How to Wind a Ball of Yarn | Cherry and Crochet Designs

 Winding a Ball of Wool

I find that my yarn stash can get out of hand easily, but winding a ball of yarn definitely makes it easier to neatly store my yarn. It also means that the yarn takes up less space as the yarn is used and still appears tidy, unlike winding with a machine or using the yarn as it comes from the shop. I also like how it looks when I pull out my yarn basket. 

Step 1

Tuck the end of the yarn between your middle and ring finger. Wind the yarn around your fingers several times like in the picture. I do about 50 wraps. 

Step 2

Take the yarn off your fingers and turn it on its side. Wind the yarn around the middle around 50 times again (this is only a short length of yarn from an old project, so I didn't do so many)

Step 3

Turn the small ball and squash the ends towards each other, then wind the yarn around this about 50 times again. 

Step 4

Wind the yarn around the ball around 10-40 times, then turn the ball and wind the yarn again. Repeat this until the yarn is used up. 

Step 5

You are finished! I always secure the end to prevent it getting tangled with other balls of yarn. This can be done with either a hair pin, like a bobby pin, or a hair clip, like those used for children. I asked around and someone had all of their little girl's hairclips that she didn't need. This combined with hair pins that I don't use, gives me plenty for all my yarn. 

Thank you for reading, please let me know if you have any suggestions for future posts. 

How to Make Sustainable Scrunchies from Old Tights and Socks | Cherry and Crochet Designs

How to make sustainable scrunchies from old tights and socks

With growing awareness around the environment, more people than ever are trying to produce less waste,  save money and conserve worldwide resources. These simple and quick scrunchies are a great way to recycle old tatty and holey tights and socks into lots of hair ties, which are usually quite expensive if sustainably made and ethically produced. By making them yourself from unusable tights and socks, you recycle them yourself, ensuring they don't go to landfill and also make a big set of hair bands in less than twenty minutes.

I am still using up hair bobbles from before wanting to be sustainable, but they are showing their age and I think it won't be long before all my hair bands are from tights and socks. They aren't as stretchy, but are more durable, eco friendly and free. They are also easily washable, which is great if you have very oily hair.

How to convert old tights to hair ties

Step 1) Wash and dry your old tights

This may seem obvious, but it is far easier to wash the tights or socks prior to cutting them into smaller pieces. Wash them thoroughly and dry them.

Step 2) Preparing them

Lay out your tights and use a pen, piece of chalk, small piece of soap or pencil to mark out sections approximately 10cm (~4 inches) apart on the leg of the tights. Make a mark at the end of the leg of the tights.

Step 3) Cutting

Cut the end of the toe off, then cut at each mark you have made, until you reach the end of the leg of the tights. Pick up each band and stretch it, then put it down. It should curl naturally into a reasonably thick hairband.

Step 4) (Optional) Securing the end

If it bothers you that the end could unravel, you can sew the loose part to the body of the hair tie to secure it and stop it unravelling. I don't do this simply because I am a little lazy and I find that the hair tie doesn't uncurl for me.

Making scrunchies from socks

Step 1) Cut the toe off the sock

Cut the very end of the toe off the sock.

Step 2) Cut the elasticated ankle part off

Cut from the top of the ankle of the sock, to around 4cm below it. This is the most stretchy part of the sock and therefore the most stretchy hair band.

Step 3) Cut the remainder of the sock in half

This is usually not particularly stretchy, so may be better if you use the whole sock rolled up if you want it to be very stretchy. However, cutting it in half makes it a decent hair tie.

Step 4) Finishing off

Pick up each band and stretch it, then put it down. It should curl naturally into a reasonably thick hairband. If it bothers you that the end could unravel, you can sew the loose part to the main bit of the scrunchie to secure it and stop it unravelling. I don't do this.

If you are wondering what to do with the excess fabric, I have a post here on making toy stuffing from fabric scraps.

Thank you for visiting my blog, let me know if you have tried anything like this and how it turned out.

Free Crochet Pattern- Sensory Toy Balls #2 | Cherry and Crochet Designs

 Sensory Toy Balls- Waves, Crossed, Textured, Circles

These sensory toy balls are a perfect gift for a baby or child. They work up really quickly and can be made using tiny scraps of yarn. They contain a filler pouch rather than regular stuffing for extra safety for the child, and feature a crossed version, a circle version, a wavy version, a textured version and many more in the previous post. The whole set would make a great quick and easy last minute present for an expectant mother or toddler. 

For all of the sensory balls in the series, you will need these items

Filler pouch (instructions for how to make here)
Double knitting yarn in colour(s) of your choice
4mm crochet hook
Yarn needle to weave in ends

Waves Toy Sensory Ball (medium blue)

Chain 2

R1) 8 half double crochet in 2nd chain from hook, slip stitch to first stitch. 

R2) Chain 1, 2 half double crochet in each stitch, slip stitch to first stitch. 

R3) Chain 1, *2 half double crochet in stitch, 1 half double crochet in next stitch, repeat from * around, slip stitch to first stitch. 

R4-6) Chain 1, half double crochet in each stitch, slip stitch to first stitch

R7) Chain 1, "skip stitch, 5 half double crochet in post of stitch below, slip stitch to next stitch, chain 1," repeat from " to " around. 

Insert filler pouch here

R8) Chain 1, *half double crochet two together in next 2 stitches, half double crochet in next stitch, repeat from * around, slip stitch to first stitch. 

R9) Chain 1, half double crochet 2 together around, slip stitch to first stitch

R10) Chain 1, half double crochet 2 together around, slip stitch to first stitch. 

Fasten off and sew top and bottom of ball closed, then weave in ends. 

Crossed Toy Sensory Ball (bright green)

Chain 2 with colour A

R1) 8 half double crochet in 2nd chain from hook, slip stitch to first stitch. 

R2) Chain 1, 2 half double crochet in each stitch, slip stitch to first stitch. Change to colour B. 

R3) Chain 1, *2 half double crochet in stitch, 1 half double crochet in next stitch, repeat from * around, slip stitch to first stitch. 

R4-5) Chain 2, double crochet in each stitch, slip stitch to first stitch. 

Insert filler pouch here

Do the round 5 crosses now- 

Round 5 Crosses- Chain 4, slip stitch to base of 4th stitch of round 5, *chain 4 again and slip stitch to top of 3rd stitch from the current stitch, chain 4, slip stitch to base of stitch 4 stitches away* repeat from * to * until the end. 

R6) Chain 1, *half double crochet two together in next 2 stitches, half double crochet in next stitch, repeat from * around, slip stitch to first stitch. Change to colour D. 

R7) Chain 1, half double crochet 2 together around, slip stitch to first stitch

R8) Chain 1, half double crochet 2 together around, slip stitch to first stitch. 

Round 4 crosses- fasten on yarn at beginning of round 4. Chain 4, slip stitch to top of 4th stitch of round 4 (this should be the same stitch as the first chain of the round 5 crosses) ,*chain 4 again and slip stitch to base of 3rd stitch from the current stitch, chain 4, slip stitch to top of stitch 4 stitches away*. Repeat from * to *, the slip stitches should line up from round 5 crosses and round 4 so they form crosses. 

Fasten off and sew top and bottom of ball closed, then weave in ends. 

Textured Toy Sensory Ball (red)

Chain 2

R1) 8 half double crochet in 2nd chain from hook, slip stitch to first stitch. 

R2) Chain 1, 2 half double crochet in each stitch, slip stitch to first stitch. 

R3) Chain 1, *2 half double crochet in stitch, 1 half double crochet in next stitch, repeat from * around, slip stitch to first stitch. 

R4-6) Chain 1, half double crochet in each stitch, slip stitch to first stitch

Insert filler pouch here

Texture) *Chain 5, slip stitch to post of stitch from round 3 directly below current stitch, chain 5, slip stitch to stitch from round 6 1 stitch away from previous stitch* repeat from * to *

R7) (Work in round 6, not the chains) Chain 1, *half double crochet two together in next 2 stitches, half double crochet in next stitch, repeat from * around, slip stitch to first stitch. 

R8) Chain 1, half double crochet 2 together around, slip stitch to first stitch

R9) Chain 1, half double crochet 2 together around, slip stitch to first stitch. 

Fasten off and sew top and bottom of ball closed, then weave in ends. 

Circles Toy Sensory Ball (gold)

Circle- make 10 half double crochet into post of stitch,

Chain 2

R1) 8 half double crochet in 2nd chain from hook, slip stitch to first stitch. 

R2) Chain 1, 2 half double crochet in each stitch, slip stitch to first stitch. 

R3) Chain 1, *2 half double crochet in stitch, 1 half double crochet in next stitch, repeat from * around, slip stitch to first stitch. 

R4) Chain 2, double crochet in each stitch, slip stitch to first stitch. 

R5) Chain 2, "circle, double crochet in 3 stitches," repeat from " to ", then *circle, double crochet in final 2 stitches* in last 3 stitches, slip stitch to first stitch. 

Insert filler pouch here

R7) Chain 1, *half double crochet two together in next 2 stitches, half double crochet in next stitch, repeat from * around, slip stitch to first stitch. 

R8) Chain 1, half double crochet 2 together around, slip stitch to first stitch

R9) Chain 1, half double crochet 2 together around, slip stitch to first stitch. 

Fasten off and sew top and bottom of ball closed, then weave in ends.

Thank you for reading Cherry and Crochet Designs, please comment if you have any issues or ideas for future patterns. 

Free Crochet Pattern- Sensory Toy Balls #1 | Cherry and Crochet Designs

 Sensory Toy Balls- Plain, Striped, Ridged, Bobble

These sensory toy balls are a perfect gift for a baby or child. They work up really quickly and can be made using tiny scraps of yarn. They contain a filler pouch rather than regular stuffing for extra safety for the child, and feature a striped version, a simple sparkly version, a bobbly version and many more in another post. The whole set would make a great quick and easy last minute present for an expectant mother or toddler. 

For all of the sensory balls in the series, you will need these items

Filler pouch (instructions for how to make here)
Double knitting yarn in colour(s) of your choice
4mm crochet hook
Yarn needle to weave in ends

Basic Toy Sensory Ball (sparkly black)

I used Stylecraft Cabaret in Shadows to make it sparkly. 

Chain 2

R1) 8 half double crochet in 2nd chain from hook, slip stitch to first stitch. 

R2) Chain 1, 2 half double crochet in each stitch, slip stitch to first stitch. 

R3) Chain 1, *2 half double crochet in stitch, 1 half double crochet in next stitch, repeat from * around, slip stitch to first stitch. 

R4-6) Chain 1, half double crochet in each stitch, slip stitch to first stitch

Insert filler pouch here

R7) Chain 1, *half double crochet two together in next 2 stitches, half double crochet in next stitch, repeat from * around, slip stitch to first stitch. 

R8) Chain 1, half double crochet 2 together around, slip stitch to first stitch

R9) Chain 1, half double crochet 2 together around, slip stitch to first stitch. 

Fasten off and sew top and bottom of ball closed, then weave in ends. 

Striped Toy Sensory Ball (mixed colours)

Chain 2 with colour A

R1) 8 half double crochet in 2nd chain from hook, slip stitch to first stitch. 

R2) Chain 1, 2 half double crochet in each stitch, slip stitch to first stitch. Change to colour B. 

R3) Chain 1, *2 half double crochet in stitch, 1 half double crochet in next stitch, repeat from * around, slip stitch to first stitch. 

R4-6) Chain 1, half double crochet in each stitch, slip stitch to first stitch. Change to colour C at end of round 5. 

Insert filler pouch here

R7) Chain 1, *half double crochet two together in next 2 stitches, half double crochet in next stitch, repeat from * around, slip stitch to first stitch. Change to colour D. 

R8) Chain 1, half double crochet 2 together around, slip stitch to first stitch

R9) Chain 1, half double crochet 2 together around, slip stitch to first stitch. 

Fasten off and sew top and bottom of ball closed, then weave in ends. 

Ridged Toy Sensory Ball (orange)

Chain 2

R1) 8 half double crochet in 2nd chain from hook, slip stitch to first stitch. 

R2) Chain 1, 2 half double crochet in each stitch, slip stitch to first stitch. 

R3) Chain 1, *2 half double crochet in stitch, 1 half double crochet in next stitch, repeat from * around, slip stitch to first stitch. 

R4) Chain 2, double crochet in each stitch, slip stitch to first stitch. 

R5) Chain 2,"front post double crochet, back post double crochet," repeat from "to" around, slip stitch to first stitch. 

Insert filler pouch here

R7) Chain 1, *half double crochet two together in next 2 stitches, half double crochet in next stitch, repeat from * around, slip stitch to first stitch. 

R8) Chain 1, half double crochet 2 together around, slip stitch to first stitch

R9) Chain 1, half double crochet 2 together around, slip stitch to first stitch. 

Fasten off and sew top and bottom of ball closed, then weave in ends. 

Bobble Toy Sensory Ball

Bobble- make 5 double crochet, take hook out of loop and reinsert at top of first double crochet, insert end of hook into loop of 5th stitch and make a slip stitch.

Chain 2

R1) 8 half double crochet in 2nd chain from hook, slip stitch to first stitch. 

R2) Chain 1, 2 half double crochet in each stitch, slip stitch to first stitch. 

R3) Chain 1, *2 half double crochet in stitch, 1 half double crochet in next stitch, repeat from * around, slip stitch to first stitch. 

R4) Chain 1, half double crochet in 2 stitches, *bobble, half double crochet in 5 stitches, repeat from * around , slip stitch to first stitch. 

R5) Chain 1, half double crochet in 6 stitches, *bobble, half double crochet in 5 stitches, repeat from * around , slip stitch to first stitch. 

R6) Chain 1, half double crochet in 3 stitches, *bobble, half double crochet in 5 stitches, repeat from * around , slip stitch to first stitch. 

Insert filler pouch here

R7) Chain 1, *half double crochet two together in next 2 stitches, half double crochet in next stitch, repeat from * around, slip stitch to first stitch. 

R8) Chain 1, half double crochet 2 together around, slip stitch to first stitch

R9) Chain 1, half double crochet 2 together around, slip stitch to first stitch. 

Fasten off and sew top and bottom of ball closed, then weave in ends.

Thank you for reading Cherry and Crochet Designs, please comment if you have any issues or ideas for future patterns.