crochet | Sewchet

November 22, 2015
by sewchet 27 Comments

Sunday Sevens #63

This week’s Sunday Sevens is quite a crafty one as I’ve been to several craft fairs as well as working on my #stitchingsanta which I hope to share this week. (Carmen Ross, did you get my email?)

If you enjoy reading everyone’s Sunday Sevens, why not join in? Visit Nat over at Threads & Bobbins to find out more.

It’s been a soup kind of week, if you know what I mean. Spiced butternut squash soup this week. Warming and delicious.

butternut squash soup

2. For those of you who have been feverishly knitting/crocheting squares for the ‘Crochet for Calais’ refugees appeal, here are a few of the squares about to be made into a blanket. There is still time to make some up as more trips to the refugee camps are planned before Christmas. Click on the link for full details of how you can help.

crochet granny squares

3. Here are a few things I couldn’t resist at recent craft fairs: –

A stunning, handpainted silk cushion with the most beautiful depictions of pansies, each edged in gold.

silk painted cushion cover

Two beaded snowman tree decorations and a crocheted bauble.

crochet bauble beaded snowmen

Some locally produced Somerset honey.

Somerset honey

4. I made a sample for the girls who will be starting this cute little skirt in their next sewing lesson – the softest corduroy with ric rac trim and buttoned back split.

cord skirt

5. Readers of my blog have very kindly sent me some photos of things they’ve made following my tutorials. The Crochet Cowl Poncho is far and away the most popular post on my blog to date, with 10,536 views so far – 59 already today!

Crochet Poncho

6. Another reader sent me this photo of the One-Hour Ikea Bag made from my tutorial. Don’t you just love the crochet granny square-effect vinyl she used?

Ikea Bag Jane McAlpine

7. I made a lemon drizzle birthday cake which we took with Prosecco to have with our tea for my father-in-law’s birthday in his care home. The Boys made him a glorious, glitter-covered birthday card.

That’s it for this week, although I could have squeezed in many more photos if I’d dared. Do you like the way I’ve numbered them making it seem like there are only seven photos when there are actually fourteen?! Well, montages only count as one, don’t they?

November 18, 2015
by sewchet 52 Comments

Van’s Style Crocheted Slippers

Just in case you hadn’t noticed, Christmas is fast approaching which, in my case, means any handmade gifts I have planned need to be either made by now or, at the very least, be quick and easy projects to be squeezed in on the odd evening.

This is a quick and easy project.

And cheap – which is a bonus at this time of year!

May I present to you the Van’s Style Crocheted Slippers by Shush Lander for Craftsy.

Shush Lander I reckon these are as cool as it gets for the inherently un-cool footwear that is a slipper, so I thought I’d make a couple of pairs for The Boys for Christmas.

The digital pattern can be bought on Craftsy for the extremely reasonable price of £2.97 but it gets better – the three balls of yarn I bought from Minerva makes two pairs of slippers (with loads left over) at a cost of £1.79 per ball. Add it all together and divide by two (c’mon, keep up!) and it works out at a VERY cheap £4.08 per pair, a bargain by anyone’s standards, I would say!

This is the bundle that arrived from Minerva Crafts – three balls of Stylecraft acrylic yarn and a packet of round hat elastic.

So, how did they work up?

Well, the pattern is extensive and pretty easy to follow, so no problems there, and the Stylecraft Special DK promises to wash like a dream as it’s good, hardwearing yarn, perfect for slippers.

There are instructions for eight different sizes from toddler through to adult. Hmmm, I wonder if all the difficult-to-buy-for males in the family would like a pair? Except my sixteen year old nephew – he asked his mother to tell me never to crochet anything for him again after the Bob Marley Rasta hat I made for him last Christmas!

The soles are worked with two strands of yarn at a time to make a sturdy, cushioned base for the slipper.

Vans style crocheted slippers2 The body of the slipper is crocheted with just one strand of yarn into the back of each stitch which results in a rather lovely ribbed pattern.

