Wheelchair Wheel Covers

I've been using my wheelchair more and more lately as I've been battling ever-increasing pain in my hips and back. And then, a few weeks ago, my right hip apparently decided that it was done playing, which means the pain is now so bad that my leg threatens to give out on me if I try to walk unassisted, and my next appointment with my orthopedic doc isn't until later this month. So, in the meantime, I'm making do as best I can, which means using my wheelchair a lot more than before.

Finished set

Anyway, I've had this wheelchair for about a year and a half. It was gifted to me as a hand-me-down from my brother-in-law (who is a paraplegic). The wheelchair has been very helpful for me and has saved me from experiencing immense amounts of pain that I would have had without it, particularly when I'm cooking in the kitchen, because it saves me from having to stand/walk all the time.

But since I have recently been needing to use it even more, I decided the time had come to give her a bit of color and personality. 😁

First, I added some purple silicone hand rim covers, which I found on Amazon. Because purple is one of my favorite colors, obvs. 😊  

With purple hand rail covers only

Then I wanted to add some snazzy, colorful crocheted wheel covers. There are many tutorials online for how to make these, and there are many different methods that can be used to make them, so there isn't only just one "right way" to do it. This video by WheelchairCovers4U gives a good look at what the wheel covers are like and how they attach to the wheels. As you can see in the background, she has dozens of AMAZING and creative designs for the wheel covers she makes to sell. Her talent is very inspiring! I would say that if you want some wheel covers but don't want to make them yourself, you should definitely check out her shop.

Almost any circle will do - 14 rounds here

After clicking around online, I learned that there are basically two methods used to attach the covers to the wheels: using semi-rigid, flexible tubing that lets the cover "snap" into place and uses tension to hold the cover in place on the wheel; or using binder rings to attach the cover to the hand rail. I opted to go the flexible tubing route. 

Tubing and hose barbs

The description of the supplies in this Etsy listing by JubilanceCrochet says they use 3/8-inch polyethylene tubing – outer diameter 3/8-inch, inner diameter 1/4-inch – to make their hoop frames. That size of tubing gives sufficient rigidity for the frame to hold its shape while still being flexible enough to allow the hoop to snap in/out of the wheel's hand rims. I bought my tubing at our local Ace Hardware, but just about any hardware-type store should carry it, or you can find it on Amazon. I also used 1/4-inch double-ended nylon hose barbs to join the ends of the hoops. 

Hoops with hair dryer

My husband helped me to measure where to cut the tubing and also to insert the hose barbs. We applied the heat from a hair dryer to the ends of the tubing for about 60 seconds to soften it up enough to get the barbs inserted; they were VERY snug. (But that's a good thing; they will stay in place securely.) You can see in my photo with the hair dryer that one of the rings lies flat, but the other one was more potato-chip shaped. 😂 My husband tried to twist the ends of the chip-shaped hoop in an attempt to get it to flatten out more, but eventually he gave up. I told him I was pretty sure that it would still work out OK after I attached the crocheted part and pushed the cover into the wheel. And it did. After finishing it, the chip-shaped one does have a small gap where it doesn't snug up to the inside of the hand rail all the way around as well as the flat one does, but I'm not worried about it. It still looks cute to me. (You can see the gap in my GIF when looking at the wheel on the right side of the wheelchair.) 

First attempt came up a bit short

For the crocheted portion, I used Spin Me Around by Catherine Bligh (a paid pattern), but just about any circle-shaped afghan, doily, or mandala pattern will work. "Spin Me Around" just seems terribly apropos for a project like this, don't you agree? 😵😂 If I decide to make another set of these later, I might use the Rainbow Granny Spiral Sun-Catcher pattern by Jaime Ramsey for my next set (another paid pattern). 🌀 And, OMG, for Halloween, a set of these in Boo! by Marsha Glassner (free pattern!!) would be TO DIE FOR, don't you think?!?! 👻 

Good fit this time

The tricky part about making wheel covers for any wheelchair is that the manufacturers have many different wheel sizes they use, and even wheels of the same diameter made by different manufacturers might still require different size wheel covers, depending on many different factors, such as how the hand rails are attached, etc. So it's important to keep this in mind as you're making your own set of wheel covers: The process is going to be highly customized to your unique wheelchair, and you can't just blindly rely on a pattern to give you the exact measurements your specific chair will require. My wheelchair has 24-inch wheels, and the measurement inside the hand rails is about a 20-inch diameter. We measured the best fit for the tubing on my chair to be about 60-inch lengths. And, remember, if you use hose barbs to attach the ends like I did, the barbs will add a tiny bit of length to the final measurement. 

