I’m staying at home these days, but when I used to work, I’d go through a huge amount of nylon pantyhoses, stockings and socks. That’s a lot of money, too. This is something I felt really good about recycling, knowing I’m getting something extra for the money I’d payed.
I have seen many ways of recycling nylons on the web, but I don’t think I have come across this method. My great aunt taught me this – she did scrubbies and bathroom mats using this method. My other grand mother has only used these for washing dishes for decades!
In essence, it’s exactly the same as crocheting using t-shirt yarn:
You take your pantyhose, stoking, or sock (washed after use, of course)
Start by cutting off toe (for very worn nylons, I’d cut off the whole “foot” part). Alternatively, you can start from the top, cutting off the “panty” part
Cut it up in spiral to get one long stripe (mine is usually about 1,5 cm to 2,5 mm / 0.6 to 1 in wide )
The edges will roll in, creating a puffy round shaped “yarn”
And use it to crochet. Ignore smaller holes and ladders, cutting across them, as usual, it’ll hold up. You’ll have to break you stripe and start a new one if there’s a larger hole. I use a regular knot to tie stripes together – knots add “scrubbiness”
Here’s a simple round scrubbie I made, working in single crochet(US) in a spiral with 6 increases per round. I used 7 mm (K/L) hook. It works really well for working dishes – has enough roughness to scrub, does not scratch, dries up rather fast, and doesn’t get stinky as fast as cotton.
You can also work forth and back – basically use it anyway your fantasy guides you. If you’re into bright colored ones, you could make really pretty rugs, I think. Feel free to link to your projects in comments if you use this idea – I’d love to see what other people make.