How to make an ever so cosy T-shirt scarf

I am currently going a little mad with the sewing machine. A young friend cleaned out her cupboard and gave me 4 bags full of old clothes. After that my husband and I did the same. Now my sewing niche looks like one big messy pile and I can hardly walk around the desk to get to the sewing machine. I really need a few mornings to get organised in there! Have you got any tips? What works for your sewing room? How do you organise all your materials, zips, buttons and other utensils? I would love to hear!

Anyway as I had 2 kids on the mend at home, I could only do something basic that wouldn't need too much concentration on my side. Our workshop is not exactly toddler safe, but the two guys love being down there as it is one big adventure park to them. Which also means I am in a constant high-alert-mommy-modus.

So I started this project working out how to cut up old T´s in the most efficient way to get enough stripes for a nice length scarf. I took 3 of the softest shirts and turned them into scarfs. Two of them I made as presents and one is for myself.

My next planned project is making hats for the boys out of old T-shirts. I have a basic plan in my head, I will just have to figure out how to get it out of there.

As for those scarfs...let me introduce ROARY to you. He kindly volunteered to be my model as I am a little camera shy due to some childhood trauma involving my dad and his very trigger-happy finger. ROARY is my boys piggy-bank dragon. He also thought my youngest walking, by holding on tightly to him while being pushed round after round through our living room. I am just mentioning this, so you know this guy is not just someone random, but has become a well established member of our little family.

My first attempt was a birthday present for my mum. And I tried the lazy way using the sides of a T-shirt to save myself a few seams. I used an XL shirt.

So here is what I did: First I made a straight line from the shoulder line down to the bottom of the shirt.

Then I cut it (front and back at same time). First along my pink line, then I opened the sides. Here I used a zick-zack scissors. I first thought it would make it look nicer and wouldn't frazzle. But later I cut them off and made them straight. I prefer the straight look, I think. But what you use is entirely up to you.  Once you unfold front from back you have one long stripe. You do the same with the other shoulder part of the T-shirt.

When you reach the sleeve while cutting the sides open, just cut along the seam very closely, for now it doesn't matter if there is a little seam left on your scarf side of the material, as you will later have to straighten the sides anyway. I also had a little of the print left on one side, as you can see in the left middle of the picture below. That two will fall away later when you clean the sides. So don't worry too much about these things when getting started.

Now before you pin your two parts together consider this: If you leave the seam at the shoulder bits, your scarf will be slightly curved, which looks a bit unusual when you hold the scarf in your hands, but if you fold it the right way around your neck it fits perfectly. But you can open the seams, straighten the material and sew them together straight if that is what you prefer or you can follow the second tutorial that will follow later and leads to the scarf ROARY is wearing in the first picture. 

Now take your two parts and pin them together. Right side should show outside on both sides! We will leave the sides raw.  You should try to put them together that printed parts you want to cut away stick out on that side, same for seams left from sleeves. It sounds more complicated than it is. 

Next step would be to check your scraps for a wee bit of colour to add. I decided that this one includes all the colours my mother has in her cupboard and gives her lots to mix and match. I made the scarf for her as a cosy one to wear when walking the dog, nothing fancy. And her Raincoat is black. So it is very easy to match something to it. 

Now I had come up with two possibilities for decorating this little present. I tried them both, but couldn't make up my mind. So I asked my sisters and some friends and took votes. I first thought that the material might be a little loud and I should only use it in small doses, esp. considering I was sewing this for an mid sixties lady. 

So this was my first design. It got one vote out of eight.

This one got 7 votes.  I would love your input! Which design would you have gone for?

And I got one voter saying I should not use this material unless I was sewing a clowns costume. My hardest and most honest critic went for the last version, so this was another reason why I went for the "louder" version.

Now that I had pinned down my design I just sewed all the bits together and then cut both sides straight which also removed the printed bit, and the little bit of seam from the sleeves.

While this is the fastest method, it will not give you the longest scarf. but it will be very cosy anyway!

