Crochet

Patterns, projects and techniques

Felted Soap

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http://www.etsy.com/listing/105364167/made-to-order-felted-soap-with-libra

 

 

This is an idea that’s new to me!  Have you heard of felted soap?  It sounds like the perfect marriage of yarn and practicality.  The resulting bar of soap is both pretty and useful, quick and easy to make.  You can see a great tutorial for making your own felted soap here.  The image above is offered on etsy.com by SoFino where you can find a beautiful selection of felted soaps.  Yummy!  I haven’t ordered from this vendor, but the products look amazing, don’t you think?

Here’s another site with info about felting soap and how to use it.  The idea is that you wrap a bar of soap with wool roving (or a crocheted cover made from feltable wool or maybe a 100% wool sweater you got at the thrift store), felt the wool to the soap as the wool will conform to the shape of the bar (no rough edges, please) in the felting process.  Then, as you use the soap (it lathers!), the felted cover shrinks along with the bar of soap.  I’m thinking I’ll use this idea with that bag of soap scraps I have stashed in my bathroom, waiting for inspiration rather than disposal.

This is an idea I like!  I also think this would make a great gift for that hard to please person.  For your mechanic buddy, get a nice big bar of Lava soap and cover it with a dark cover into which you’ve crocheted some small popcorn stitches which will enhance the scrubbing of the soap.  For a kid, just pick his or her favorite color and cover a bar of soap.  They’ll think it’s magic when you show them how to get lather from wool!

At $18/bar from the etsy shops (this takes some labor so the price is not unreasonable), this can be a pricey gift.  But, if you use your own elbow grease, I think you’ll be happy with the result.

 

Comments

  1. While it looks pretty the ewwww factor is there.
    Do you know how much e-coli end up on washclothes? and they can go in a washing machine, these can’t. Then you need one per-person and someplace for them to dry without cross-contaminating each other.

  2. I’m not sure why a felt cover would have any more bacteria on it than a regular bar of soap. Of course, this is not a required project ;-).
    jd

  3. I looked up if felted soap were safe and nothing came up saying it was not. I would thing that each time you use the soap in hot water the germs would be killed if there are any. If concerned after each use allow it to dry in a open soap holder. e-coli seems a tad extreme 🙁

Have you read?

Red Melt The Ice Slouch Beanie Crochet Pattern Review

Some crochet projects are made simply because we need a warm hat. Some are made because we need a quick gift, a stash-busting project, or something easy to work on while watching television. And then there are crochet projects that carry a message.

This Red Slouch Beanie Crochet Pattern PDF sits firmly in that last category.

Inspired by the Melt the ICE craftivism movement, this red crochet beanie is more than just a wearable winter accessory. It is a handmade political statement — soft, practical, visible, and rooted in the long tradition of protest through craft.

You can find the Red Slouch Beanie Crochet Pattern PDF here.

Crochet as Protest

Crafters have always had a way of saying things with their hands. Quilts have carried coded messages, embroidery has documented women’s lives, banners have marched through the streets, and yarn crafts have wrapped public spaces in colour and defiance.

This beanie belongs to that same creative lineage.

The phrase Melt the ICE gives this pattern its political edge. It connects the humble red crochet hat to conversations around immigration enforcement, detention, family separation, human rights, community care, and the role ordinary people can play in public protest.

And that is what makes this pattern interesting. It is not loud in the way a placard is loud, but it is visible. A red handmade hat catches the eye. It invites questions. It gives the maker a way to wear their values without needing to shout over anyone.

Sometimes craftivism works because it is disarming. People expect political protest to be hard-edged, but handmade work brings something different to the conversation. It says, “I cared enough to make this stitch by stitch.”

About the Pattern

The pattern itself is beginner-friendly and refreshingly straightforward. The hat is worked flat in rows, then seamed and gathered to create a relaxed slouch beanie shape. That makes it especially approachable for crocheters who are still building confidence with wearable projects.

Instead of needing to work in the round or fuss with crown shaping from the start, you are essentially making a rectangle and turning it into a hat. I love that kind of construction because it gives beginners a real sense of achievement. You are not just practising stitches — you end up with something wearable and meaningful.

The design uses a textured crochet fabric, giving the finished beanie a cozy, slightly chunky look. The slouchy shape keeps it casual and modern, while the bold red colour gives it that unmistakable activist feel.

Why Red Matters

The red yarn is not just a colour choice here. It is part of the visual language of the project.

Red is urgent. Red is warm. Red is visible in a crowd. It can suggest anger, love, warning, solidarity, courage, and care all at once. For a political crochet project, that matters.

A red slouch beanie can be worn to rallies, community events, mutual aid gatherings, craftivism meet-ups, or simply out in everyday life as a quiet statement of support. It is one of those pieces that can be as bold or as subtle as the wearer wants it to be.

Of course, you could make the pattern in any colour, but for the Melt the ICE inspiration, red feels intentional. It gives the hat its message before a single word is spoken.