Bath Mat

The mat was crotcheted of old t-shirts; I collected most of them from the bags of clothing left on the street during hard waste collection week.

In cutting the fabric I lay it out on the floor, flat, and depending upon whether the fabric was thin or thick cut them into 4cm or 3cm strips. I then cut off the ends to make them into one strip and then sewed those edges together, although by the end I found it would have been easier to merely start cutting at one end and revolving the shirt, still cutting, until I came to the last bit at the end and one continuous strip.

The fabric was knit cotton. The kind of knit that has a "good" side and a "bad" side, and once cut I stretched them out until they became cord.

The skull was embroidered on with t-shirt fabric as well, although the strips were cut into 1.5cm strips so as to be thinner. I stitched them in using a tapestry needle, securing them on the other side by threading them through a few crochet stitches.

Sturdier fabric will give a coarser, less stretchy cord, which will widen the knit. I neglected to compensate at one end by dropping a chain, as can be seen. That said, the thinner, stretchier fabric will quickly narrow as you crochet and next thing you know it's all topsy-turvy! Being generous with the cord at that point is a good thing.

I used a 7mm crochet hook to do all this.

The mat is very thick and quite heavy; a similar sort of result could be gotten by cutting the fabric into 2-2.5cm thickness, making less unwieldy cord (and as such more pliable) and make the fabric go a longer way.

It took a week or so of constant crocheting. Only do if you are utterly bored and have no recourse of anything to do. It was very sturdy and absorbent, easily enough cleaned when done.

The skull and crossbones design was stitched in after the rest of it was completed.