Vans style crocheted slippers1 You crochet over a circle of hat elastic at the ankle edge to give a more snug and secure fit.

Vans style crocheted slippers You can just see the elastic if I stretch the top edge open wide.

Vans style crocheted slippers3 Bottom edge before: –

Vans style crocheted slippers4 Bottom edge after: –

Vans style crocheted slippers5 A row of slip stitches cleverly cover up the change of yarn colour as demonstrated in this photo: –

Vans style crocheted slippers6 Next are the laces which are just for show – two very long rows of simple chain stitches. Vans style crocheted slippers8 I made 150 chains instead of the stated 110 as I didn’t feel they were long enough.

laces The ‘laces’ are just threaded through with a darning needle and tied in a bow to give the trainer look.

Vans style crocheted slippers9 And there you are – a pair of Van’s style slippers whipped up in an evening!

Red vans crocheted slippers The following evening I made a second pair in blue.

They look a bit like babies’ booties lined up like this!

Vans slippers Size wise, I found that they crocheted up small so would suggest going up a size, but they are stretchy so will still be fine for The Boys.

Blue vans crocheted slippers

Blue vans crocheted slippers2

Blue vans crocheted slippers1 I ended up giving these to The Boys after they were finished because the photos look better while they are being worn and a little bit odd without a foot inside.

Blue vans crocheted slippers3 No.3 Son in particular is chuffed with them, but No.2 Son says they’re a bit tight…..guess what I’ll be making out of the leftover yarn tonight?

November 12, 2015
by sewchet 43 Comments

Crochet For Calais

A friend of mine has put out a request to all knitters and crocheters who would like to help the refugees at Calais. She needs 12″ squares made IN A HURRY and sent to her which she will then sew together to make blankets for the refugees. The weather is starting to get cold and blankets will make a huge difference to them.

She is hoping to send the first parcel out with a contact who is going on 28th November and would ideally like the squares by 20th in order to sew them together in time.

If you have a couple of hours to whip up a square, please help.

The squares all need to be 12″ in size, made from acrylic yarn and in any colour or pattern you wish – use up some scraps and help a great cause at the same time.

Here’s one I crocheted last night in just two hours.
I used Robin acrylic DK which is hardwearing and will wash and dry easily…..

…..and a 5mm hook.

The address to send your squares to is:-

Jane Wheelen

5 Donnes Terrace

Castle Cary

Somerset

BA7 7HS

It would be even better if you could share this post on your own blog to see just how many squares we can make between us – bloggers are, in my experience, a caring and generous lot:)

Thank you.

November 5, 2015
by sewchet 59 Comments

Crochet Camping In Miniature!

A couple of weeks ago I mentioned that I happened across this fabulous little book by Kate Bruning called ‘Let’s Go Camping’.

Well, despite the proper thing to do being to put it on my Christmas wish list at this time of year, it somehow found its way into my Amazon shopping cart and, lo and behold, dropped through the letterbox a day or two later.

Of course, the sensible move would be to pop it on the relevant section on the book shelf, wait until I finished my really long gifts-to-make-for-Christmas list and then think about crocheting miniature camping paraphernalia. But I thought I’d just have ‘a quick flick through’, whilst grabbing five minutes with a cup of coffee.

To quote Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman – “Big mistake. HUGE!”

Faced with delightful images like this of a crocheted caravan complete with crocheted bunk beds and kitchen sink, how could I possibly resist the crochet itch which was insisting on being scratched?

Well obviously I couldn’t, but I did have a moment of clarity which told me that making anything in the book would soothe the itch, so rather sensibly decided to ignore the time-eating caravan and hook up a quick little picnic scene instead.

And here it is!

Just look at that sweet little teepee!

Kate suggests covering wooden skewers or similar with washi tape to use as tent poles, but I improvised with some twigs from the garden which work just as well.

Miniature bunting was made in no time at all.

A circular rug provides a more comfortable sleeping area for the playmobil characters.

I made three tiny cushions both round and square, a chequerboard picnic blanket (my own design) and what picnic is complete without a hamper full of food?

