Hung Up On Organization

Several items of clothing, dear to my emotional well being, no longer fit.  These items no longer fit for a good reason.  It appears that I have lost a bit of weight and  these much loved items now hang  quite unfashionably limp upon my new body.  Because these things are still very usable and clean and missing no buttons or vital bits, it was time to do some prudent closet organization and donate extra clothing so that others can enjoy a few of my favorites.  The semi-annual culling of the closet was quite successful and three bags of stuff was donated to my favorite thrift store.  

In the cleaning and contemplating of what to keep and what to give away, I discovered a few items that I thought had gone missing months ago.  Turns out these were not missing - rather they were slipping off hangers and not showing up with a quick early morning perusal.  And why were they slipping off?  Because of slippy plastic hangers!  That's why.

To put a halt to the slippery issue, I have decided to make more of these.  These being crocheted cotton covered plastic hangers.  The pattern is beyond simple and consists of a single instruction:  single crochet around the hanger.  It goes really fast and a whole cluster can be made in the space of one good movie. 

The secret to a hard working hanger that will last through eternity is to keep pushing the stitches tight up against each other.  Typically, I'll work about two inches and then scrunch it nice and tight.  Pants folded over the bottom stay put.  Blouses grip along the shoulder line and don't flop around as much as on the plain plastic.  

There are all manner of other patterns and ideas for covered clothes hangers.  Some are fancy and some are plain.  Fret not about what is hanging in your closet because this concept works on the wire hangers also.

Next to my hanger is one that my mother made over thirty-five years ago!  Her's is two wire hangers held together with acrylic.  Believe me when I state that her hangers have taken a beating over the years, moved all over this vast country, survived growing children and still keep on working! 

Whether it is the wire or the acrylic, these babies are sturdy and will still be in use long after I've given up this yarn thing.  

Notice that Ida Mae did not crochet two wire hangers together.  Although a bit difficult to make out after the passing of the decades, she actually tied square knots with the yarn.  Surely this resulted from our macrame phase as she and I managed to tie our way through many a project.

Yep, I'm hung up on organization and especially loving clothes that stay hung up.