Crafts Blog

Ten Ways to Think Outside the Crochet Square

If you enjoy crochet but hate following complex patterns, think outside the square. Simple crochet squares can be combined in many ways to make useful and beautiful items. Here are ten ideas to keep your crochet hook busy.

1: Make a shoulder bag.

Sew two crochet squares together on three sides and add a long thin strip of crochet for a handle. You can make squares of matching or contrasting colors, and of any size that suits your needs. This is a great way to try out new patterns or yarn blends that have taken your fancy without committing to a big, expensive project.

2: Make a cushion.

As a fashionable décor statement, your own crochet cushions can’t be beaten. Experiment with different yarns and colors, and make one big square and two rectangles to equal it. Sew the rectangles to the square, leaving a gap in the back for the cushion insert. Make these in some of the new speciality yarns, such as feather, for a really exciting look.

3: Make a jerkin.

Measure yourself (or your intended recipient) from shoulder to hip, and make three or four crochet squares to cover the distance. Make the same number of crochet squares for the other side. Double the number and make enough crochet squares for the back. Make two rectangles, wide enough to fill in the sides, and long enough to leave a comfortable armhole. Now sew them all together so that you have a jerkin shape with armholes and an opening at the front. You can mix and match colors and yarns to make something really unique. Make two more crochet squares and sew over the two squares at the front bottom to make pockets, or make four more and add sleeves. Once you get the hang of this you’ll be making jackets, sweaters, anything you can think of!

4: Make potholders.

Choose a yarn that matches your kitchen décor, and make a bunch of squares. Sew two together on three sides and slip some heatproof wadding into the pocket. Sew up the open side and you have a pot holder. Add a crochet loop for hanging. Sew three or four squares together to make a strip, and pad each end as you did the pot holder. Now you have a handy two handed pot holder to help you manage larger casseroles and pie dishes.

5: Make a quilt.

Here’s nice big project for those winter evenings. Make your squares to your chosen size, sew up on three sides, and fill with quilt wadding. Sew up the open side and make more of these little puffy cushions. Finally sew them all together to make a luxurious hand made quilt to snuggle into on cold nights. If you use soft baby yarn and make smaller cushions, you can create a beautiful gift for a winter baby.

6: Make a gorgeous set of curtains.

Crochet big lacy squares in fine yarn. Sew them together and add silk ribbon loops along the top and you have a set of unique designer curtains.

7: Make luxury mats.

Crochet squares in the thickest, most absorbent yarn you can find, that matches your bathroom décor. Sew the squares together to make a lush bathmat to take the chill off the bathroom floor. Make another in thick, fluffy yarn and put it by your bed.

8: Make a footstool.

Crochet two large squares and four rectangles half the width of the squares. Join the rectangles end to end to make a square shape and sew on one of the big squares to make a box shape. Stuff tightly with cushion filling and cover with the other square. Trim with tassels or piping. This makes a great mother’s day gift, and is simple enough for crochet savvy youngsters to make.

9: Make a jewelry roll.

Using fine silk yarn, crochet a rectangle. Crochet small squares and rectangles to attach to the original rectangle to make pockets for your jewelry. Put the items in the pockets and roll up. Tie with a silk ribbon.

10: Crochet for charity.

Your crochet squares can be added to others and sewn together to make warm blankets for those less fortunate. Search the web for charity crochet or crochet for charity and you will find lots of organizations willing to take all the crochet squares you can produce. The resulting blankets won’t warm you, but they will warm your heart!

Wire coat hangers seem to proliferate all by themselves in a closet. But when they start to fight back when you try to close the closet door, it’s time to find some new uses for them.

Luckily, coat hangers have a great many more uses than just hanging clothes. Try these fun projects.

Topiary

Creating unique living ornaments for your garden couldn’t be easier with a wire coat hanger, a pot and a plant. Just bend the coat hanger triangle into an interesting shape – a diamond, a circle, a star, a heart – use your hands and pair of pliers to create a shape. Using the pliers, straighten out the coat hanger hook. You’ll need a longer stand to push it into the pot, so attach a piece of bamboo tomato stake, cut to the required length to fit the depth of the pot, and bind it firmly to the straightened out coat hanger hook. Fill a pot with good potting mix, pack down and push the straight spoke of the coat hanger topiary into the pot. Plant your topiary vine into the pot and train it to wind round the shape as it grows. Keep the plant trimmed when it fully covers the shape. Good plants to use are climbing plants like ivy, jasmine or honeysuckle.

Door Wreaths

Bend the coat hanger into a circle, and leave the hook as it is for hanging. Cover the hoop by winding real or fake ivy around the wire and secure in place. You can decorate this basic door wreath any way you wish, and for any season. Try golden bells and holly berries for Christmas, little skulls and bats for Halloween, and a profusion of hearts for Valentine’s Day.

Giant Bubbles

Bend the coat hanger into a circle, or any other shape, and use the hook as a handle. You will need a strong bubble solution for this, so add a tablespoon of glycerin to each cup of good quality dishwashing liquid, to make as much as you require, and let it stand for a few days to mature. Pour the bubble liquid into a shallow tray large enough to hold the hoop of the coat hanger, and submerge the hoop into it. It will take a bit of practice to get the bubble film to cover the hoop and get it into the air, but when you do, swing the hoop and watch the giant bubble form.

Wind Chimes

Coat hangers make excellent bases for wind chimes. They have the strength to hold quite large pieces so you can experiment with all kinds of materials. For example, if you have a collection of old tarnished silver cutlery, you can bend them into interesting shapes and drill holes in the handles to hang them on the coat hanger. Large shells can also be used, or lengths of hollow bamboo cut to different lengths. Paint the coat hangers with gold or silver paint before you use them.

Mobiles

Fit two coat hangers together into a cross shape by sliding one into the other. Bind at the hook, twisting them so they fit snugly side by side. Fasten the cross point of the lower part of the coat hangers with a bit of wire. Paint the coat hangers a bright color, and hang various objects from the bars to form a mobile for the nursery or a child’s room.

Croquet or miniature golf hoops

Bend coat hangers into circles, and straighten out the hooks. Driven into the ground hook first, the coat hangers provide hoops for a croquet ball or a golf ball, so you can have a fun game on the lawn.

Basket ball hoop

Bend the coat hanger into a hoop, and bend the hook so that it is at right angles to the hoop. Twist the hook so it faces back and you can hang the whole thing on a hook or slat on your garage wall at just the right height for little ones to slam dunk.

Quick garden fencing

If you have enough coat hangs, pull the lower part out into a long diamond and straighten out the hooks. Paint them a cheery color, and push the coat hangers into the soil along the edge of your garden. You will have a quick, cheap ornamental fence.