Lighted Rug

This morning's project...

 12 ft of rope light    +   200 ft of cotton clothesline    +    LOTS of single crochet   +    about an hour of work 

=   one SUPER CUTE little lighted rug!

It's about 18 inches across

I'm thinking this would be awesome as a night light in the hall bathroom for the two year old.  I'm also contemplating getting a much longer rope light and making a rug for the back patio. Oh the possibilities...

Crochet Heart Tutorial

I never really liked Valentine's Day. (I know, some people think this means I'm not a real girl, but I can deal with that.)  I decorate for all the other holidays - Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, Fourth of July, etc - but never for Valentines Day.  This year I've decided to change that, at least a little bit.

So I started trying to come up with a fun, creative way I could decorate using things I have around the house. I don't have much pink or red, and, since I have a 2 year old boy, not many hearts either.  I do have an abundance of pink yarn left over from making a baby blanket for my niece. My decorating problems solved! I can crochet pink hearts.  

Now what do I do with those hearts? I could scatter them randomly about the house. I could thread them on some ribbon and make a garland. I could make hanging loops and hang them from all the doorknobs...

Crochet Heart: (small size)

I used medium-4 weight yarn and a size G hook.  Gauge doesn't matter, and this is a great scrap yarn project, so use whatever you have.  (And nothing says a heart has to be pink or red!)

Chain 2

Row 1 (Right side): 3 sc in 2nd chain from hook, turn (3sts)

Row 2: Ch 1 (never counts as a st), 2 sc in first sc, 1 sc in next sc, 2 sc in last sc, turn (5sts)

Row 3: Ch 1, 2 sc in first sc, sc across to last sc, 2 sc in last sc, turn (7sts)

Row 4: Ch 1, sc in each sc, turn (7sts)

Rows 5-8: Repeat rows 3-4 (end with 11sts)

Rows 9-10: Ch 1, sc in each sc, turn (11sts)

Row 11: Ch 1, sc2tog, 1 sc in next 3 sc, turn (4sts - leaves last 6 sts unworked)

Row 12: Ch 1, 2 sc2tog, fasten off

 Return to Row 10, skip 1 sc at center, join yarn in next sc

Row 11: Ch 1, sc in next 3 sc, sc2tog, turn (4sts)

Row 12: Ch 1, 2 sc2tog

Edging: Ch 1, sc evenly around entire heart shape, working (1 sc, 1 dc, 1 sc) in base of heart, and 1 sc3tog at the point where the top sections meet at the skipped sc, end with slip stich in first sc, fasten off

(Large Size)

Chain 2

Row 1 (Right side): 3 sc in 2nd chain from hook, turn (3sts)

Row 2: Ch 1 (never counts as a st), sc across, turn (3sts)

Row 3: Ch 1, 2 sc in first sc, sc across, 2 sc in last sc, turn (5 sts)

Row 4: Ch 1, sc across, turn (5 sts)

Rows 5-16: Repeat rows 3-4 (end with 17 sts)

Rows 18-19: Ch 1, sc across, turn (17 sts)

Row 20: Ch 1, sc in next 8 sc, turn (8 sts - leaves last 9 unworked)

Row 21: Ch 1, 1 sc in each sc to last 2 sc, sc2tog, turn (7sts)

Rows 22-23: Repeat row 21 (ends with 5 sts)

Row 24: Ch 1, sc2tog, sc in next sc, sc2tog, turn (3 sts)

Row 25: Ch1, sc3tog, fasten off

Return to Row 19, skip 1 sc at center, join yarn in next sc

Row 20: Ch 1, sc in each of next 8 sc, turn (8 sts)

Row 21: Ch 1, sc2tog, sc in each sc to end, turn (7 sts)

Row 22-23: Repeat row 21 (end with 5 sts)

Row 24: Ch 1, sc2tog, 1 sc in next sc, sc2tog, turn (3 sts)

Row 25: Ch 1, sc3tog

Edging: Ch 1, sc evenly around entire heart shape, working (1sc, 1dc, 1sc) in base of heart and 1 sc3tog at the point where the top sections meet at the skipped sc, end with slip stitch in first sc, fasten off

Have fun with your hearts!

