Crochet Steering Wheel Cover

I have had my eye on this gorgeous Red Heart Super Saver yarn for quite a long time... 

Red Heart Super Saver "lagoon"

Every trip to AC Moore, it would catch my eye.  And every baby blanket, present for my nieces, or other project I started planning, I would think, "could I use that RHSS lagoon for this?"  (spoiler alert: the answer was always NO, because it's kinda loud coloring...)  Last month, AC Moore was running a huge sale on RHSS, which is my favorite yarn, so my husband took me on a mini shopping spree.  As I sat in the aisle, strategically picking yarn for the specific projects I have in mind, I couldn't resist - I snagged a skein of this, just because, and it's been teasing me from my stockpile ever since.

Last week, I finally decided what I would do with it.  I got into my car after work on a hot, 90* day, and my steering wheel was too hot to touch.  I wished I had a steering wheel cover, then thought how cute it would be to crochet one, then got super excited, because it was an awesome excuse to use my favorite yarn!

I measured my steering wheel to see how wide my strip of fabric would need to be, as well as the circumference of the wheel, which would be the needed length of the finished product (sort of).  For me, using this yarn and a size I hook, I needed ten double crochet stitches across.  

If those nice, straight edges don't make 

you happy, we cannot be friends.  Lol

I simply continued with nice, even rows of double crochet, until it was long enough to surround my steering wheel WHEN STRETCHED.  This is important.  Each time I measured my progress, I pulled the fabric as far as it could go, then stopped when that expanded piece hit my 47.5" goal.  This way, the cover would have to stretch tight to go over the wheel, and wouldn't slip off when in use :)

Just one long, straight piece of fabric - easy, peasy

I joined the two ends of my fabric strip by holding the ends together & slip stitching across, picking up only the inside loops of the stitch on each side.  This creates a nice, flat seam, without the added bulk of both loops and/or a single crochet.

Slip stitches in the inside loops only

make a nice, flat seam:

I decided I'd like a little bit cleaner look for my daily use, so I went around the full circle on both sides, and I used a half double crochet, to give the border a little more depth.  I was nervous about the fabric slipping on the wheel when I was making turns or whatever, so I used some of that rug gripper stuff on the wrong side of the fabric, to keep it in place.  After that, all I had to do was stretch it around my steering wheel, and I was ready to ride!

Fat is Not a Dirty Word

I've been overweight my whole life.  No, seriously, I mean from day 1 - I was almost 10 lbs at birth (sorry, Mom!), and I've been heavy since then.  As a child, I thinned out a bit, as must kiddos do, but when puberty hit, the weight came right back!  Part of it is just my body type - no matter how much weight I lose, I would never be a skinny person, I have a large frame.  And a large part of it is that I have PCOS, a disease which causes hormone fluctuations and insulin resistance, both of which lead to weight gain.  So, even though my weight has fluctuated over my lifetime, I'm definitely destined to be a big girl.

Growing up, I struggled a LOT with my body image, my emotional state regarding my weight, and confidence issues.  Even as an adult, I've hated to look in the mirror, because I don't like what I see.  But, recently, the Body Positivity movement has gained a lot of momentum, and it's really made me think...  I should be PROUD of my body.  It gets me where I need to go, and it allows me to experience the smell of fresh cut grass, the sight of my sons playing together, the feel of my husband's loving embrace.  My body grew, birthed, and fed 2 beautiful children, and that is pretty freaking badass!  And yet... I see myself as "not enough," because my body is bigger than what I'm told it should be.

"Fat," in and of itself, is NOT a dirty word.  Society has attached a negative connotation to it, and, with the help of the diet industry and media outlets, convinced us all that it's basically the worst thing you could be.  But, really?  It's an adjective, people.  Nothing more.  Little kids in kindergarten spout off their opposites: stop/go, up/down, short/tall, big/small, skinny/fat.  At some point as we grow up, our peers teach us that "fat" is an insult.  Think about it - if I said to you, "oh, man, my hair is so brown,"  you would probably reply with some comment about liking brown hair or ask if I was thinking of dying it, or continue the conversation some other way.  But if I said to you, "oh, man, I'm so fat," the instant response would be, "no you're not, you're beautiful" (or something like that, depending on our relationship, lol).  NEWSFLASH - fat & beautiful are NOT mutually exclusive!  Being labeled as fat shouldn't be perceived as an insult, or as something to be assured I'm not.  It should simply be a descriptor, one which accurately tells someone what I look like.

To be fair, I struggle with this topic, too - I'm not saying anyone is a bad person if they do what I described above.  Honestly, it's society's problem, which we need to change through discussion & exposure.  Body Positivity is a concept I am working REALLY hard to learn & accept for myself.  For everyone else?  I'm 100% on board with it.  I see models on the Lane Bryant facebook, or fierce, fabulous fat girls walking around, or blogs & articles on this topic, and I am nothing but enthusiastic.  It's just taking some hard work for me to get there for my own body.  But it's important, and I'm determined to get there - and, more importantly, to teach my children a better way :)