Yay! You have made it to the end of the CAL! We have one last item to make, and then you will be ready to put your spa set together in time for Mother's Day!
If you are running behind on finishing the other items in the set (wash cloths, scrubbies, soap holder, bath mitt), that is perfectly ok! This set can totally be made in a week! Just in time to give to a Mother of your choice on the 9th!
Here are shortcuts to the other sections in case you need to go back to do some catching up:
After you have finished each item, your next step will be to assemble into a gift set. You can do this in a variety of inexpensive ways. I will share some ideas with you after the pattern instructions for the back scrubber in just a moment.
Before we get to the instructions, I want to remind you that technically you have until May 14th to post your photo in the VIP Facebook Group to earn your prize and have a chance at the Photo Grand Prize! So feel free to not panic or give up if life got in the way during this CAL lol!
Take a big breath and refocus! You can do this! I can't wait to see your end results! I'll put the details for posting your final photos and obtaining your prize(s) at the end of this post.
So here we go, in order to make the back scrubber, you will need to do the following:
Back Scrubber Instructions
Crochet Pattern
Materials:
100 % cotton- color(s) of choice
I used “Lily Sugar `n Cream”
Yellow
Beach Glass (Aqua)
White
I used approximately 8 oz of 100% cotton or approximately 400 yards to make a set that includes (2 5x5 washcloths, 3 face scrubbers, back scrubber, wash mitt, and soap holder)
Hook - G or 4mm
Needle
Scissors
Basket *optional
Tissue Paper *optional
Extra fillers of choice (soap, chocolates, essential oils, etc) *optional
Shrink Wrap Gift Bags *optional
Stitches:
MR - Magic Ring
Ch - chain
Sc - single crochet
Sl st - slip stitch
Dc - double crochet
Tr - treble/triple crochet
FPDC - front post double crochet
BPDC - back post double crochet
Sp - space
#st - complete # number of sts in same space
St # - complete stitch in next # number of spaces
( ) - do all in the same stitch
CS - Camel Stitch
CSFS - Camel stitch in the front side 3rd loop of the hdc st
BO - bobbles
Special Stitches
Bobble Stitch (BO)- for this pattern, you will join 6 double crochets into 1 puffy looking stitch. The sc stitches, which surround it, will make it pop out more. To achieve the Bobble Stitch, you will *yarn over, go through st, yarn over, pull up a loop and pull through 2 loops*, do not finish st, repeat 5 more times, you will have 7 loops (6 half finished double crochet stitches) on your hook, yarn over and pull through all 7 loops, do not chain to close the cluster, immediately start the next st in the pattern. For more info on this stitch see the photo tutorial and Yarnspirations definition below:
Reef Back Scrubber With Handles:
Note: with handles this back scrubber is about 30 inches long, see note after row 48 for making it longer
Begin: With White, ch 16
Row 1: Hdc in 2nd ch from hook, hdc 14, ch 2. (15st)
Row 2: Turn, dc 15, ch 1. (15st)
Row 3: Turn, hdc 15, ch 1. (15st)
Row 4: Turn, *sc 3, BO*, repeat *to* 2 more times, sc 3, ch 2. (15st)
Row 5: Turn, dc 15, ch 1. (15st)
Row 6: Turn, hdc 15, ch 2. (15st)
Row 7: Turn, dc 15, ch 1. (15st)
Row 8: Turn, *sc 3, BO*, repeat *to* 2 more times, sc 3, ch 2. (15st)
Rows 9 - 48: Repeat rows 5 - 8
Note: if you want it longer repeat rows 5 - 8 as many times more as desired before finishing the next 3 rows.
Row 49: Turn, hdc 15, ch 2. (15st)
Row 50: Turn, dc 15, ch 1. (15st)
Row 51: Turn, hdc 15, ch 1. (15st)
Handles - Make 2
Option 1:
Begin: Ch 33
Row 1: Hdc in 2nd ch from hook, hdc 31, fasten off. With a needle and yarn sew onto the corners of each end.
Option 2:
Begin: Join at corner and ch 32, sl st to join to opposite corner, ch 1.
Row 1: Turn, hdc in 2nd ch from hook, hdc 32, sl st to join, fasten off.
And that is it for the back scrubber! Now you have a great textured scrubber that makes it easier for washing those hard to reach places of your back!
By the way, my kids love this back scrubber as well, so if you need something fun and textured to help encourage your kids or grandkids to hop in the shower, this might just do the trick!
My oldest daughter, Nahla, who is 8 years old, (who also loves the face scrubbers because of their textures and because they make her feel fancy, she says lol) loves this scrubber! She loves the texture and playing with the bobbles. She has figured out that she can push the bobbles to the opposite side and then back again haha!
This is a great sensory play item for those kids who like doing things like my Nahla! She loves all kinds of textures and is constantly playing with items that feel different kinds of ways (soft, rough, smooth, bumpy).
