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I don’t like sponges being used in clean up situations… I’ve just heard way too much about germs that live up in them. But I do like scrubbies. We had a whole pile of the thing that were given as a gift. It was easy to see that they were little crocheted circles of maroon and hunter green, but I couldn’t’ figure out what the material was for the life of me.
So one day I’m in the craft store when I see one older lady speaking to another older lady who is putting spool after spool of tulle into her cart. “Are you making tutus?” “No, I’m making little crochet pot scrubbers that my granddaughter sells on the internet for me.” Whoa – crochet pot scrubbers?
Me being me, I have to go over and talk to this chick and get the skinny and I’m informed that you use the tulle like you would yarn and crochet rounds to make pot scrubbers. I grabbed a neon pink, green and blue right there on the spot.
Why neons? Because when things are busy (like they are with a craft blog to run) I’m really, really bad at doing laundry. Well, not so much the doing as the putting away. There is a humongous pile of clean clothes on my loveseat as we speak. A veritable mountain’s worth. Tonight when I go to take a shower, I’ll have to dig through the pile to find a nightgown. Tomorrow when a scrubbie needs to be found to do dishes, you guessed it, dug out of the pile. So I went neon hoping that they’ll be much easier to find. Because historically, little itty bitty black and maroon suckers have been pretty darn elusive.
For this project you will need:
First you’ll need to ball up your tulle just like you would yarn. Need help? Learn how to ball it up here.
You don’t have to do this step, but while you wind it up you kind of condense it which makes it considerablly easier to crochet with. I went both ways, straight off of the spool and balling it, and I have to say that balling it is definitely the way to go.
First tie your tulle onto the your hook at the fattest point to make your loop. Be sure to leave a decent length of tail.
Chain 6 times. Don’t worry if they don’t look perfect because we’re going to be covering it up anyway.
Use a slip stitch to connect to the first chain and create a loop.
Chain 4 and then double crochet into the circle. Chain one.
Continue to double crochet with a chain in between each for a total of 12 spokes (11 double crorchets + the first chain of 4 will act as your first double crochet).
I changed colors each round to make them a bit more exciting but it’s totally optional. Take your tulle and tie it onto your hook at the fattest part to make your loop. Again leave a decent length of tail. Push through a gap in the first round.
Double crochet TWICE in each gap with NO chains in between for this round.
Take your tails and wind them through to the edge of your crochet. Tie a knot with that tail and the tulle left at the end of your hook. Knot that sucker like crazy and take some heavy duty fabric glue to reinroce the knot. Really daub that stuff on there and allow to fully dry.
And there she is. One down and a few more to go.
So far I’ve made 6 out of 3 spools of tulle and I think that I can get another 3 out of what I have left. They’re really nice and thick and have a good size.
I purchased my tulle from Hobby Lobby. They were marked $4.99 but I got them on sale for 50% off. It would technically be cheaper, I think, to purchase tulle by the yard and cut into six inch strips yourself but I wasn’t down with all of that extra work…
These guys have already been put to work and I’ve got to say, they’re definitely worth the effort. The scratchy tulle will jack up your hands, though, so be sure to have plenty of lotion around. Toward the end I was knocking out one every 15 minutes or so. Not bad.
What do you think? Will you be knocking up some of these handy dandy little kitchen helpers? Happy Monday!
4-27-22 I’ve been looking for this pattern since I bought some when lived in Phillipsburg, KS. I’ll be making lots too. Thanks for offering this patter. Debbie Bell
2 quick things.
1. Have a laugh. I was using tulle, from a 6 in roll. The last pattern I used was cut into 2in strips. At 7am after 3hrs sleep I could not figure out why my scrubby had so many holes, & a needle as big as recommended instead of the J/6mm I had. When I saw you were using the full 6in I tossed my mess in the air and burst out laughing.
2. An info thing for keeping yarn or tull clean, use a nylon kneehigh, keeps even small black dog hair off, and if you slide the tulle off the cardboard and into the nylon, you can crochet from the inside or outside without rolling it into a ball!
Anita in Edmonton Canada.
Ha! I have stuff like that happen all of the time. I start to look sideways at a project but I keep going until I’m really sure I’ve messed up. It tends to be good practice for the real deal, though :)
When I made this mine turned out thinner than I wanted (maybe because I didn’t have an N hook so I used a K) so I did the same pattern using the Sugar n Cream cotton yarn and stitched the two together so I have one scrubby side and one soft side.
Hi Allison,
Happy to report I finally mastered a crochet pot scrubbie!
Thank you for your tutorial, I so appreciate your instructions.
After practicing on yarn, then nylon netting mesh, I was a bit frustrated, they looked so funny & wonky.
Bought some 6″ tulle on spool, voila! Much better results I am happy to say!
Are your scrubbies in your pictures made with 6″ width tulle or less ?
Thanks again from a happy crochet newbie!
I actually took the 6 inch tulle and cut it in half for a less bulky scrubber, but it’s totally up to you, either work very well! And congrats, Roseanne :)
Hi, I am the ultimate beginner, my question: how to do you tie off first round before adding second color?
