Tag Archives: repurpose

Taking the Hat to a Whole New Level

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I am not much of an interior decorator. After I have chosen a paint for the walls, it will be that color forever; the furniture has found its placement, it will not move again; why change what took me forever to decide on? I guess this is either I a sign that I am completely set in my ways or too lazy to rework it, either way I am faced with times that I need a bit of different look. It is times like this that I find crochet beanies to be helpful.

I crochet many beanies throughout the year, many are given to various charities, so I have access to several colors and many textures to change the look and feel of my home décor on a very subtle way. The hats get used as pant cozies.

My “beanie” plant cozy

When I was younger I swore I would never create a cozy, after all I don’t mind looking at my toaster or my toilet paper rolls, but somehow I have managed to bring some of it to life in this small way. I have found that really a beanie type hat is essentially a basket turned up side town, so it easily fits the ceramic pots my house plants rest in.

I stumbled upon this out of necessity. I found that my pots were scratching my tables, being pottery the bottoms were always a bit rough and my furniture’s finish always seemed a bit soft, the pairing is not ideal. This means that I need something under my pots, perhaps a doily, a table runner, a coaster…yes, these all get utilized too. But for a little different affect, a hat. By placing a beaning over the pot I get to change to color and texture of the pot as well as saving my table surface. SO this is my subtle little visual difference in the house. It would be like putting new pillows on the couch, it gives a little new life.

As a side note, I can easily wear the hats again after a wash, so in a sense they just sever double duty now…so far, I don’t think anyone has noticed.

Crochet Hanging Vase- Perfect for Spring

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It is almost time to admire the spring flowers, almost time to see the final thawing of the ice and snow for the season, a time when the days begin to warm and that restless spirit to be in the sun stirs in us. My home has seen a hint of spring this week. The weather has warmed and the daffodils have begun to bloom.

I tend to really enjoy seeing the daffodils, I never think of them as my favorite flowers, but they add such a nice harkening of s seasonal change with a bright yellow (or white) splash in the green hill side out my kitchen window.

Hanging crochet vase www.lindadeancrochet.com

Daffodils from a hanging “crochet”vase at my door.

So I found some scrap of yarn and crocheted an open mesh, for lack of a better term, “bag” that I slipped a mason jar into. This is the perfect for hanging a jar of flowers. My latest jar is hung at the entrance to my screened porch, it is a simple project that adds a definite bright spot in my day.

If you would like to attempt this hanging vase yourself, you can begin with a chain circle (creating a loop), then work a double crochet, chain nine and double crochet in the loop again. Work a few of these chain spaces, then begin working in the chain spaces created, making a mesh, until it is as tall as you would like it. Fasten off the yarn, and then create a length of chain about 12-18” (30-46cm) long. Weave this chain through the last round of chain spaces created and slip in your jar. Tie the chain tightly just under the brim. With the remaining length of chain tie a loop for hanging. It is as simple as that.

You could probably create this with just a simple long chain tied under the brim of the jar, however it always makes we a little fearful as I am concerned about the lack of support at the base, so I make this “bag” effect. Either way, I think this is a fun way to bring about spring.

Crazy Afghans

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ScannedImageMy 9 year old daughter has taken up sewing, and recently I showed her how to make a crazy quilt by simply putting scrap fabrics together and sewing them upon each other and stitching them together. This gave me an idea, could you create a crazy afghan?

So I have begun grabbing swatches from my stack. I have quite a pile of swatches, as essentially my work as a designer requires me to understand what the yarn will do, and create new ideas with it, so I make a lot of different sized crochet fabric pieces. They are not all square, but most at least have a couple of straight edges. I just started to single crochet the pieces together, and have found that it is quite therapeutic, and relaxing. I am not worried about creating something perfectly square, I can always add stitches to uneven areas to make it more usable, and adding an edging on anything makes it looks like you intended to it.

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Random swatches coming together

I don’t know where this afghan will end up. Maybe I will add it to my automobile “emergency kit”, this is a “kit” that I have modified over the years and it is not for your typical emergencies, it is for those last minute opportunities. Having a throw in the car makes it easy to stay warm when someone else in the vehicle likes the air conditioning colder then I prefer. It is a pillow for long road trips, as well as being perfect for a spur of the moment picnic. It also has practical use, living in a region that can get a sudden mountain snow storm, you may be stuck in your car at some point was you await safer driving conditions.

I have been finding this project more enjoyable then I thought I would and may have to create a crazy handbag in the same fashion…oh, the ideas….