Baby Chuck-style shoes

Our apartment has mainly stone tiles. For that reason our little man needs warm foot wear! I am always on the lookout when I am at car boot sales and flea markets for soft baby shoes, but our son is crawling on biiiig feet for a man of his size! He is a size 21 now at the age of 8 months. That means soft soled shoes are getting scares. I came across a crochet pattern for new born chucks, and thought I might be able to adapt them to his feet.
They did turn out a good bit bigger than I thought they would though, so now he can still grow into them...

I will try to explain how you can figure out how to make them fit your own munchkins. First you need a shoe that fits well (for size comparison). And of course two colours of  wool and a crochet hook (should be maybe a little smaller than advised, that way you will get a shoe that's a little bit warmer).


For the sole: (here in grey wool, or if you want to make them the proper chuck style, use white?)

I started with 8 ch (=chain) and then start with first round (You do not close it to a loop you simply go around it from both sides).
1. Rnd (= round): start with 2 ch, then make 2 hdc (= half double crochet) into the first s (= stitch), then one hdc into the next 6 s, the next s you put 4 hdc's in and then into the next 6 s 1 hdc, the last one you double again with 2 hdc finish off round with a ss (= slip stich).
2. Rnd: 2 ch,  double the next 2 s with 2 hdc, then next 8 s are simple hdc, next 4 s double with 2hdc in each s, then single hdc into next 8 s, double next 2 with 2 hdc, finish of round with a ss.
3.  - x-th Rnd: 2 ch, double next 2 s with 2 hdc, then simple hdc until you are at opposite end, then double next 2 s with 2 hdc, then simple hdc, until last 2 s of round, those you double again, finish off round with a ss. You make the amount of rounds until you have your oval shaped sole at the size of a fitting shoe, or maybe a little bigger ?! -> see above pic ;-)

y-zz-th Rnd: 2 ch, then one hdc in every s finish off round with 2 ss, this is the
side of the shoe that starts to come up and not really the sole anymore. Very small shoes would need 3 rounds, bigger ones 4-5 rounds.

Finish off!


toe cap: (also in grey)

1. Rnd: You start at front middle of sole (see picture for orientation)
with 2 sc (= single crochet) in a small shoe a bigger one would need 3 - 4 sc
2. Rnd:  1 ch, double all s
3. - x-th Rnd: 1 ch, double first and last s of each round, others in between all sc.
A small shoe would need 4 rounds altogether a bigger one may 2-4 rows more.

At end sew the sides of toe cap to side of sole (for orientation look at picture)

bootleg: (here in red wool)
first 3 to 5 Rnds depending on size of shoe: start on right hand side right behind toe cap:  1 sc in each s until you reach the left side right behind toe cap
next 4-8 Rnds, depending on size of shoe: decrease first and last two s, all others in between  1 sc per s.
next 3 - 5 Rnds. 1sc in each s
finish off with grey rim once around the whole bootleg (see picture for orientation)

tongue of the shoe: (in red wool)

start from one end of bootleg over the toe cap towards the other end of bootleg (see picture for orientation)

in the smallest version you probably don't need one at all, in bigger ones
first 1-3 Rnds: 1 sc in each s
Next Rnds decrease first and last s, in between those normal sc,
last round should be just one decreased sc.
finish off
Now just find some pretty shoe laces or you can take wool, but that wont last too long once your shoes are in use. If you have any questions, shoot me an email, or just post a comment.

Puck sleeping bag for infants

When I went to ante-natal classes, my midwife expressed many times how much she preferred those type of sleeping bags for esp. newborns. As my son was born last summer, a very hot one may I add! I attempted to sew a very light and thin one myself out of an old cotton cushion cover and some left over cuff material. The pattern I made myself: You basically pick the length and width you think your baby will need, add a little for baby growth. And draw it on some old newspaper or packing paper, cut it out , fix it with needles to your material and cut it out four times (allow a little extra for seams). Make it into 2 sacks. Inside and outside sack have the same size. I then doubled the cuffmaterial, and sewed inside sack to one and outside sack to the other, then stuffed the inside one inside the outside one, and stitched the bottom. Bar the cuff bit the whole lot was very easy.
I really liked the old needlework I integrated. It used to be at the front of the cushion case I used as material.