I’ve watched many youtube videos trying to learn, so far your pictures have helped me the most.
Thank you.
I will try to put some photos together soon to show you how, Roseanne! I think pictures work much better than any words I could use to explain it :)
Those are so awesome!! My friend made me some with tulle and I love them. They’re not neon though, I wish they were. http://xfallenmoon.blogspot.com/
What width is the tulle and where do I get it?
It is 6 inches and you can get it at Hobby Lobby
With the tulle I purchased, the colors run when they get wet. Not very good for a sink scrubber! Anyone else had this problem? Suggestions?
I have not but I’ll keep your question open so others might answer.
I have purchased fabric but don’t know what size to cut strips(do tell). Also, what or how do
you extend your fabric when you come to the end of your strip.
Help,THANKS,Angie
a
Hey, Angie. You can cut the strips anywhere from 3 inches to 5 inches and have good success. I’d cut a strip of both and see which you prefer. The 5 inch strips will be more chunky, more full. You can make one strip. Here is a GREAT tutorial from Heidi at Hands Occupied that will show you how to cut it! http://www.handsoccupied.com/2014/07/how-to-make-fabric-yarn/
thank-you, very helpful
So, I bought some 6″ rolls of the tulle. Which really looks the coolest and feels good to use? 2′ or 1″ strips?
Thanks, I want to do this project and am relearning how to crochet after SO many years!!
You can use either! In the end for the ones in the pic I used 2 inch strips!
Thank you so much for the easy to follow directions. I’m just getting back into crocheting and learning stiches as I go. As an alternative add on I single crocheted a round of cotton yarn and joined the two layers around the outer edge to make a two sided scrubby.
So before reading the comments I got really excited and bought 6 yards of the full size tulling. After its cut any ideas how to tie it together. You can see the knots after “weaving” in ends
Hi, Leslie. You could always try the fold over technique shown here. Your other option is to actually sew the ends together. That’s how I typically make a crochet rag rug.
You can do the same thing for bath scrubbies. I put a crocheted circle on back of the tulled circle. Leave an opening so I can stick a piece of soap inside.
Thank you so very much. I love your site and all the help that you give. Keep up the good work.
I tried them last night, but I want to know, what do you do with the first tail when you start the second color? You do not say in the tutorial and I did not see two tails on the pictures. Also, I bought my tulle from Amazon and it came on what looked like toilet paper rolls. I had no problem winding it though. It is about 5-6 inches wide and was a little thick when trying to do the chains and DC. I am going to give it a try again when I work out the particulars. You make it look so easy and I am sure it is and I am doing something wrong, but I will get it!!!
Hey, Lillian! After you make your circle you know how you’ll next chain three to act as your first double crochet? During that step I take my tail and also crochet it into the chain and the next double crochet until the tail runs out. Sometimes you’ll have a weensy bit peeking out so I just pull it kind of taught and snip it as close to the finished piece as I can. I hope this helps but let me know if it doesn’t :)
You can take your tulle and cut it into about one inch strips. Just run right on down the roll. It will be much easier to manage and your scrubbies will be less bulky. You can play around with the width. Perhaps you prefer 2 inch wide strips so the finished scrubbers are a bit chunky, or even thinner for daintier circles with more rows.
Good luck to you :)
Do you cut your own strips of tulle? Walmart had some great bolts of colors but wasnt sure how to cut it or how much to buy. Any suggestions?
I actually used tulle on a roll from the ribbon department at Hobby Lobby, but you could definitely cut your own from the by the yard tulle. I’ve seen it running about 72 cents per yard, I’d honestly do a test. Maybe buy a yard and see how far you can get with it. Just cut it in strips, roll it into a ball and you’ll get a ball park about how much you’ll need for how many. My guess is that you’ll get 2 or pretty close to it out of a yard…
Caitlin – now take into consideration that I am a specialist in hinky math, but I figured up about 12-15 yards of the 6 inch wide tulle apiece.
this is such a great idea! how many yards of tulle does it take to make one scrubbie?
Oh, no, Christine! Does that mean little girls in Australia don't get to wear tutus? I hope you find some tulle!
What a great little idea! Not sure if we can get that sort of tuile here in Perth, Australia though…. :(
Thanks for the comments, ladies.
I'm so glad you're a hooker now, Elba :) I have been really looking to get into crocheting those cute little things but I haven't made the time yet.
Sorry for the hassle, Megan. The link is active and ready for clicking. Thanks so much for the heads up!
Love it!. Only thing… the link to how to ball the tulle is missing. Can you post please?
Hi Allison!
These are so clever and pretty! and they look easy.
I have to admit that your tutorials inspired me to learn to crochet, I'm making some amigurumis :) and I'm so excited about trying new things. Thanks for the idea. Xo, Elba
Like this idea more than cutting strips of nylon net, the colors are better too
Thanks Ale!
love them !!!
thank you, xxxx Ale