When lock down first began, I took the difficult decision to shut my Etsy shop for a couple of weeks while I got my head around the situation. That meant for the first time in a couple of years, I had no business related things to be making and decided to pick up my crochet hook and make some things for myself. While hunting for something to make (Pinterest FTW) I discovered that crocheted rollers were a thing. However, all of the patterns I found needed to be stuffed and I was all out of teddy bear stuffing and didn't want to have to wait for an online order, so I decided to create my own pattern, using chunky wool and no stuffing. The best thing about them was how quickly they could be made (each one took me about 10 minutes and that was with my toddler constantly running off with my ball of wool). I have a lot of very thick hair, so whenever I've bought rollers before, I've had to buy multiple packs to ensure that I have enough but with the crochet rollers I could do as many as I needed, which for me was around 20.
I won't go into too much detail about how I set my hair as I'm far from an expert and tend to just wing it. But basically I always do a dry set as, due to the previously mentioned thick hair, it would take days for a wet set to actually dry. Some absolute angel on the internet once told me to use curling mousse to set my hair instead of setting spray and that has been life changing, as far as hair advice goes. So I roll my hair in roughly 1 1/2 inch sections, upwards towards my head, with a pea sized amount of mousse. The crochet rollers have a loop at the end, so once I've rolled my hair, I simply pull the loop over the opposite end and it keeps the roller in place. Repeat for my whole head (oh my aching arms!) and then I liberally spritz my hair with watered down setting spray, pop on a hair net and wrap my head in a scarf and Bob's your uncle! The next morning I take the rollers out, brush it all out and style it. There are some fab tutorials out there for doing a good brush out. I particularly like this one by Miss Victory Violet.
Overall, I was happy with how the set came out. The curls were a little less defined than I normally get with foam rollers so I had to be a bit more gentle in my brush out, but I actually found that easier. Also, I found that my hair was a little shinier than it normally is when I do a set, with a little less frizz. I was hoping the rollers would be really comfortable to sleep in and was a little disappointed as they weren't that comfy, but were still a little better than the normal rollers. I've used them a few times since and will probably keep using them for some sets and my foam rollers for others. So it's a yay from me.
So to sum up, here are the pros and cons!
Pros
* Slightly more comfortable than my normal foam rollers, definitely more comfortable than plastic rollers.
* Free from plastic.
* You can make the exact number that you need, without having to buy extra packets.
* Great for a smooth and shiny brush out.
Cons
*Not as comfy as I'd hoped.
* Curls weren't as defined as they are with foam rollers. (I actually didn't mind this as I am lazy with my brush outs but this might not be ideal for a lot of vintage styles).
* The wool I used shed quite a lot so I kept finding bits of fluff in my hair. This was especially a problem after I'd hair sprayed as they were stuck to my hair pretty well.
The Pattern
These rollers are super easy and come together nice and quickly. If you wanted to use a thinner wool, just add more chains in the round to achieve the same size.
Please note- I use UK crochet terms.
You will need-
Wool- I used Jarol Super Soft Chenille (any chunky chenille wool would work the same).
4mm Hook
And that's it! Even though I was crocheting in rounds, I didn't bother with stitch markers as I just went by eyeballing it, but you can use stitch markers if you want to.
Chain 10. Join at 1st chain.
DC in every stitch around for approx. 5 rounds or until your roller is the desired length (mine are 2.5 inches).
Slipstitch into next DC. Chain 10. Slipstitch into 5th DC in round to form a loop that goes over the top of your roller.
Keep making them until you have enough for your hair. I made 20 for myself.
If you decide to have a go at making these rollers, let me know how they turn out!
xx