The lego baseplate will have to suffice until I get around to making the crocheted camping backdrop complete with all manner of trees, bushes and even snow-capped mountains!

The Boys have already declared ownership and spend many a happy minute playing camping with their “mens”.

At only £7.49 I think it’s a great affordable Christmas present idea. Are you putting it on your list?

(This is not a formal review – just my own opinion)

On another note – swap partners have now been allocated for the #stitchingsanta. If you haven’t received your email, please check your spam folder first before getting in touch.

October 21, 2015
by sewchet 64 Comments

Crochet Dolls – TADAH!

This reveal has to be one of the most fun projects I have EVER undertaken, certainly the most enjoyable crochet project I have ever had the pleasure to immerse myself in – even more than a blanket!

Anyone who crochets will know how deeply satisfying the process of blanket-making is, especially during the Winter months. Long, dark nights curled up on the sofa watching TV, all the while plodding steadfastly through the labour of love that is a crocheted blanket. Whilst always ecstatic to finally finish such an epic task, there’s invariably a sense of “What do I do now?”.

Summer is different. Less time spent indoors, more holidays, car journeys, time in the garden, means a large, cumbersome WIP is out of the question. A small, portable piece is what’s needed, something you can pop in your handbag and get on with anytime, anywhere.

When I came across the book “Crochet Your Own Dolls And Accessories” published by Annie’s Attic, I let out a silent squeal of delight. Here was such a project and, not only that, it could double up as being both my Minerva Crafts Blogger Network post for October and the perfect Christmas present for a little girl!

I don’t know about you, but my idea of crochet dolls has always been, well….

Link omitted so as not to hurt anyone’s feelings:)

With images like this deeply ingrained in my subconscious, I was surprised and thrilled to find a thoroughly modern version which any twenty-first century youngster would find hard to resist falling in love with.

This huge sack of double knitting yarn arrived from Minerva Crafts way back in July with a tight, three-month deadline of October in mind.

Oh, I forget to tell you – my plan was to make every single thing in the entire book!

With such a lot to do, I got cracking immediately, starting on page one with “Bella Ann”.

The bodies of all four dolls are constructed the same way – in one piece from the feet up to the head, then attaching the separately crocheted arms at the end.

The hair is created using a darning needle and 135 strands of yarn, each one individually knotted onto a single stitch on the head!

The facial features are basic – two French knots for the eyes and a dab of blusher for the cheeks.

Simple, but effective, just enough to resemble a face.

“Bella Ann” is an outdoorsy type who loves to get dressed up in a macintosh with matching hat.

She even has wellies and her own umbrella!

So here’s my “Bella Ann” – TADAH!

Next up was “Ginger Blue”, a college girl wearing trendy tights and a denim mini-skirt.

Remember I said you could chuck them in your handbag and crochet almost anywhere? This is Ginger’s skirt in process whilst sat in the car in a field for five hours while The Boys played in a football tournament on the way to Cornwall…..

My favourite part of the whole process was definitely making the hair. Each doll had a different method which were all very imaginative and extremely effective.

Ginger’s seemed to be based on an Afro and was worked in five curly layers plus a crown.

The finished layers were sewn horizontally upwards from the base of the head.

The whole was topped off with a cute little flower headband.

The cardigan pattern called for tiny buttons to be used for the flower heads, but I embroidered a series of chain stitches instead to form a Lazy Daisy.

Two tiny blue shirt buttons reclaimed from the Child’s Play Tent are a brightly coloured addition.

Being a college girl, the obligatory accompanying rucksack even has tiny crocheted textbooks that fit inside!

Mary-Jane shoes are adorned with more reclaimed shirt buttons, this time in Cherry Red.

And now for the “Ginger Blue” – TADAH!

And so, on to “Dani Rae”, a sun-worshipper who loves nothing more than a day at the seaside and whose outfit of choice is a one-piece swimsuit.

Dani Rae’s hair was the most fun to make and was crocheted in wig format before being stitched on to the head in its entirety. I love the way the hair curls out at the ends – such great design detail.

