Come Learn and Share Information about Recycling, Crocheting & Recycled Crafting


Potholder Towel Combo

September 13, 2024 No comments yet
Fall Potholder Towel Combo

Here are a few potholder towel combo ideas. First is a Fall themed potholder from the Dollar Store that I added a towel to the bottom of the potholder.

The towel is folded in half and I used a needle and thread to run a baste stitch through the center for gathering. I then gathered the center of the towel to match the bottom of the potholder.

Below is a photo of the front with it pinned in several areas. You can either machine stitch the towel to the potholder or hand stitch it in place. For this project, I hand stitched the towel to the bottom edge of the potholder. I was able to hide my stitches using brown thread and pulling up under the red trim edge of the potholder. I secured the towel tightly by doing many stitches and making sure it wasn’t going to pull loose. See photos below for more details and you can click on them to supersize the photos.

More Baby Lovies

August 25, 2024 No comments yet
Brown Granny Bear Lovey

Here are a two more baby lovies that I have crocheted for the local hospital. These lovies are crocheted using a ponytail hair tie for the centerhole and then a store-bought stuffed animal used for the center.

The first lovey is crocheted using lavender and white yarn with a stuffed dinosaur. This lovey features a round ripple design. Here is the link for the round ripple baby lovey pattern details. My finished size is 21 inches wide.

Next is a granny stitch styled lovey with a white dollar store bear added for the animal. The pattern details on how to crochet this lovey are as follows

Denim Christmas Stockings

July 28, 2024 No comments yet
Recycled Denim Christmas Stockings

For Christmas in July this year, I cut up some old denim to make mini Christmas stockings for Warmth for Warriors. I cut the denim using a paper template and then just sew around the edges while leaving the top hem unsewn. Once the sewing is done, I turn the stockings to the right sides and fold over the top raw edges to the inside of the stocking.

A crocheted top is then added to the stockings. I used some scraps in red, white and blue yarn to add a patriotic twist to a few of the stockings. I have all the details along with several photos

Bar Towel with Crocheted Topper

July 13, 2024 No comments yet
Spa Blue Bar Towel Topper

Here is a Dollar Store bar towel with a crocheted topper added. I used a milk jug ring for the hanging loop.

This is a quick towel topper as it uses a small triangle shape and about an ounce of cotton yarn to complete. There is no cutting or sewing necessary for this towel topper. I used this free triangle ring towel topper pattern to crochet the project with a few modifications. Because this towel is smaller, at row 3, I did single crochet (SC) decreases (Dec) all across in BLO, then SC in every stitch next row. Repeat these two rows, twice.
At row 8, Ch 1, turn.

Fundraising Plarn Basket

June 22, 2024 No comments yet
Fundraising Plarn Basket

In March, I crocheted a recycled plastic bag or plarn basket for an upcoming fundraiser. The post and details about the basket are found here.

I filled the basket with some jar opening helpers, dishcloths, a towel with a crocheted topper, a candle, a potholder, a notepad and some wine. Hopefully a fun assortment of different things which will be a auction favorite for my local Relay For Life.

The jar opening helpers are crocheted with just a bit of cotton and the pattern is available here.

Next in the basket is:

Yellow Dog Granny Lovey

June 6, 2024 No comments yet
Yellow Dog Granny Lovey

Just a quick post to share a new child’s granny lovey. This lovey is crocheted using a granny stitch and features a yellow store-bought stuffed dog for the toy. The granny lovey is started around a stretchy hair tie with a stuffed animal inserted through the center hole.

You can find more pictures and pattern instructions at my original granny lovey post here.

Here is one more photo showing the granny lovey more closeup.

Rectangle Granny Throw

May 25, 2024 No comments yet
Rectangle Granny Throw

Here is my latest crochet project. A rectangle granny throw that can be used as a lapghan or wheelchair throw. This is a project that I crocheted using mostly donated yarn and is being given to the VA Outreach Program.

I use this rectangle granny blanket pattern. I chain 41 stitches to start and do the joins a little different. The way I do the corner joins is really handy and you don’t have to slip stitch over to the corner space to start a new round. It makes for a nicer corner join in my opinion. You can read more about my changes and see pictures

Jar Opener Helper

May 6, 2024 No comments yet
Crocheted Jar Opener Helper

There has been a renewed interest in an old pattern of mine so I thought I’d crochet a few of the jar opener helpers to revisit the pattern. I haven’t crocheted any of these jar helpers in years.

These jar helpers are the handiest things to have and so easy to make yourself. They really do help you get a good grip on a jar lid so you can open it easily. I use shelf liner and you can make a lot of them from just one roll. Then just under a half ounce of yarn and you have the materials to make a jar opener helper. Plus you can color match the jar helper edging to match a dishcloth or potholder to crochet a pretty matching set.

The free crochet pattern for the jar helper is found here.

Round Ripple Baby Lovey

April 4, 2024 No comments yet
Round Ripple Baby Lovey

I am excited to present a new baby lovey that features a round ripple pattern. It has a centerhole which is created by crocheting around a thick ponytail hair tie. By crocheting the baby lovey with a centerhole, you can use a store-bought stuffed animal for the project. That way you can wash the round ripple lovey separate from the stuffed animal.

Here is the lovey with the stuffed animal removed so you can see how it looks separated.

Here is another round ripple lovey that I crocheted using the same round ripple idea for the project.

I want to detail how I start my round ripple lovies. I use a 2″ thick ponytail tie for the center and it gives a 1.75″ opening on 24 stitches. Here is a photo with the first round of single crochet (SC) stitches around the ponytail hair tie. I work 24 stitches around the tie as show and slip stitch to join.

My round ripple baby lovey is based off of Aggie May’s round ripple (RR) blanket pattern. After the 24 single crochet stitches for the center start, and following Aggie May’s RR pattern, work row 3: Ch 3, 1 DC, ch-2, 2 DC in same stitch as join. Then skip 1 stitch and work 2 DC, ch-2, 2 DC in next stitch and repeat. Join to top of ch 3. Total of 12 sets of shells. See photo below for a closeup photo of this round.



About Me

Hello, I’m Cindy or aka RecycleCindy. Welcome to my blog site that is dedicated to recycling and crafting. I love to crochet and create crafts and other useful things from recycled materials. I share many free tutorials and patterns for creating recycled projects as well as other handmade items.


Here is a direct link to all my free patterns available here on My Recycled Bags.


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