Yes that says Cro-cycling. It’s a word I made up as I worked on these earrings. It’s a term I’ve come to use when I recycle something through crochet!

This project uses seemingly worthless bits of plastic easily found on most any water or soda bottle. Perfect for using up ends and loose bits of yarn or thread.

Materials:
#10 crochet thread (in your choice of color)
size 10MM crochet hook (very small)
scissors
embroidery needle
2 rings from a plastic bottle
6 jump rings
2 “dangly” bits - optional (I used 5/8” wide pieces of shell)
2 fish hook earring wires
needle nose pliers - optional
fine grit sand paper or emery board - optional

Before you begin:
Take a close look at the plastic rings. Sometimes there can be small raised spots from where the cap pulls loose when it’s opened. If your rings have those, smooth them down with a bit of sandpaper or an emery board. Doing this will prevent your yarn from snagging and help it move along smoothly as you’re working.

(Make Two)
Step 1:
Make a slip knot; going through the center of the ring pull up a loop and chain one securing the yarn to the ring. Single crochet around until the entire piece is covered. The more single crochets you use, the more ruffled your earrings will be. