The last couple weeks have been spent working on prepping cupboards, painting cupboards, installing cupboards, installing counter on the bottom cupboards, putting cupboard doors on the top cupboards and now sorting through the boxes and stashes of craft items that I am going to be putting into those cupboards.
I think that by the time I get it all put back together and organized; I am going to be very ready to start crafting again instead of organizing crafting supplies.
There are some things I do like to work on at night as we just sit and watch TV. I do like to do crochet or knit projects. These projects only involve needles or hooks, the yarn and a pattern. It is a pretty tidy way to do crafts…..except when the ball of yarn rolls over the floor and tangles through stuff. Last month I spent evenings crocheting coat hangers. I should probably say crocheting coverings for wooden coat hangers.
I was fortunate to have a Grandma who crocheted and knitted and was incredibly thrifty. When my Grandma Boogerd was still living, and before she developed macular degeneration, she knitted and crocheted an unreal amount of hangers.
Every Christmas each grandchild and great-grandchild received a set as a gift. She and Grandpa had at least 20 grandkids and many many more great-grandkids. Those coat hangers were more colorful than Joseph’s coat. She used up every leftover scrap of yarn when she made them.
I really took a shine to those coat hangers; as they are wonderful for keeping clothes from slipping off the hangers. I have not yet started to make them every Christmas for my kids and grandkids…..I might have to consider that as a project!
I have made them as gifts for various occasions from playing bingo on Christmas Eve to birthdays. I have a sister who loves it when she gets a set. They are a great way to use up odds and ends of yarn when you don’t have quite enough for a large project.
If you would like to give them a try; here is the pattern I was taught by my Grandma.
Crocheted Coat Hangers
Size F crochet hook
wooden coat hangers
any 4 ply yarn
Directions:
Chain 80
Row 1: 5dc in 4th ch from hook.
*Skip 3 ch, sc in next ch, skip 3 ch, 6dc in next ch.
Repeat from * ending with sc in last ch.
You will have made 10 half shells.
Row 2: Turn * 6dc in bottom of half shell, sc in bottom of sc.
Repeat from * to end of row.
You will have made 10 full shells.
Fasten off.
For each hangar you will need to make two of these.
I use a contrasting color for crocheting both sides together.
Put both sides together with right sides facing out.
With contrasting yarn color, sc in each stitch, starting in center where the hook of the hangar will be.
Once you have sc half of the “top” portion and all along bottom edge, insert hanger and finish sc around to hook of hanger.
I like to leave a long tail of the contrast color. I cut two more pieces of yarn and tie a bow around the hook of the hanger to finish off. Weave in any loose ends that might still be hanging around.
My Grandma used to make pom poms to tie at the base of the hook ;but I have never mastered that art so I stick with an easy bow.
Grandma always made these scalloped ones for the girls and she knitted very plain ones for the guys. I usually just make all scalloped ones as my husband really does not care what his clothes hang on.
I do enjoy making these hangers. I love using them in my closet but I also love the link it gives me back to my Grandma. I can still see her sitting in the nursing home with yarn strewn all over her bed. She was choosing which colors to make for specific people.
She felt so bad when her eyesight became too poor and it became too difficult to keep making them. That was the year I learned to crochet coat hangers; as I finished the Christmas hangers for her.
Maybe someday I will have a granddaughter who decides she wants to try doing some of the things this Chicken Grandma did. I think that would be a very fine thing.
― Philip Carr-Gomm
I just gave your pattern for these coat jackets 🙂 to my crocheting sister. Loved the blog.
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I really like the term “coat jackets”! That is exactly what they are. Maybe you can get her to make you some :).
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I’m hopeful!!!
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Oh, I do love them and such a gift your Grandma gave! Thank you for sharing the pattern with us Faye, along with the lovely memory!
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You are so welcome!
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Aren’t grandmas just the best? Mine were! My boys kinda missed out but I am determined my grands will know I love them to pieces.
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I have determined the same thing! My Grandmas never actually told us they loved us but they showed it by what they did.
Grandmas are the best!
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Now I really wish I could do something else with my hands apart from cooking:-) Thank God for your grandma
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She was left-handed so it was hard to learn from her but……we managed. I would sit opposite her and mirror her.
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Wow! She passed on an amazing skill to you:-)
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She also tatted. That is one thing I never learned to do.
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*love*!
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Crocheting these always brings back great memories.
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Faye
Thanks for sharing the patten. I do a sort of craft on metal hangers, rolling and knotting yarn over the hangers to make a sort of covering for them but this is beautiful- a work of art.
You make two sets of the rows outside the hanger and then put them together over the hanger with sc ?
I am going to try this.
Susie
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That is correct Susie. Once you get the hang of it they are pretty easy.
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I will make one today and post so you can see if I made it right, Faye.
You don’t need two hangers for it, do you ?
My decorated hangers need two hangers to make them stronger.
Susie
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You only need one wooden hanger per two sides. Anxious to see yours!
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I admire anyone who does crafty things, especially useful things. Your hangers are lovely. My mother-in-law solved the problem of a runaway ball of yarn by putting the ball in a small gift bag. She’d set it on the floor, work magic with her needles, and pop everything back in the bag when she was through. She was still knitting in her 90’s.
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That is a great idea for those traveling balls of yarn. I am going to have to try that one. Knitting and crocheting is so handy and I like the fact I can take it with me when my husband and I go places. Small projects like hangars and dishcloths pack real easy to do on the road.
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Sadly my brain cannot comprehend crochet. I am going to try it again this year but I think I already know the outcome! These are super, and such a lovely history behind them too.
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These are so easy! If you lived closer (like on this side of the ocean) I could teach you :). You tube has great how-to videos.
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I am going to give it ago, but I think the reason I couldn’t get to grips with crochet are the same reason that I can’t un-knit. I really cannot tell one stitch from another!
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LOL I am knitting a sock monkey. I had not worked on him since last winter. I started going the wrong way around so now I have to unknit….it is an incredible challenge for me to do that.
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Grandma’s always do the neatest things. The coat hangers are lovely, I do not crochete, but I do many other types of crafts. Lovely post Faye.
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I dabble in all kinds of crafts. My husband keeps thinking I am getting new hobbies. I tell him nope….all under the craft hobby umbrella!
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Funny men. Lol Crafts include numerous things.
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Someone should have a little side business going..:) beautiful work!!
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Thank you so much George. They are easy to make and so useful! I tend to give them away :).
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How nice of you to share the pattern and the story. 🙂 Many many moons ago I made a queen-sized afghan with that shell pattern. I put it on my bed every winter between the quilts, and it provides a nice layer of warmth for my cold bones! Handmade things like that are special.
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Handmade things are so special. I still have the hangers that my grandma made for us.
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Oh my! How I love crochet coat hangers! They are wonderful for slippery blouses and jackets. I still have some that my great-aunt made! I do not know how to crochet at all…I want to learn how! Your instructions read like a remote language from the Amazon to me! I believe that there is a crochet class at JoAnn’s…my most favorite store! I have been meaning to sign up! The way that you ended this post is very good. You are quite talented!!!
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I learned the basics for knitting and crocheting in high school. We had a librarian who would teach anyone who wanted to learn. We actually had a club for that group. My grandma and aunt both also helped me to learn. I did not knit or crochet for years after that. When I started again I actually googled it and that was a great way to jog the memory.
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That brought back memories of my elderly neighbor who was just like a grandma to me. She crocheted everything. She made me wonderful coat hangers, and Afghans, and the dolls were my favorite. What a wonderful memory to retrieve! Thank you so much!
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I am so glad it brought back good memories! It does for me too when I make them. Both of my Grandmas did knitting and crocheting. One of them always knitted our wool mittens for school. She passed away when I was a freshmen in high school so I never was able to learn from her how she made them. I do have her knitting needles though and that is kind of special to me.
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Oh wow!! One of my grandmother’s sewed beautiful dresses for my sister and I as children. She would make us elaborate Easter outfits! When my babies were little, I lived close to her and we made curtains for my house together. That was a joy!
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My mom sewed all our clothes! My poor youngest sister always looked like she never had any new clothes. Mom would make us all matching jumpers and they just kept getting handed down to her.
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I can picture her with all the yarn on her bed!! That macular degeneration is awful. One of my great aunts (who passed away) did tons of needlework her whole life. Then lost her sight That was so hard on her because she couldn’t do her projects anymore. I love that your grandma made those hangers for everyone. My grandma made dolls for us.
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The last hangers she made were pretty knobby looking as she would miss stitches. I love those because she still made them as long as possible.
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Wish I could have met her. ❤️
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What a lovely story, and beautiful hangers! I’d never considered how handy they’d be to stop things slipping off either, one to remember. Thanks for sharing your pattern. 😊
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Thank you so much for stopping by! These are pretty much the only hangers I have in my closet. I have gotten a little addicted to making and using them.
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It’s nice to carry on special family things, the only reason I can knit and crochet is because of my grandmas. 😊
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I can due to my grandma, my aunt and a librarian that we had in high school. They all loved passing on the knowledge.
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