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Have You Crocheted With Harn Yet?

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Have you had your Harn today?  Have you Harnned?  Can you even do that with a crochet hook?

Hosiery – Panty Hose

 

Hosiery Yarn = Harn

Harn is the natural successor of Plarn.  With Plarn, one takes plastic bags, cuts them in an efficient manner, creates very hardy yarn.  Now, a very smart person has finally found a GOOD use for panty hose (and I’m serious about that since I sincerely hate the dratted things) – yarn, or, more aptly Harn.

You can also purchase plarn ready made here via Etsy.

 

Plarn is quite sturdy but has fairly limited applications.  Harn, on the other hand, is equally hardy and, to my thinking, has a wider range of uses which include not only very durable mats and rugs, totes and purses, plant hangers, and scrubbies.  I could even see this stuff used to create more wearable garments than, oh, say, pantyhose.  Why not a Harn pullover or a Harn skirt?  It could work.

To make your very own Harn, begin by raiding the depths of your lingerie drawer, scour your thrift store, ask your friends for theirs, and hit up the local garage sales.  Then, when you’ve got a bundle of what we used to call ‘nylons’ handy, use this great tutorial to show all you need to know about making Harn.

After you’ve made a few miles of Harn, check out the other yarn-making tutorials on Teresa’s site.  She’ll even show you how to turn your jeans into hairy yarn.  And, with the free patterns available on her site, you’ll be substituting Harn for Plarn for a variety of your upcoming projects.  Have fun!

Comments

  3. I’ve been knitting bathmats for years using pantyhose–1 strand of harn + 2 strands of cotton, such as sugar&cream brand. I do 2 rows of the cotton strands and every 3rd row with all 3 strands. Keeps the rugs less bulky, requires less harn, and the rugs are still springy and durable. I have some that have been in use for years…these wear like iron. Also, I’ve made yarn out of cotton knit panties, esp. fun if you use colored panties. I love knitting/crocheting with unusual materials.

  4. Carolyn,
    Your idea for rugs sounds great! Good way to use up lots of things that might otherwise get trashed. Thanks for sharing your ideas with us.
    jd

  5. Well, we know the younger women don’t wear them. This idea would work great with tights – still commonly worn by women and children. Panty hose are readily available, some still in their original packaging, at the thrift store. If you don’t have them yourself, ask around. I bet older friends, aunts, etc will have plenty tucked in the back of a bedroom drawer!
    jd

  6. If you don’t have pantyhose, you can use the knee-high trouser hose, which I think a lot of women still wear even if they’ve given up on pantyhose. I still wear these with dressy pants and have made a rug with black hose and white cotton yarn–very dramatic color combination. My late mother was a nurse and gave me all her white nurse’s pantyhose. I knitted them with yarn cut from a bunch of colored cotton panties which made a very cute bathmat.

    I’ll be demo’ing the pantyhose rugs at the Carolina Fiber Fest this May in Raleigh, NC, as part of our “green” knitting demonstration. The festival is free and celebrates a range of fiber crafts and fiber-producing animals. For more info: http://www.carolinafiberfest.org/

  7. I am having trouble viewing the sight on how to make the harn. Can anyone give me any ideas? The site comes up but will not scroll down for me. Thanks in advance….mare

  9. Jane,
    Yes, you might call them tights. But, in the US, tights are not as sheer (see through) as pantyhose or nylons. They are typically worn in shades of beige – from white to dark brown and a sheer black. Tights would work fine. Our ‘tights’ are slightly heavier gauge fabric but equally stretchy. Both are the kind of things a ballerina would wear under her leotard – only tights would cover the skin color more.
    jd

  10. Hi jd

    Thank you for the excellent write-up on my harn and the other tutorials on my plastiquerecreations blog.

    You might also be interested to know that other than at thrift stores there are other ways of obtaining free hosiery to make harn: 1) join the freecycle in your local area;
    2) add your blog/website with your home address as a mail-in collection indicaing the specific items you’re interested in receiving;
    3) pantyhose manufacturers also make available flawed pantyhose that cannot be sold. They have a recycling program.

    I love your site and the interesting articles you do.

    Teresa

  11. Teresa,
    Glad you shared more ideas with us. I do belong to my local Freecycle and hadn’t thought of it as a source for hosiery. Great idea! I’ll look into the manufacturer’s recycling program. That sounds like a winner too!
    jd

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.