11 useful crochet projects for around the house
Do you plan your crochet projects based on what you will get used around the house? I do! A few years into my crochet life, I hit a point where I had a pile of around 7 crochet blankets and the practical side of my brain just couldn’t start making another one to add to the top of the pile! So I started looking at what other things I could make that would actually be useful to my family and our home rather than spending more money on yarn to make just another blanket to take up room in an already well-stocked home!
So I thought I would put together a list of 11 useful crochet projects for around the home. Most of these I have made, and a few of them I am about to make because I now want them in my home!
Plastic bag holder
First up we have a very cute take on what in my home growing up was just a plastic tube. Ashley from A Crafty Concept has this very cute hanging Crochet Plastic Bag Holder on her blog. Now if plastic bags have been banned in shops as they have been in many places, you can actually use this holder to hold your canvas bags. Grab one from the bottom and when you’ve finished and want to pack it away, pop it in the top!
In our home, this would be super handy for those grocery produce bags that we re-use for freezing meats or even to re-use as doggy poop bags for when you’re walking the dog!
This is one pattern I am already lining up to make for our home!
Washcloths and dishcloths and scrubbys! Oh My!
By the way, I might cry if no-one understands the Wizard of Oz reference there.
Next on the list are the always handy washcloths, dishcloths, and scrubbys. For my own silly reasons, I avoided making washcloths and scrubbys for the longest time. When I finally got a request to make one from a local Mum I dove straight down the rabbit hole because I thought if I am going to make these, I am going to make them well. I experimented with different yarns and stitches, and if you want to read more about my journey with washcloths, check out this post here. Now I do have a free washcloth pattern and a scrubby pattern, but there are lots of pattern options out there depending on your preferred aesthetic. You can also create a scrubby specifically for your face and look at how cute they can be! I haven’t created a face scrubby pattern yet, but many other designers have such as this one below.
This is a cute free face scrubby pattern designed by Amy Ziehn who is known as the Craft Brit Abroad on Instagram, grab it from her Ravelry store here.
Hot Pads or Trivets
You can let your creativity loose with hot pads. As long as you use cotton yarn, so you don’t melt acrylic yarn onto the bottom of your pots and pans, or wool yarn and accidentally felt it, you can make your heat pads match your home decor perfectly.
I made a hot pad years ago with leftover strands of about 7 different colours of cotton yarn and a 15mm hook. I made a simple flower-style pattern and the effect is beautiful!
Here are some other beautiful trivets you could make as well.
I love the look of this popcorn trivet, it’s modern but not plain, and the hexagon shape is just so pretty. This pattern was designed by Crochet-hello, grab the pattern at this link here.
And this one from Get Hooked Crochet is another simple yet eye-catching pattern. This trivet looks like it would be solid and do a great job of protecting your benchtops. Grab your copy of her pattern here.
Doormat
Now this is not a pattern I thought to make myself - I came across this idea from Taylor at Bags by Bento, she is fairly recent to the crochet designing game and she is incredible! Such great designs and just an infectious energy for her crochet business. She has this simple yet beautiful doormat pattern on her blog and it makes me wish I thought of it first! Go and check it out, it will make a wonderful addition to the entrance of your home.
Baskets
Hanging, solid base, nesting baskets, large soft side baskets, there are so many different ways you can make crochet baskets, and they can be used in basically every room of the house! In my home we use hanging baskets by the front door to keep all my canvas shopping bags, our dog leads, and everyones beanies or hats handy. We also use a solid base basket in my daughters’ room to keep all her hair ties and hair clips organised. (Though like many little kids, more often than not it ends up being tipped out and I end up scrounging around trying to find her hair ties. Mum life right?)
But there are so many different amazing basket patterns out there. Here are a couple of my favourite.
Of course I’ll start with a pattern from the Crochet Queen Toni from TL Yarn Crafts. I have made quite a few of her Jenna Stash Baskets with a solid base.
I buy my bases from Basket Bases Australia, Cait does an amazing job and has a huge variety of shapes and sizes available.
Here is another great basket pattern from the incredibly talented Stephanie from All About Ami. She has a number of basket patterns but I love this pattern for the brilliant idea of using a wire in the top of the basket to help it keep shape! Check out her pattern here.
Oven Mitts
My favourite oven mitt!
Oh the handy oven mitt. Though I don’t actually use an oven mitt. I use either a tea towel folded up, or this little crochet claw oven mitt I made a while ago and really need to write the pattern out for. It’s coming I promise!
There are a number of cool patterns out there for crochet oven mitts. I love this one, what a cute idea to have a pie oven mitt!
Desgined by Melanie Moreau of The Garnet Leaf, you can grab this pattern from her Ravelry Store here.
Blankets
My Summer Slumbers Blanket Pattern
Yes a very obvious answer to useful crochet projects for around the house, but sometimes the easiest answer is the best answer. The all mighty crochet blanket. From the granny square blanket, to the once popular v-stitch (remember when everyone was doing the v-stitch?), to a beautiful chunky textured neutral blanket, I mean the possibilities are endless.
They are also great for gifting. For nearly every family wedding for the last few years, I have gifted a crochet blanket. For many family babies and friends babies, I have gifted a baby blanket. When I gifted my first niece a blanket of her 2nd birthday, she began saying ‘Kate made it’ to everything that looked handmade, hence my business name!
If you haven’t yet, check out my blanket patterns in my Shop for some ideas on blankets to make for your next gift.
Coasters and placemats
This is another project I avoided for the longest time and I don’t actually know why. I make mandalas time and time again but I used to not be a massive fan of making 6 or 8 of exactly the same thing, so a set of placemats just isn’t all that appealing. That was until I learned the beauty and the meditative effect of mindless making, where you know the pattern and can just switch off and let your fingers do the work.
I have recently made a couple placemats for a friend and this pattern was wonderful to work up. This design comes to us from Cream of the Crop Crochet. Check out the website here and grab your pattern!
Remote pocket for the couch
Here is another project I have already added to my to-make list, and actually started making already. Loosing the remote is a daily battle with my kids, it is always getting moved, so I wonder if I had a handy little pocket right there hanging off the side of the couch if the kids might actually put it back where it belongs. Who knows!?
This looks like a simple and attractive addition to the lounge area, and I look forward to making one up for my house!
This beginner friendly pattern is by the well known Tamara from Moogly Blog. I am going to ignore all my current WIPs and start one of these because it looks so mindless and simple to whip up!
Cafe curtains for the kitchen
While not a practical object you can use day to day, this project would be such a statement piece and conversation starter. I know cafe curtains aren’t a modern style piece, but my country cottage loving heart wants to make one of these and hope it will work in a future house I might own! Imagine every time you wash your dishes, looking up to see a cafe curtain that you made yourself! Just look… isn’t it sweet!!
Sandra from Cherry Heart Shop created this beautiful design and you can grab it from her Etsy shop here.
Headbands, hair ties, and scrunchies. Oh my!
I love crocheted headbands and hair ties. My head must be a weird shape because solid headbands don’t sit right on my head, so a soft adjustable headband is a must for me. My favourite is by Meghan Makes Do - The Jillie Kerchief. I love that the idea behind these is to use up those small scraps of beautiful hand dyed yarn that you have left over from past projects. I have made so many of these, they really do help to keep the Mum bun under control! Go and grab yours from Meghan right now!!
So please let me know in the comments if this has inspired you to add any new projects to your TO-MAKE list!
Happy Hooking Friends, I’m off to finish my couch remote pocket!