First one done!

Using "tough" acrylic yarn is a good choice for the durability needed for a project like this. I had most of a skein of Red Heart Super Saver Jumbo Stripes in the Parrot Stripe colorway on hand in my stash. I figured the bright colors and the long color changes it has would work well for this project. 

First one installed - cuuute!

It turned out that the one skein would have been just the right amount to make the two wheel covers, including the length needed to crochet the covers to the rims, if I hadn't already used part of the skein to machine knit two hats for my grandnieces. 😆 But even so, I was nearly finished with the final row of my second wheel cover when that yarn ran out. It ended with green, so I found some Red Heart Super Saver in Spring Green in my stash, which had enough length left to finish up that row and then crochet the second wheel cover to its rim, and it all turned out fine. Some makers, including JubilanceCrochet, prefer to use black yarn to attach their covers to the rims, no matter what color the center of the cover is, so I would say that it's fine to just use whatever colors you like and have on hand. 

Two different 5mm hooks

At my gauge, my wheel covers were the correct size after crocheting 16 rounds. I stopped after 14 rounds on my first one and was about halfway around crocheting it to the rim when I realized that I was going to need to make the circle part bigger. So if you're making wheel covers for yourself, just be prepared for some trial and error as part of the process. You need them to be large enough to fit the hoops, but you also want the crocheted circles to stretch a bit so they fit snugly inside the hoops. It's a balance between "big enough" but not "too big."

To attach the crocheted circles to the rims, I chained up two and then single-crocheted around the rim into each stitch of the circle all the way around. This step is extremely fiddly, especially at the beginning, and awkward and difficult. But if you take it slowly and give yourself plenty of rest breaks, eventually you will make it all the way around and be ready to finish off with a knot to secure everything and weave in the tail.

As a postscript, I included the photo of my two 5mm crochet hooks to illustrate the differences between the lip length. I prefer to use tapered hooks, like these, but even within that broad category, there can be significant differences in the shapes that affect their usability for individual crocheters. For me, the hook on the right, with the longer lip, was definitely more difficult to use, because the lip kept snagging as I worked. The hook on the left worked much more smoothly for me. The difference is minor, and I know different crocheters will have different preferences in which tools work best for them. But it's something to keep in mind: If you're struggling with a particular hook, consider trying one from another manufacturer.

Sweet Sweater and Bonnet for Princess Rosalee

To go with the ruffle dress for Princess Rosalee, I wanted to include a sweet little cardigan and bonnet, which both utilize the same V-stitch of the Baby Dress Raspberry pattern.

This is the thinnest yarn I have ever worked with, but it is not thread; it's a very thin but soft 3-ply spun yarn. The labelless skein was in a bag of yarn that was gifted to me years ago, so I don't know what brand it is or any other information about it, but it makes 20 wpi. After making both the cardigan and bonnet, I had just a small amount of the yarn left over.

The cardigan is finished with 6 white buttons (3/8-inch diameter), which I found on Amazon. The bonnet is trimmed with white grosgrain ribbon (3/8-inch wide), which I also found on Amazon, plus another one of the buttons applied decoratively on each side to cover and also reinforce the stitching that attaches the ribbon to the bonnet.

 

Red Hat

I had a random 123g ball of red, apparently acrylic light-worsted weight yarn in my stash, part of some gifted yarn from my daughter's friend Allie. 

Amid the wave of red nisse resistance hats, voici ma version. Mine is crocheted from the bottom up, starting with a slip-stitch ribbing worked flat (sideways) and then seaming the ends together and continuing to work the crown of the hat from the bottom up. Ordinarily, the crown would be worked in the round, but since I usually wear my hair in a messy-bun style, I'm leaving the back of my hat open with flaps on either side, and I'm working the crown in rows. 

The ribbing has 67 ribs, a number that is meaningful to me. The crown has 68 stitches plus 6 stitches on each end for the overlapping flaps, for a total of 80 stitches. 