Denim Yarn Tutorial part 2

I must say that I really enjoy the bath mat I made out of my yarn from recycled blue jeans.  It's small - I have a small bathroom - so it only took 2 pairs of jeans (mine and my husband's).  Hope you find fun ways to enjoy your old jeans too!

Denim Yarn Method 2:

Step 2

Step 3

Step 5

1. Start like Method 1 - lay out a pair of old jeans and cut the legs off at the crotch.
2. Fold one leg so that the bottom seam is just below the top seam.
3. Grab your handy rotary cutter or your favorite fabric scissors and cut 1 inch strips starting at the fold and going through the bottom seam but stopping just short of the top seam. DO NOT cut all the way through the leg. (NOTE: Your strips don't have to be 1 inch. They can be any width you determine to be appropriate for your project.)
4. Open up the jeans leg. You should have a series of loops all connected by the top seam.  Pick up those scissors again and, starting at the far left side loop cut across the seam diagonally to the right. You will be cutting from the left side of the first loop to the left side of the second loop. No cutting on the bottoms of the loops.
5. Continue cutting diagonally across the seam until all the loops have been separated. You've got yarn!
6. Make something you'll enjoy :) 

 

The denim rug in process

Comparing the Two Methods:

Both methods have their pros and cons.  Method 2 produces a more even yarn, but sometimes the slubs of Method 1 are fun (especially in rug making).  Method 2 appears to make a longer yarn (of course this could have been because I used it on my husband's jeans and I  used Method 1 on my jeans). However, method 1 can be done entirely with a rotary cutter and goes faster. Whichever method you choose, have fun with it! 

Denim Yarn Tutorial part 1

I love to crochet but I rarely repeat a project. I’m constantly trying new yarns and new stitches. I think I have crafting ADD.

Anyway, I recently saw a picture in one of the hundreds of crochet books at the library of a rug made out of old blue jeans, and I thought, “Hey! I can do that.” So instead of doing the smart thing and checking out the book, I went home and started experimenting.  I came up with 2 methods for creating yarn from an old pair of blue jeans. (Disclaimer: In no way do I think I’m original with these methods. There are probably even better tutorials out there. This is just what I came up with while playing with my rotary cutter and favorite fabric scissors.)

Method 1: (based on making paper rope in elementary school)

Step 1

Step 2

1. Get a clean pair of old jeans that you don’t want anymore and cut the legs off at the crotch. I used my rotary cutter that my marvelous mom gave me for my birthday.
2. Cut the hem off of one side of one leg and lay it out flat on your cutting surface.
3. Determine the width of yarn you want. I used about 1 inch, but I wasn’t a perfectionist about it so the yarn varied from about half inch to an inch and a half in width. This was perfect for making a rug, but you might want something thinner if you were going to crochet a scarf or something else wearable.
4. Grab your rotary cutter and starting at the bottom on the right side cut an inch wide (or however wide you determine) strip up. Stop about an inch from the top of the jeans leg. DO NOT cut all the way through the leg.
5. Move to the left about an inch. Start at the top and cut down the leg stopping about an inch from the bottom.
6. Continue to zigzag your cuts all the way to the end of the jeans leg. (NOTE: you could also start on the left side and move right. It’s all about your preference.) 

Steps 4-6

At the end you’ll have a long piece of denim yarn with some lovely slubs (bulky places). Repeat steps 2-6 for the other leg for another piece of yarn.  You can sew the two together but I tend to just join them while crocheting.

I understand that some people like to wash the yarn before working with it to make it all frayed and such, but I’m not patient enough for that.  I just wound it up and went right to work.

And tomorrow…Method 2. 

Hope you enjoy your denim yarn as much I did!

Welcome!

Hello there! And welcome to Just Perky.  This blog is for all my friends and family who keep asking me “So what are you working on now?” and “How exactly did you do that?”

I love making things whether it’s crochet, painting, paper crafting, or cooking.  And now that I have a yard I’m even planning on tackling some gardening. Stick around and I’ll walk you though how I do most of what I do.

I’m not a photographer, but I plan on posting images of the crafts I’m working on and (hopefully) of the steps involved in the tutorials.

Here we go