How to Make a Round Rag Rug

Do you ever threaten your kids with, “If you don’t pick your clothes up off the floor I’m giving them away…”?

Well I followed through on my word and gathered up her clothes and at least made it appear I was serious… granted the ones I “disposed of” were stained or too small… but at least I looked serious!

And we continue to work on responsibility, good stewardship, tidiness, etc…

My Peachy-girl is a blond, green-eyed sweetie so she mainly wears pastels which makes for a pretty rag pile!

I cut her neglected clothing into 1″ (ish) strips, connected them with slip knots (shown below) and made this sweeeet rag rug in about 4-5 hours total.

All of these fabrics are knits so they are very flexible and make working a circle easier. And you don’t have to worry about having threads hanging every where that you get with other types of fabric.

I cut 1-2″ strips, they do NOT have to be even nor consistent (part of the glory of knits). Some of the knit that was thinner can be cut a little wider to make up in the bulkiness.

This is one of Jeff’s stained up pocket-T’s.

Start at the bottom and cut in a continual strip, like a spiral. I cut all the way up to the arm pits and even working through some of those because seams and awkwardness doesn’t matter in this project. Also, if there are pockets, just cut through them as if they weren’t there, it just adds a little bulk here and there… I mean it adds character!

Take each strip and cut a small slit in each end and then pull one through the other, this will keep you from having a lot of ends popping up here and there. I do this as I crochet so I can pick my next color as I want it, but you could connect them all to make a large ball then crochet… either way works.

I used a plastic P hook, you could use a Q (larger size). The thicker the fabric the larger the hook needs to be.

Crochet your circle:

Chain 5, join with a slip stitch to make a circle.
Rnd 1: 5 sc in circle.
Rnd 2: 2 sc in ea sc around. (10 sc)
Rnd 3: (sc in next sc, 2 sc in next sc) around. (15 sc)
Rnd 4: (sc in ea of next 2 sc, 2 sc in next sc) around. (20 sc)
Rnd 5: (sc in ea of next 3 sc, 2 sc in next sc) around. (25 sc)

For each additional round sc in ea sc, increasing 2 sc in a sc every 10th sc or so.

If it starts to look rippled you are increasing too much (adding too many 2 sc’s in 1 sc) for it to lie flat, so space them out more. If it is curling up on the sides like a bowl, you’ll need to increase more.

Crocheted Dishcloths

Baby Javi’s Easter Bonnet

Emma and Josh walked in Easter morning for our traditional Resurrection Morning Breakfast and Javi was wearing the bonnet I crocheted for her… just melted my heart.

I am so thankful that my mother-in-law taught me how to crochet about 30 years ago!

So very blessed!

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Crochet - Relaxing, Industrious, Frugal

I love to crochet! It really is pretty easy to learn. Once you have the basic stitches down the sky is the limit.

Crochet is:

Relaxing- a creative escape.
Industrious- not wasting my time while the TV is on or I am waiting during doctor appointments, piano lessons, etc…
Frugal- very nice handmade gifts can be made just for a few dollars.

Once you learn a pattern in no time you will be adapting it to be your own.

Learning to make slippers was one of the first things I learned from my mother-in-law. They can be made with just one stitch… well 2, if you count the chain stitch. I can make up a pair of slippers in the time it takes us to watch a family movie. The cost to make them is about $2 a pair, depending on the type of yarn I use.

Scarves are super easy to make and can also be made with one stitch. I show you how to make this scarf on my 70 minute Learn How to Crochet DVD.

With this DVD I will walk you through:

The difference in yarns and hook sizes.
How to make the most common stitches.
How to make a dishcloth.
How to make a Granny Square.
How to make a scarf.
How to change colors of yarn.

As each stitch is being made, the pattern is at the bottom of the screen, thus teaching you how to read patterns, which are largely written in abbreviations.

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Very Easy Crochet Headbands

We go through hair bows, ribbons, ties, etc… like cray!

I found this pattern for headbands that worked up super quick!