The ribbing is crocheted with a 5mm hook, and I switched to a 5.5mm hook for the crown, which I worked using the lemon peel stitch. The braided tassel is detachable, so the hat can be worn with or without the tassel. 

The hat used about 100g of the 123g ball.

 

SPAM Baby

This adorable little SPAM Baby design by Stephanie Pokorny of Crochetverse is irresistibly cute, so I just had to grab some pink stash yarn and my hook to make one! Besides, my husband loves SPAM. 💜

I didn't have any pink chenille yarn on hand, so I improvised with some Red Heart With Love in the Bubble Gum colorway. To approximate the bulky yarn, I used the "triple yarn as you go" technique, which Crochet with Tuula Maaria shows us how to do in this YouTube video tutorial.

If you have chenille yarn on hand, SPAM Baby does look much more cuddly when made with that type of yarn. Stephanie used Ice Yarns Chenille Super Bulky in the Salmon colorway. But mine made with worsted weight acrylic yarn held triple is cute in his own way. 🥰

I used some 15mm safety eyes that I had in my stash, but the 18mm eyes by Darkside Crochet (in the color Succubus) that Stephanie used on hers are gorgeous.

Thank you for sharing this adorable and fun free pattern with us, Stephanie! SPAM Baby is a sweet little softie toy that could also work as a character-filled keychain accessory.

Waylon's blanket

Earlier this year, we learned that my sister-in-law Linda's daughter Brianna was expecting her first child, which was going to be Linda's very first grandchild, and our family was super excited to welcome our newest little addition. It's going to be a boy! 💙

Naturally, this news also meant that Auntie Susan needed to get busy stitching up a keepsake blanket to welcome her newest grandnephew!

Finished with 43 rows of squares, before blocking

I searched for baby blanket ideas for a few days with nothing really jumping out and grabbing me until Red Heart Yarns shared on social media their pattern for this blanket made with Red Heart Bitty Stripes yarn. Instantly I could see in my mind's eye how amazing this design would look made in shades of blue and green, so I ordered the kit with those colors and then anxiously waited for it to arrive. 

This pattern says to use an 11.5 mm hook, even though the yarn is rated as a standard 4 weight. I did purchase the 11.5 mm hook with the Yarnspirations kit (it was less than $2, and I didn't already own a hook that size, so why not?) for the blanket project, but as I started working the foundation chain, it was just soooo loose that it really didn't look right, so I switched to using a 6.5 mm hook, and that seemed to look a lot better to me. A 7 mm hook would probably be ideal, but I don't have one that size (yet).

The free pattern wasn't yet listed in the Ravelry database when I started this project, but it could be downloaded from this page at Yarnspirations.

Measures about 36 inches wide

Since I'm using a smaller hook than the pattern suggested, I also added more chains to the foundation chain to ensure that the blanket wouldn't be too small. Thus, I started with a foundation chain of 153 instead of 113. After working several rows of blocks, the piece measured about 36 inches wide, which is a good size for the width of a baby crib blanket. This blanket is 14 squares wide. I'm aiming to have the finished blanket size be about 36 inches wide by 48 inches long. I figure I will just keep adding rows until the blanket looks more rectangular than square, so I'll let you know how many rows that ends up being after I've finished.

Work in progress...

I'm also fairly new to tunisian crochet techniques, and I wasn't understanding the written instructions for how to get started, so I looked up this Yarnspirations video tutorial (hosted by Mikey!! Yay!! He's such a great teacher) to get me through the blanket setup. Once I was able to understand how the tunisian block pattern works, it became super fun to make this pattern. It only takes about 4 or 5 minutes to complete each block (it takes about an hour (ish) to complete a whole row of blocks), and as the yarns gradually change colors, half of the fun is seeing which color will come next, so I found myself wanting to keep making "one more block" and never wanting to stop. 😊 The beautiful colors of the Bitty Stripes yarn play so well together, too. It's just a gorgeous effect when it's all put together. 

WIP at 27 rows

I'm using the Seaweed (green) colorway as Color A in the pattern and the Horizon (blue) colorway as Color B. 

The first skein of Seaweed ran out after the 15th row. The first skein of Horizon ran out in the middle of the 16th row. The blanket was basically a square at the point where these first skeins ran out, so if you wanted to use this pattern to make a roughly 36-inch square blanket, you might be able to do it with just one skein of each color (plus more yarn for a border, if you wanted to add one). 

