Crochet a cosy draught excluder (and stay warm this winter)

I live in a new-ish house.
But still, the draught which sneaks in from under the front door can be arctic.

So I had a draught excluder - I say HAD, because it is retired from service, having most definitely seen better days; it's lost all stuffing from being dragged around by the kids, in fact, child 1 used to regularly take the dirty, fluff-covered thing to bed with him *sigh*. 

The Mister has been suggesting for ages that I should make a new one. And I have:

Now, my two prerequisites for any project are this; it must be
a) quick and b) easy.

So I decided on tshirt yarn as the perfect stuff - it's big, works up quickly and is also heavy enough to give weight to the draught excluder and keep the cold air out when laid by the front door.

I chose a simple design, which uses the centre double crochet stitch, as it's great for creating a dense and non-gappy stitch (I don't want the stuffing falling out, or the dog will eat it *big sigh*).

So the best thing about a draught excluder is that it's a great way to keep your toes warm and save energy too. And why not keep track of the energy used in your home by having a smart meter installed?  It's easy, free and means you only pay for the energy you use. Visit Smart Energy GB to find out lots more.

If you fancy keeping cosy this winter, then first is my YouTube tutorial, or scroll down for the written pattern.
It goes without saying that you can change the width and length of your draught excluder to fit the doors in your house.

(Patterns are in UK terminology- for US, change 'dc' to 'sc')

Pattern 
You'll need:
approx. 1280g / 256m of tshirt yarn (about a third of this is colour A, two-thirds, colour B)
12mm hook
approx. 500g cushion stuffing 

From Rnd 1, the draught excluder is made in a continuous round of stitches, but you don't need to bother with a stitch-marker.

Stuff as you go.

In colour A, chain 20, join with a sl st to first ch. 
Round 1: 1ch (doesn't count as a st), 1dc in each st around.
Rnds 2 - 18: 1cdc in each st around.

Flatten the beginning end and slip stitch the two sides closed.

Rnds 19 - 20: change to yarn B, 1cdc in each st around.
Rnds 21: change to yarn A, 1cdc in each st around.
Rnds 22 - 67*: change to yarn B, 1cdc in each st around. 
*or until desired length reached - mine needed to be 90 cms . 

To make up.
Finish stuffing and slip stitch the other end closed.
Fasten off and push the ends inside.


Do share pictures of your projects - you can find me at all my favourite places - I love to see what you've been making!

How will you stay warm and save energy this winter?

Have a great week, and stay cosy,

Sarah xx

(This is a sponsored post in collaboration with Smart Energy GB)