Just look at those flip-flops and flippers!

Of course, every girl needs a sun hat to prevent sun stroke and, if it has a flower on it, so much the better.

A ‘rubber’ ring is the essential remaining accessory for fun in the waves.

Here is “Dani Rae” in all her finery ready for her “TADAH!” moment.

Finally, we move on to “Nurse Deb”, a midwife of the highest distinction, dressed in theatre scrubs.

She wears the typical clogs/’Crocs’ that appear to be the footwear favoured by so many hospital staff nowadays.

Nurse Deb’s hair was made in the same way as Bella Ann – each of 135 strands knotted on individually to single stitches on the head in rows…..

……and then trimmed into a neat graduated bob shape to ring the changes.

A stethoscope was made from thin wire and seed beads, adding pearls for the eartips and a button for the chestpiece. Quite fiddly to put together, but it looks ace!

She cradles a newborn baby in her arms…..

…..and a medical chart in her other hand.

The instructions were to sew both of these permanently in place but, as half the fun is undressing the doll and putting baby in a crib, this would have been impossible, so I used hook and loop fastener instead to make them removable.

This is “Nurse Deb” posing for her “TADAH”!

Would you like to see them all together?

T A D A H ! ! !

Well, that’s it, all done and dusted and I have to admit that I’m a little bit sad.

I have thoroughly enjoyed the process and seeing all the elements emerge successfully from the unfamiliar-to-me instructions. I can only imagine the fun that this little girl is going to have when she opens these on Christmas morning, and all the adventures the dolls are going to be involved in coming from the imagination of a child.

If you know a little girl who would love these dolls, or you just want the fun of making them yourself, head on over to Minerva Crafts where you can buy the book and all the yarn needed to make all four dolls.

October 8, 2015
by sewchet 56 Comments

New Hens And A Look At Needlework

We lost a hen recently, one of my favourites, a Bovan Nera named ‘Marley’ – her sister, ‘Bob’ died a few weeks ago as well. Such a lovely, sweet nature, she was the only hen that stood by Amber while she was recovering from a broken leg and didn’t pick on her. When broody, she would hop up onto the sofa and settle down on The Boys’ laps waiting to be stroked.

I miss her calming presence and gentle ‘clucking’ as she wandered in and out of the house.

As you may have noticed, The Girls play a big part in our lives so I thought you might like to know a bit more about them.

If not, just scroll down the page to the sewing and crochet:)

There are only two hens remaining from the original flock of six, ‘Ginger’, a Columbian Blacktail, and the characterful ‘Amber’, an Amber Star, whose image has graced many a blog post and who is now fully recovered and integrated back into the flock.

We raised Cock, Buzz and Woody from eggs that our hens hatched, but we lost Buzz to the fox after she ventured into his domain. Generally we don’t have a problem with foxes because, although they are just yards away in the fields most days, they are happy to feast on the never ending supply of rabbits rather than risk getting shot by trying to steal one of The Girls!

Spot, Bluebell, Bob and Marley were all found dead in the nest box at different times with no obvious signs of injury. However, Cock is twice the size of The Girls and he has these lethal weapons.

Three inch long spurs.

Being an amorous youngster, he is not very delicate with his ladies and we suspect that it was one of these daggers that broke Amber’s leg back in the Summer. He may also have accidentally crushed the others in the nest box overnight too, which would account for the sudden nature of their demise.

Having said all that, he keeps the flock from squabbling most of the time and is a brilliant guard ‘dog’, crowing at any poor unsuspecting delivery person who dares to open the five bar gate at the end of the driveway.

Being a country girl born and bred, his thunderous “Cock-a-doodle-do!” at five am every morning is reassuring rather than annoying. I’ll never forget the look on my husband’s face when Cock let out his his first strangled half-crow at six months old as he was feeding them corn, the first time we were certain he was a cockerel and not a hen. The tell-tale huge wattle and comb take up to a year to develop fully and at that point he looked just like the others.