In working out the math for the sizing of this blanket, I calculated that 48 inches is approximately 1.33 times 36 inches. And since 14 squares measures about 36 inches, I estimated that I would need to work 18-19 rows of Color A (or 14 times 1.33) to reach my target length of 48 inches long. Notice that that's only counting the Color A rows. Since the pattern is alternating rows of Color A and Color B, the total number of rows would actually be approximately double the number of rows of counting only Color A, which I'm estimating would be around 36-38 rows of squares. 

Standard hook = crowded

I went through phases of using three different 6.5 mm crochet hooks while stitching this project. I started off with my regular blue-handled Boye hook (this set is one of my overall all-time favorites to work with). Because the squares in this pattern are fairly small and only require a maximum of 7 loops to fit onto the shaft of the hook, it is possible to manage that with most standard crochet hooks, even if 7 loops gets to be a bit crowded. 

A Furls hook helps

I looked around at the options available and thought that the long shaft of the Furls style hooks might work better for this project than my Boye hook, so I ordered a pretty 6.5 mm Furls hook from Amazon. 

All the hooks I went through

When the Furls hook arrived, it was noticeably easier to fit all the loops onto its shaft. But the problem with the Furls design is that the shaft gradually tapers into the larger grip area, and that larger part of the shaft was making the loops on that end of each row bigger than the other loops. It wasn't a huge issue, so I worked quite a few rows with the Furls hook. 

A tunisian hook is ideal

But eventually I decided to finally bite the bullet and buy some type of actual tunisian hook, in the hope that it would make it easier for me to keep the loop sizes more consistent across the entire row. I settled on this double-ended tunisian hook by Red Heart. 

The only reason why it took me so long to finish this blanket was because I struggled somewhat with finding the energy to keep working in the middle of the project (health struggles, sigh), so even though I knew that I really wanted to have it ready to be a gift for Baby's first Christmas, I put it in time out for a few months to let myself rest. But as December rolled around, I found the burst of energy I needed to pick it up again. 

After finishing the 43rd row, I measured the length of the blanket and found that it was just about exactly 48 inches long and celebrated finally reaching my goal.

I had ordered a skein of baby blue Red Heart yarn that looked online like it would coordinate well with the blanket's colors and make a good solid color for the edging rounds. But it was evident as soon as I saw the yarns in person that this edging color was not going to work. Happily, I still had a lot of leftover Red Heart in the Denim colorway, which complements the blanket colors nicely in the border rounds.

For the border, I worked two rounds of SC (turning to work the second round in the opposite direction to help prevent curling) followed by one round of twsted SC, which gives a simple but lovely, texture-y, rope-like edging that I have used to finish many blanket projects. Twisted SC looks exactly like RSC, but twisted SC is a LOT easier to work, IMO. 

Sally Stitches Pumpkin

Many years ago, as I was first learning about how to work with circular knitting machines, I used a small scrap of Red Heart Ombre yarn in the True Blue colorway to make a quick, single-layer pumpkin.

After finishing it, I decided later that circular-knitted pumpkins definitely look better when they're made double-layered. But I had this single-layer blue pumpkin sitting there wondering how it might fit into my seasonal decorating for one of my favorite holidays: Halloween.

Inspo photo from Disney's Emoji Blitz game

My poor blue pumpkin actually sat for a long, long time (more than five years!) waiting for its chance to become something more. I didn't want to just rip it apart and start over, using the materials for something else.

I would pull it out of a yarn bin every so often and ponder it. I'm not sure exactly when it finally occurred to me that the light blue yarn kind of resembled the skin tone of Sally from The Nightmare Before Christmas. But once I got that idea in my head, I was determined to transform my blue pumpkin into a Sally character pumpkin.

Another inspo photo found online

Sally's most distinctive features are her blue skin, her cherry-red hair, her big white eyes with little black pupils, and, of course, the black stitches all over her skin. (Her colorful patchwork dress is also distinctive, but for this project, I was going to focus just on Sally's face.)

Another inspo photo found online

For the eyes, I followed this tutorial by Harriet's Crochet on YouTube. I made the eyes with fingering weight cotton yarn in black and white and a 2.25 mm crochet hook. I used white instead of the iris color shown in the tutorial, and also added an extra round of white to get them to the finished size I wanted.