I had no idea this would turn into one of those items, but now she is a little more willing to take her baths/showers, because this is one more thing for her to enjoy while cleaning up for bedtime haha!
So to summarize, change your colors to some fun bright ones, and this makes a fun gift set for kids and teens too!
Edited to add (@1:12p.m. 5/2/2021):
It was brought to my attention that I accidently left out instructions for the soap saver! Yikes! I am going to add that in here now, so that you can have a full spa basket before you complete your assembly! Sorry about that! April was a crazy month lol!
Sun Spray Soap Holder:
Begin: Ch 11
Round 1: 2Hdc in 2nd ch from hook, hdc 8, 2hdc in last st, continue around to the unworked side of ch, hdc 8, sl st to join, ch 1. (20st)
Round 2: 2hdc, hdc 8, 2hdc in next two sts, hdc 8, 2hdc, sl st to join, ch 2. (24st)
Round 3: DC 24, sl st to join. (24st)
Round 4: Ch 4 counts as st, sk 1, *dc, ch 1, sk 1*, repeat *to* 10 more times, sl st to join in top of 3. (24st)
Round 5: Repeat row 4, ch 1. (24st)
Round 6: Hdc 24, sl st to join, ch 1. (24st)
Round 7: Hdc 24, sl st to join. (24st)
Rounds 8 & 9: Repeat rows 4 & 5
Round 10: Repeat rows 6
Note: If you want your soap saver longer, you can add additional hdc rows here before the next step
Loop for hanging : Ch 12, sl st to join in same sp, fasten off, weave in end.
Drawstring: With separate yarn, ch 40, fasten off. Weave ch through the open spaces of round 8. Tie a knot in each end to keep the ends from unraveling.
Ok let's get to the assembly now!
Spa Basket Gift Set Assembly:
To turn this into a spa gift set, you can -
Purchase a small basket from a thrift store or dollar tree. Here are a few that I found online! You can check your local dollar tree to see what is available.
Some people like the fabric baskets, but they are not my favorite, as they are not as sturdy, and the colors are not very exciting lol. If you want something a little fancier, see if any of your local stores have these gold wire baskets available!
If not, then most stores definitely have these plastic type baskets available, and they are just as cute and handy for under the sink items or to throw make up items in to set on top of the sink! Because of the colors I chose to make my spa set, I would definitely use the aqua/turquoise color basket!
With some tissue paper or other decorative filler, line the bottom and sides of your basket. Dollar tree has a ton of colors to pick from!
Fill the basket with your crocheted spa items in a decorative way to your liking.
To make the spa set gift basket extra special, you can add some bars of soap, chocolates, candles, gift cards, etc. Dollar tree sometimes has some of the fancier looking candles, like the ones below! Hopefully you can find some super cute ones too!
To go one step further, you can purchase some shrink wrap bags from the dollar store and put a bow on the top! My local store has this brand, but I am sure your store will have something similar, if not the same! All you need is a hair dryer to shrink it, and then you have a fancy gift to give!
In the picture below, I used a white dollar store basket that I already had on hand, some white tissue paper, and then put all my crochet items in. If I were giving this away and my kids had not already claimed everything in it lol, I would have added some chocolates, a candle and maybe a gift card.
I'll have to do that on my next set though, since the kiddos already decided it was for them haha!
I had made a similar set for a friend in Kansas as a housewarming gift, but I forgot to take a picture of it before I gave it to her lol.
Also, before I forget, check your dollar stores and thrift stores for some cute decorative signs as extra little items! The ones in the photo above were between a $1 and $5! Super inexpensive!
Now that you have finished putting your basket together, it is time to take a photo before giving it away! This is a critical step to NOT MISS! This is how you get your Crochet-Along Prize, which is a pdf copy of all 7 patterns from my Ravelry Shop!
Post your finished photos in the VIP Facebook Group between May 8th & May 14th to get your Final draft pdf with ALL 7 patterns! Please include this in the description of your post ----> #MOTHERSDAYCAL <------ so that I can easily find you and send you the prize in your facebook messenger inbox!
In addition to earning all 7 CAL patterns, you will also have the chance to enter the photo contest! The photo with the most likes, hearts, unique comments will win every pattern in my Ravelry Shop to date!
I will announce the photo contest winner by Monday, May 17th! So get creative and take some super cute photos to have a chance to win the PHOTO PRIZE!
The photo prize is nearly 80 patterns, so be sure to take your best shot! Woo Hoo! For this prize, you will need to have a Ravelry Account. Also, if you have won a photo contest before, that had this same prize, you will not qualify for this prize again. I will make arrangements for an alternative prize if that does occur!
So I think I have covered all the bases for this Mother's Day CAL! I hope you enjoy the final week and the overall CAL month in April! I look forward to seeing your photos! You definitely have plenty of time to catch up, as the last day to post photos is May 14th! So have fun and enjoy!
Have a wonderful week, and I will see you again soon with some more new patterns and announcements!
Blessings and Love,
Karen E.
Orchid and Bee's