There’s no mistaking him for a hen now though!

Here’s ‘Woody’, hatched with Cock and Buzz.

A quiet hen who loves blackberries and will jump quite high to reach the juiciest ones!

Anyway, with a reduced flock of just four we decided it was the right time to replenish the numbers. After a failed attempt to hatch three eggs under a broody hen (they kept getting broken) we returned to the farm where we purchased the original six and bought four more point-of-lay hens.

You need to introduce new girls to the flock with care and in at least pairs as they will automatically get hen-pecked by the senior birds in a bid to teach them the pecking order. And yes, that’s where those phrases come from!

Do you want to meet them?

No, we haven’t got any less obvious with our name choices!

Here’s ‘Star’, a Sussex Star, looking a little grubbier than usual.

‘Bluebell’, a, erm, Blue Belle.

‘Chestnut’, a Chalk Hill, Chestnut Ranger.

Finally, meet ‘Snow White’, a White Leghorn.

The newbies are still settling in and they haven’t quite got the hang of roosting in the coop at night yet. We usually find them on top of the run at dusk but, several times, have found Blue Belle asleep on top of the rotary washing line! Luckily, when they’re dozy they’re really easy just to scoop up and safely relocate on the perch with the older hens.

We still find the odd egg laid randomly around the garden and under the trampoline, but most days they’re in the nest box now.

Chestnut lays dark brown eggs – don’t they look pretty with all the others in the bucket?

It’s nice to see a decent sized flock free ranging again! Even the newbies regularly come into the house for a ‘chat’ and a few crumbs of whatever I can find to give them. We have four sets of French windows downstairs most of which are permanently open from April to September so The Girls are used to popping in and out at leisure. Now the air has chilled somewhat, the doors are closed and they don’t come in as often, but opportunist Amber will squeeze through the tiniest gap in a door left ajar and plonk herself down firmly with the dogs in front of a roaring fire!

Hens – if you haven’t got any yet, GET SOME!

Talking of a roaring fire, you may remember that a while ago I found this lovely old fire screen in a charity shop for a few pounds and it has been prettily screening the empty grate all Summer. I shall miss seeing it over the Winter, but logs crackling are a fair substitute!

An English cottage garden scene hand embroidered onto linen – isn’t it beautiful?

I used to do a lot of embroidery and cross stitch and still dabble now and again. Years ago, circa 1987-88, I spent weeks labouring over these two ladies as a Christmas gift to my mother. She has since downsized and they were packed away for over fifteen years before she offered them back to me.

Each lady is about ten inches in height so they’re pretty sizeable. I just need to repair the back of the frames and then I think I might hang them in our bedroom. What do you think? The colours are still as vibrant as the day they were finished nearly thirty years ago – testament to being kept behind glass out of direct sunlight, I suppose.

I’m almost three quarters of the way through my Minerva Crafts project for October – good job I started back in July, but I knew I’d need three months to complete the WHOLE book!

I’ve already got my sights set on another glorious book to work through cover to cover – “Let’s Go Camping” by Kate Bruning.

You have to check out the caravan – it’s even got crocheted bunk beds!

In fact, I may have to go right to Amazon now and order myself a copy because my heart is fluttering just looking at it again.

What’s on your needles right now?

April 2, 2015
by sewchet 43 Comments

Shawl KAL and other WIPs

It’s back to the needles of the non-machine kind for this post!

Claire of Mollie and Claire started a KAL yesterday and, as I’ve long admired her beautiful shawls, I signed up for this one immediately. It’s funny how it takes something like a KAL to spur you into action sometimes, isn’t it?

It also made me use Ravelry properly for the first time, by which I mean interact and upload photos of WIPs etc.rather than just browse and download patterns. Quite the revelation, so thanks Claire!

I chose an utterly divine yarn by Rowan – Kidsilk Haze Stripe (70% Super Kid Silk Mohair, 30% Silk) in a colourway entitled ‘Circus’, pictured thus on the website: –

However, it looks like this knitted up so far……!

