Heat pad with crochet cover

Yesterday, Saturday, was a bit of a non-starter for me, so I just went with it and stayed in bed and finished my Kathy Reichs. I really had to force myself to get up mid-afternoon and go through the motions, but somehow I did – and managed to rouse enough energy to finish this – my heat pad. Ta-da!

Well, not exactly finished because the zip is still just tacked in. And knowing me, as I do, it will probably stay that way because I no longer think the zip is the best idea and I’ve started another one that will have three buttons to close it up instead.

Here’s what I did:  Using Vinni’s DK Nikkim cotton and a 4mm hook, chain 46. Work in dc and make a rectangle approximately 44 cm long.  Change colours to suit your fancy.

Weave in the ends, fold the rectangle in half, and sew the side seams together. Tack in a zip along the open edge, and if it’s a bit shorter than the seam, slip stitch the edges together where there’s a gap.

I used a metal zip, which turns out not to have been the best idea. Oh well, you live and learn.

Using thin cotton fabric, make an inner pad by cutting two pieces the same size as the crochet cover, and sew them together. Leave an opening so you can fill the bag with rice.

Turn the bag inside out, fill with rice* (I used 520g and added a few drops of lavender oil for a nice smell), and slip stitch the opening closed.

* Use a funnel to do this. I didn’t, and ended up with rice all over the floor.

Pop the rice bag into the microwave on 100% power for 3 minutes, insert into the crochet cover, and – there you have it.

The cotton has such a lovely feel to it, and I like to think it will keep the heat in for longer because it’s natural – but I could be wrong, and maybe acrylic yarn will work just as well. And about the rice – my mother uses wheat for her heat pads, which also seems to work well, but who the hell has wheat just lying around waiting to be used? My internet research shows that many different things can be used but that rice is perfectly good, won’t attract weevils and won’t give you a horrible surprise after being microwaved on full power. One woman claims to have used the same rice bag for over 15 years, so I’m going with her.

        

I’m thinking, this could be a good idea for an addition to the Jam Tarts ‘range’…. and thanks again to Crochet Missy for inspiring me to get this far.

Back soon x