 But all in all I have to admit, I used that sleeping bag only in emergencies, when all the others where in the washing machine or in the dryer. I happened to find it impractical. And I don't think the wee man really liked the cuff bit around his belly as he was suffering a lot from colics at the time. I prefer the ones with buttons over the chest, no arms and a zip around the legs for fast access to the diaper at night.  So all in all I can't really advise you to go through all that trouble, but I thought I would still make a post about it, just in case you have a midwife similar to mine, this might save you the trouble and work. :-)

Easy Mittens - Non Itch Version

Sometime back in Autumn my local Store had grey wool on special offer. Just a few weeks earlier I had spotted this Link on one of my fav blogs. And it included the magic words: EASY. You gotta know, the last time I attempted knitting was some time in the early eighties, when my grandma was still around and we had to knit a pair of socks in primary school.

I am the type that never finds gloves that fit, they are either to short at the fingers or to wide around the wrists - one more reason to give this a shot!

My first problem: The pattern was just like a cryptic message to me, I had no clue what all those letters stood for. So I asked a friend for help:
CO33 means you start with 33 stitches. Well with the wool I bought (50gr/ 98m, 50% wool, 50% alpaka) I needed 44 stiches for my wrists. Then I had the second problem: Do you still remember how to start? I couldn't! But there isn't anything you can't find on the WWW these days: Here is a video that helps!

Also I used four needles instead of three. It makes it a lot easier for beginners. Another trick: To avoid ladder look-alike stitches in between needles you can knit your full needle and then one extra from the next needle, that way the loose stitch keeps wandering in circles throughout the glove and is hardly visible in the end.

Round 1 =k2 pl means 2 knitting stitches and one purl...repeat until round is finished. Round 2 knitting stiches only....now I have to admit I stuck to just round 1 through out the gloves. I wanted to make it even easier for the start. I also more then doubled the amount of rounds, as it was far to short for my liking.

Now my pattern basically translates into the cryptic knitters language like this:


CO44
round 1 = k2 pl
round 2 - 44 repeat round 1

After that we get to the tricky part - make way for the thumb - I am no regular knitter (see above) so I had no wool rests, but it was after xmas once I got to the first thumb bit. So I took some wrapping cord and used that instead. Stitch as many stitches as the widest part of your thumb would need (length wise) plus one. In my case that's 8. Switch those 8 stitches back onto your first needle. Knit them again with regular yarn, and keep going as usual for another 20 rounds. After that, knit off (=BO in knitting cryptics) on the last round with the regular two knitting stitches and one purl.

Now you take your 4 needles and try to get 4 stitches that are around the wrapping cord (or in your case maybe real scrap yarn) onto each needle (thats 16 altogether, 8 from each side of the cord). I think now it really helped that my cord was a good bit thicker then the regular yarn, as my loops were bigger and easier to "fish" for. Once your sure you got them all, cut the scrap cord and start knitting for about 8 rounds (depending how long your thumbs are) in the regular two knitting stitches and one purl manner and also knit off same way on last round.

Here you go! Now you have a perfect wearable mitten for all those who don't mind that wooly itch. Me and wool are normally a no-go. But my husband had all those old shirts, so I cut the two sleeves of one of them, and lined the gloves with them. I didn't make an extra hole for the thumb. I just stuck it through as seen in picture below.

I admit, that right there where you see my thumb coming out, I can still feel the itch when wearing them. I had them on a few times now, and I got used to it.

To finish off, you just fixate the sleeve to the glove at the top with a few stitches.

Thats it!

I have to say, I found knitting very relaxing, I am sure I will give it another shot and this time before the next three decades have gone by!

ENJOY!