Top view after adding hair and eyes

For the hair, using the cherry-red yarn and a 5 mm hook, I crocheted a foundation SC chain until it was long enough to reach vertically from pole to pole on the pumpkin, which ended up being 28 stitches long. The remaining rows are worked in YOslst in the back loop to give a texture that resembles her strands of hair. The finished rectangle is about 14 inches long and covers about 2/3 of the pumpkin (leaving the other 1/3 of the pumpkin open for her face). I gathered the top and bottom edges and wrapped them around the pumpkin and tied everything together to secure.

Then I crocheted a vine-like stem similar to the one I added to my crocheted Little Rustic Pumpkin back in 2019. To make the vine, I crocheted 6 SC in a magic circle, then kept crocheting the 6 stitches in a continuous spiral until the length was long enough to cover a 12-inch pipe cleaner. (I actually twisted together two pipe cleaners.) After inserting the pipe cleaners, I started increasing each round of SC until the circle had 42 stitches (to provide a secure base for the vine, and to cover the "bald spot" at the top of Sally's head where I wasn't able to cinch the top of her red hair any tighter).

Bottom view

Sewing on her eyes was probably the scariest step for me, because I didn't want to have them end up looking wonky. But I just worked slowly and carefully, and they ended up looking pretty good. 😊 I intentionally did NOT stitch her eyes down tightly where they cross the creases between the pumpkin segments. 

Using the fingering-weight black yarn, I embroidered a kind of stem stitch to line the top edge of her eyes and then continued sewing her eyelashes in little V's back across the line across the top of her eyes.

Then, in black, I embroidered Sally's distinctive slash that crosses her face near her right eye. And then I embroidered the stitches that extend across her cheeks on either side of her lips.

The final touch was to embroider her lips using a sort of puffy satin stitch using a bit of the same yarn as her hair. You can find more info about the yarns I used on my Ravelry project page.

I think my Sally Stitches Pumpkin turned out great, and she looks so happy sitting there on my hearth beside her "Jack Skellington."

Feet up to relax after a job well done

I love Sally's character, and I have even dressed up as her for my friend Kim's Halloween party!

Sally's Song

I sense there's something in the wind
That feels like tragedy's at hand
And though I'd like to stand by him
Can't shake this feeling that I have
The worst is just around the bend
And does he notice my feelings for him?
And will he see how much he means to me?
I think it's not to be

 

What will become of my dear friend?
Where will his actions lead us then?
Although I'd like to join the crowd
In their enthusiastic cloud
Try as I may, it doesn't last
And will we ever end up together?
No, I think not, it's never to become
For I am not the one

 

Skeleton Doll

This is a fun, easy, and quick-to-make pattern by Ashley of A Crafty Concept for an adorably spooky little crochet skeleton doll, a perfect addition for everyone's handmade Halloween decor!

The written pattern is free on her blog, and she also provides a video tutorial.

Work in progress - paint drying

He reminds me of a simplified version of Jack Skellington, so I have set him on my hearth beside his adoring Sally in pumpkin form. Maybe I can give him a tuxedo coat and bat bow tie later for a little more authenticity (Disney-thentic, ha).

Jack's Lament

There are few who'd deny, at what I do I am the best
For my talents are renowned far and wide
When it comes to surprises in the moonlit night
I excel without ever even trying
With the slightest little effort of my ghostlike charms
I have seen grown men give out a shriek
With the wave of my hand and a well placed moan
I have swept the very bravest off their feet

Yet year after year, it's the same routine
And I grow so weary of the sound of screams
And I, Jack, the Pumpkin King
Have grown so tired of the same old thing

Oh, somewhere deep inside of these bones
An emptiness began to grow
There's something out there, far from my home
A longing that I've never known

I'm the master of fright, and a demon of light
And I'll scare you right out of your pants
To a guy in Kentucky, I'm Mister Unlucky
And I'm known throughout England and France

And since I am dead, I can take off my head
To recite Shakespearean quotations
No animal nor man can scream like I can
With the fury of my recitations

But who here would ever understand
That the Pumpkin King with the skeleton grin
Would tire of his crown, if they only understood
He'd give it all up if he only could

Oh, there's an empty place in my bones
That calls out for something unknown
The fame and praise come year after year
Does nothing for these empty tears