I’m hoping the pink will come out soon as I hadn’t intended to make a yellow and green shawl!

I have to admit that I’m a bit disappointed at the moment at the colours, although the yarn itself is stunning – so soft and extremely light that I just know it’s going to be a delight to wear.

I’m knitting on 4.5mm circular needles to give an open, lacy texture.

I also have a wrap on the go at the moment, crocheted though, not knitted this time.

I’m using Katia Jaipur 100% Cotton (shade 213) which is another self striping laceweight yarn.

Having bought the yarn from Deramores, I was browsing their blog when I spotted a competition that they were running here.

I had already decided to make a rainbow coloured wrap and the self striping nature of the yarn would be perfect for one of the competition themes, so I may enter it for a bit of fun:)

This is progress so far: –

The design is called Alpine Frost by Amy O’Neill Houck and can be found on Ravelry.

It’s a very simple repeated shell stitch which is rather easier to do on auto-pilot than the lace leaf shawl above!

As I mentioned, we are due to become first time Grandparents in September, so I made a third laceweight shawl!

This one is Malabrigo 100% Baby Merino Wool (not Alpaca, as I initially thought) and is super soft in cream – perfect for a baby of either sex.

It was crocheted on a 3.75mm hook, the design being a giant granny square bordered with two rows of scallop pattern – simple, but effective with such fine yarn.

It would make a nice Christening shawl as well I think.

Is anyone else doing a CAL or KAL at the moment?

March 12, 2015
by sewchet 55 Comments

Crafternoon Success!

And……relax!

Wow, what an afternoon, or should I say “Crafternoon”?

A houseful of lovely people busily crafting away to the tune of “Café Olé” on the stereo, fuelled by home-grown egg sandwiches, scones with jam and cream and Red Nose fairy cakes.

Oh, and gallons of Bucks Fizz:)

The dining table was laden with masses of fabric and supplies, together with printouts of the projects on offer.

The coffee table in the lounge housed yet more felt and yarn for what turned out to be a good variety of crafts for everyone to choose from.

Mr. H-L played Butler in his lunch break as he was working from home.

The felt chicks were very popular makes.

Two ladies made good headway with their Cloud mobiles and took them home to finish off.

A classic Red Nose at the start of its crochet journey…..

More cakes….

My daughter’s very first attempt at sewing….

….a cushion for her boyfriend to take on his fishing trips.

Didn’t she do well?!

Mollie Makes’ own rag doll, Mollie, was lovingly crafted as a joint effort between a mother-daughter combo.

Just the eyelashes and mouth to add at close of play.

A Hen doorstop (as seen in an earlier blog post) reached the stuffing stage before the school run ended play.

I am assured photos of all finished off items will be winging their way to me in due course.

All in all, a very jolly and productive three hours was had by everyone…..

….and £265 raised so far with further pledges yet to be collected!

I would like to express HUGE thanks to Ali of Thimberlina, Kerri of Bristol Crochet and Sarah Holmes for their very generous donation of supplies for this event, without which such a great choice of materials would not have been available.

T H A N K Y O U !

March 6, 2015
by sewchet 19 Comments

More Projects For Comic Relief’s Crafternoon

It’s just seven days until the Big Comic Relief Crafternoon on Friday 13th March – well, six days until I host mine because it’s my birthday on Friday and I will be otherwise engaged:)

If you saw my earlier post about the samples I have been making from the official Red Nose Day magazine, you will remember that I’ve been giving a number of the free patterns a test run, so to speak, to see which projects can be made in the three hours of my Crafternoon event. I will then set up individual areas with all the materials needed for each project, together with the instruction sheets, for everyone attending to help themselves to.

If you haven’t got your magazine yet, they are only available to buy in Sainsburys, nowhere else, and they are being snapped up extremely quickly so get a move on!

£5.00 out of the cover price of £7.99 goes straight to Comic Relief which is fantastic. Comic Relief get your donation and you get something for your money – a fab “Mollie Makes” Red Nose Day Special magazine with a load of fab projects for you to make.

