Early in my marriage my husband, a mechanic, did engine and mechanic work. He would come home so dirty that one would think he rolled in grease and mud. Luckily the company he worked for supplied uniforms that offered a laundry service, a great deal at any price. Getting the grease off of him was another story. He would have me scrub his back to get him clean (a labor of love, true) but there were times that I couldn’t be there or, surprise, had other things to do. My solution to the problem was to buy a back scrubber, one with a long handle and a nylon loofa. Good idea for a while but like most other nylon scrubbies it fell apart. I tossed it in the trash figuring that some day I would make him a back scrubber that would do the job and not fall apart in a month or two.
Well, the day finally arrived. I wanted a scrubber long enough for him to wash his own back with handles on each side. I thought out the pattern in my head and here’s what I came up with.
You’ll need
4 oz. of 4 ply worsted weight cotton yarn (I used Peaches & Creme. Each skein is 2 oz.)
Peaches & Creme cotton yarn
Crochet hook “I”
Chain 4. This will be your first handle. *Chain 3 stitches, hdc in the next 4. Crochet 20 rows in half double crochet stitch. This might seem a little big but my husband has big hands. You can make the handle smaller if necessary.
At the end of the 20th row, chain 10 stitches then crochet onto the other end of the handle. You should have a total of 18 stitches across. Now start the body of the scrubber. To crochet the scrubber body, *chain 3, hdc in the next 17 stitches, hdc in the top of the end chain at the end and turn. Follow this pattern until you achieve the length you need.
Handle made, working on the body of the scrubber.
The body of the scrubber will depend on who you are making the scrubber for. Since my husband is almost 6 foot tall, I made the scrubber 38 inches (96.5 cm) long. After crocheting the body of the scrubber to the length I needed I added the other handle. *Ch 3, hdc in the next 3 stitches, hdc in the top of the end chain, turn and chain 3. Follow the directions for the first handle for the next 20 rows. When you have your 20 rows, attach the handle to the other side of the scrubber. In the last 4 stitches of the end, sl stitch the handle in place. Tie off and weave in the end yarn.
Finished back scrubber.
I made the scrubber using basic stitches but the scrubber can be made with shell, popcorn, or any stitches or pattern you desire.
This pattern was created entirely by me. There might be similar ones but this is my own creation. If anyone wants to copy it and sell the finished product, you have my permission. Just give me credit for the pattern, please.
Post by Eileen Patterson of
GoofingOff.etsy.com and
GoofingOff.Artfire.com