I used cotton yarn and it took me less than an hour to make both of them.

Then I just made a flower motif to dress it up a bit.

The key is to make it tight.

Any of you have suggestions to keep their hair pulled back?

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Learn How to Crochet with our DVD.

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WOW Me Wednesday

Made By Me

Diligent Hands, Servant Hearts

I received this as a comment the other day on this crocheting post. I was so humbled, encouraged and convicted all at once. This is from Jill:

Several years ago, you did a little series on young
entrepreneurs. One of them was Brianna, a crocheter. I showed my daughter, Sarah, that post. She had just started crocheting, and she contacted Brianna. They have become friends, penpals, and fellow crocheters. Brianna inspired my daughter to start her own business. I think Sarah had just turned 11 at the time.

At first, she was earning money for herself, but soon we started our first
adoption process in the summer of 2010, and she sold her beautiful items to
raise money for our adoption. After we got our first son home, she turned
her efforts to other waiting special needs orphans or families in process.
She has since taught her best friend to crochet, and together, they have
raised almost $6000 to help bring orphans home! (Sarah just turned 15, and her friend is 17.) In fact, just this morning, Sarah did a Farmer’s Market booth all by herself. She is learning so many life skills through this experience, not just crocheting.

I just wanted to encourage you that even a seemingly simple post had a HUGE impact on our family and my daughter’s life. I love the way the Lord works!

I’d be honored if you checked out her work when you have some time. (I’m a very proud Mama!) She designed the blogs/websites herself, and she’ll be
taking an HTML class to advance her skills after your encouragement to have our children learn this skill.

This is her blog she started with:
http://forhisgloryhandiwork.blogspot.com/

Her “Block Party” blog: (Brianna sends blocks for this every year.)
http://blockpartyukraine.weebly.com/

This is her fundraising site where they sell their items.
http://handiworkforelijah.weebly.com/index.html

Again, thank you SO much! God has used you in mighty ways! (I thought it was about time I told you, so you didn’t have to wait until we are in Heaven.
LOL)

Many Blessings to you and your beautiful family!

Please visit our adoption blog: www.mygodislord.blogspot.com
And Sarah’s fundraiser blog for “Maria”: www.handiworkforelijah.weebly.com

DID YOU READ THAT??? They have raised $6000 selling crochet items to help give orphaned children a mom and dad… a real, FOREVER family! And they are only 15 and 17!!!

As I read their blogs and saw their WILLINGNESS to give and serve I was so convicted, convicted of my complacency and laziness.

If I could plead and beg with families… with young people, please set your American Dream worldview aside and reach higher. Give. Serve. Work. Think bigger than yourselves. Don’t settle for our cultural normal. If God chooses to bless you with wealth, use it for His glory. If God chooses to bless you with less wealth use your time, skills and life for His glory. Wherever He has you, let your goals be bigger than material gain and comfort, ask Him to remove the hay and stubble form your life.

What a sad state we are in when we believe Christianity looks like the American Dream. God have mercy on us complacence, materialistic and narcissistic people.

There are children in orphanages that need to be rescued, if you can’t bring them in your home, in your family, then come along side a family that is willing. I’ve posted here about specific ways to help. There are so many ways to do orphan care. Our friends and church have been a HUGE blessing to us in MANY ways as we added our 3 adopted kids to our family.

We live in a very needy world. The needy are not only the orphans, although I believe they are the most helpless. And what is done for the least of these is done for Christ. How are you spending your time? How are you using your talent? How are you investing your wealth?

I love to crochet. I’ve done it so long that it is almost second nature. I can whip up a child’s hat in the time it takes our family to watch a movie. I can make a baby blanket in 3-4 evenings. I don’t mean to sound like a brag, I’m just saying, if I can make something in a couple hours, sell it for $15 and it only cost me $1-2 to make it, that is an easy way to make money for the needy.

Think of the amount of time being wasted!

Thank you, Jill, for sharing your family with us. Thank you for rescuing those precious children. THANK YOU Sarah for being a faithful servant of Christ!

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