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


Honor Crocheting

November 11, 2024 No comments yet
Unfinished crochet project

When a crocheter dies they many times leave behind a unfinished project. Often family who find the project(s) don’t know how to go about finishing the item. Sometimes you see these things at thrift stores or estate sales. I am always sad when see them and wonder about the crafter who left behind some work of theirs in progress.

I recently was given a big tote with lots of yarn from a friend’s relative that had passed away. Inside the tote, I found this partially finished crochet project. All the yarn was in a bag with even the crochet hook still attached to the project. It looked like a scarf and it was in a basic double crochet stitch which I could easily identify.

So I set off to finish up this project. I call this honor crocheting as I am honoring the person who started it by finishing their project for which they left behind when they died. I am not positive that she was crocheting a scarf but it was easy for me to finish it and honor her work. Here is the finished scarf below.

Mutant Potatoes

October 23, 2024 No comments yet
Mutant looking potatoes

Halloween time seems like a good time to share my mutant potatoes. These strange and scary potatoes were grown in my garden this year. I was so surprised when I dug them up and discovered how they had grown into these strange-looking shapes.

I found out that these potatoes were stressed and that is what caused them to grow so strangely. There is a good article here about the reasons and how to avoid this from happening. Apparently lack of rain, hot weather and not enough watering are the main reasons that you can end up with potatoes looking like these do.

When this happens your harvest will be much smaller as the potatoes didn’t grow and spread out like they should have. When the potatoes are dry for too long, it causes

Sea Blue Granny Shawl

October 7, 2024 No comments yet
Sea Blue Granny Shawl

I found this pretty Sea Muse Print Yarn at Hobby Lobby. I thought it would make into a lovely granny shawl. I purchased 3 skeins of 5 ounces each to crochet this granny shawl pattern by Louise Howe. The free pattern is found here.

I used a H (5 mm) crochet hook and followed the pattern as written. I did crochet one row of SC

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.


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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.


Thank you for stopping by to visit and for your interest in My Recycled Bags!