So, onto the latest additions to the party!

Well, I had to crochet the red nose, didn’t I?

I loved making this Cloud Mobile – all hand stitched in less than three hours!

I think this is my favourite make though…..

….a Pear Pin Cushion!

And when Ali (AKA Thimberlina) revealed her makeshift excuse for a pin cushion (sorry Ali!), I had the perfect reason to make the matching Apple shaped one. I snapped a couple of quick photos and sent it off that same afternoon.

I love the attention to detail that has gone into this particular design, especially the two pieces of contrasting felt rolled together to make the stem. Although this part was completely omitted from the instructions, it was easy enough to work out how it was done.

Ali has very generously sent me a bundle of supplies for my Crafternoon so it was lovely to be able to make her a little something off her wish list as a thank you. Just look at everything she donated!

I still have room for a few more, so if you’re free next Thursday 12th March between 12pm and 3pm, please, PLEASE try to come along. I’d love to get a full house so that I can send off the maximum amount of money to Comic Relief.

I’m also thinking of either auctioning off all the bits I’ve made, or raffle them on the day so bring an extra couple of pounds – it’s for such a good cause!!

Here’s a reminder of all the details: –

February 10, 2015
by sewchet 61 Comments

How To Make A Rug With Homemade T-Shirt Yarn

I made a rare trip to Lidl the other day, just browsing and looking for nothing in particular.

I’m not a fan of Lidl because they only stock basics and I can never get everything on my list. I loathe the weekly Food Shop and am d*****d if I’m going to go to another shop as well to buy the rest. Once, I had a list of thirteen items and could only buy two of them in Lidl!!

Notwithstanding the above, they have a really good selection of non-food items, especially around Christmas and I’ve snapped up some great things in the past.

Anyway, on this occasion, I spotted some T-shirts on offer. A two-pack was reduced from £5.99 to £2.99 and, in true Lidl fashion, they were only stocking men’s size 4XXXL to fit 68-70″ chest so there was a huge pile of them left unsold!

I’ve fancied making my own T-shirt yarn for a while now but decided wisely that Hubby would be a bit peeved if he came home to find that I’d ‘recycled’ them without his knowledge, particularly as they are largely stain and hole free as yet. So these outsize bargains happened along at the right time and I snapped up a couple of packs.

For best results, you need to choose logo-free, 100% cotton T-shirts without side seams. Mine had side seams – you just have to be extra careful not to rip them because they will be weakened after they have been cut through.

My new Olfa cutting mat and rotary cutter were about to have their inaugural outing – how have I lived my entire life without these?!

You can, of course, use scissors – it is just easier and quicker with a rotary cutter.

Start by cutting away the main body of the T-shirt below the armholes.

Fold together leaving about 1 1/2 inches between side seams (as shown below) and smooth out any creases.

Place the cut edge to the left of your cutting mat.

Using the quilting square as a guide, cut 1″ wide strips through all layers.

Finish cutting about an inch from the second side seam as shown below.

Keep going until you reach the end of the fabric.

When you get to the end, trim the hem off completely.

Insert your hand into the T-shirt at the uncut side seam through all the loops.

Slide your hand right through to the other end and let the strips dangle.

Next comes the vital bit.

To create one continuous strip of yarn, you need to cut diagonally from your lower last slit, to the edge of the fabric as shown by the dotted line.

Keep cutting diagonally….

…until you have a nice pool of T-shirt strips on the table!

Now for the fun bit.

You need to stretch the strip between your fingers, holding a section and pulling it firmly until it curls, being very careful not to pull the weakened stitches apart at the seamlines.

Can you see the difference?

Your finished yarn will have increased in length by about 50%.

Roll your new yarn into a ball.

Repeat with the other T-shirts.

So now you have all this glorious new yarn, what to do with it?

I decided to crochet a bathmat and based it on this pattern here, using fewer stitches (10) in the first round and a smaller hook (12mm). This resulted in a slightly less dense texture which I love.