. This results in a long zig-zag of sock. Give the thing a good stretch, and it’s ready to work with.

The possibilities of sock yarn are limited. After all, who wants something made out of old socks? But this would be great for something like a bathroom rug. It makes a cushy, absorbent fabric when crocheted.

I need to finish up a wedding present and my Hufflepuff scarf before I can invest any more time in this, but the upcycled sock yarn rug will be a thing. I assure you.

Happy Yarning!

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One-String Booties

I’m making a pair of booties for Baby.

They’re based loosely on this pattern, which I like because it doesn’t require sewing any pieces together or weaving in lots of ends. Each bootie is one string of yarn from start to finish (well, plus the optional drawstring or ribbon). And right now, anything I can simplify is great.

My baby has very long feet, so it took me two tries to get the sizing right, but the first bootie is finished.

Happy Yarning!

Tunisian Crochet Resource

I’m still working out what I want to do with a bunch of sweet green wool yarn I was gifted. Right now it’s going to be a Tunisian crochet afghan. (Click here for my tutorial on basic Tunisian crochet.)

Since I’m using only one color, I’m experimenting with lots of different textures. My main resource for the different stitches and patterns is this website: My Tunisian Crochet. Sadly, some of the links on the site are broken, but the information that is there is fantastic, especially the youtube videos of how to work different stitches. Head on over if you want to spice up your Tunisian crochet repertoire.

Here’s the afghan stripe on my hook right now. I love the texture!

Happy Yarning.

Knit Newborn Hat

The nesting urge is real. Lately it’s got me replacing dead light bulbs around the apartment, putting up Halloween decorations, and knitting. Here’s the hat I made on Wednesday.

I used light weight acrylic yarn and size 2 (I think) double-point needles. I made up the pattern with the help of these handy sizing measurements from Bev’s Country Cottage website.

It was very satisfying to finish a knitting project in one afternoon. I can’t wait to put this on a tiny little head!

Happy Yarning.

Tunisian Crochet Tutorial

Due to the popularity of my post on Tunisian crochet last month, I’d like to revisit the craft in more detail.

Tunisian crochet can be done with any type of crochet hook. Of course, ordinary crochet hooks limit the width of your project (though there are some neat spiral patterns that can make up for that).

To do Tunisian crochet, think of a single crochet stitch as a series of steps:

1. Insert hook through loop on previous row.

2. Yarn over.

3. Pull up loop.

4. Yarn over.

5. Pull through both loops on hook.

But instead of doing them in that order, you’ll do 1-3 for an entire row before going back along with steps 4 and 5.

Here’s what I mean. Start with a base chain of any length (I would recommend no more than ten or fifteen chains long if you have an ordinary hook.)

Pull up a loop in the first chain as if you were going to do a single crochet stitch.

Then pull up a loop in the next chain, keeping all other loops on your hook.

Repeat this step along to the end of the row.

Yarn over and pull through ONE loop*. (If you do not do this at the end of every row, your project will get narrower and narrower.)

Yarn over and pull through two loops.

Continue to yarn over and pull through two loops until you are back where you started and only one loop remains on the hook.

Start a new row, pulling up a loop through each vertical loop in the row below.

Make as many rows as you like.

For some variation, try pulling in a new color at the * step.

Using the second color, work back along the row and then start a new one. Change colors again when you reach the * step again. I’ve tried this with up to three colors to nice effect.

Once you’ve mastered this basic Tunisian crochet stitch, there are many variations to play with–like the one that turns out looking almost identical to knit stockinette stitch.

Tutorials for the variations can be found all over the internet. (For example, at this site: My Tunisian Crochet.)

Happy Yarning!