Crocheted Hanger

I seem to have accumulated an ungodly amount of wire hangers. I have a theory that they, like paperclips, are a stage in the life cycle of a sock. Lost socks are the cocoons from which paperclips emerge, which then grow into wire hangers.

Okay, so maybe not. But they're still an annoyance. They leave little puckers in clothes and strappy stuff slides right off. Not to mention they seem to get tangled together easily and are just plain ugly.

I have a few crochet-covered hangers that I acquired at some point that are so much better. I knew there had to be a way to make them, if I could just figure it out. After some searching on the internet, borrowing from email groups and trial and error, here is the pattern I've come up with. It's pretty simple, just a little time consuming. This is a great project to work on while watching TV.

Crocheted Hangers

(Click for a larger view.)

Materials:
Yarn (I didn't measure how much each hanger took, and it might vary depending on your hanger, but they do take a fair amount. The good news is that it's the perfect use for all that ugly yarn you have lurking in your workbasket.)
F Hook
Wire hanger

Starting Chain: Ch the length around the triangle part of the hanger, plus about 1 inch.
Row 1: DC in third ch from hook and each ch to end.
Row 2: Ch 3. DC in each DC to end.
Row 3: Ch 1. Fold cover around hanger (use seam between rows as a guide). SC in DC and bottom of starting ch to end. Fasten off.

Playing with Plarn Part 3: What To Do With Scraps

One of the downsides to making and using plarn is the scraps involved. The bottom seam, handles and any strips too torn to salvage all become essentially waste. I've struggled with what to do with these bits of plastic. Here is what I've come up with.

• Throw away. This is perhaps the least desirable way of dealing with them. Part of why I craft with plarn is to keep from throwing away plastic bags.
• Save and add to the plastic bag recycling collection receptacles at various stores. Slightly more desirable than throwing away, although I have heard stories about where these plastic bags really end up (the trash). I also think about the poor, unsuspecting plarn-crafter who might get their bag supply from these receptacles. I wouldn't be too happy to get someone else's scraps.
• Use to stuff plarn creations, such as stuffed animals. Please note that plarn creations should not be given to small children to play with. They are, after all, plastic bags. (I did have an idea once to make a plarn cat bed after one of my cats showed a surprising tendency to nest on my neatly flattened bags. I haven't done it, as that cat sadly passed away before I could even start.)
• Use as fringe for plarn rugs, although it won't hold up as well as the rest of the rug.
• Another idea I haven't tried yet is fusing. Fusing is basically ironing pieces of plastic together to make a sort of fabric. I would think you could fuse the scraps, but, again, I haven't tried it, so I can't vouch for it. If you happen to try it, let me know how it turns out.

Here's my challenge, now that you've read all about plarn. What creative ways can you come up with for dealing with scraps?

Playing with Plarn Part 2: What Do You Make With It?

After a little hiatus, I'm back, hopefully on a more regular schedule. As promised, here is Part 2 of Playing with Plarn. So what can you make with plarn?

The easy answer is that anything you can crochet with yarn, you can crochet with plarn. Some things will lend themselves better to plarn than others. Who wants a plastic scarf or sweater? What does work well are bags and baskets. I have also heard of people making rugs out of plarn, but I haven't attempted this yet. Keep in mind that you will probably have to adjust your hook size. Tension is a little different, too, as plarn doesn't have as much "give" as the usual worsted weight yarn.

For more ideas on what you can make with plarn, you can Google "plastic bag crochet" and come up with a plethora of plarn patterns (say that ten times fast!). Myrecycledbags.com is a blog completely dedicated to making bags out of recycled materials, including plarn and cassette tapes.

This is the first bag I made (click for a larger image). The pattern comes from Marlo's Crochet Corner.

This is my latest plarn project (click for larger image). I adapted a pattern from the book Quick Crochet Huge Hooks by Sally Harding.

Whatever you decide to make, have fun!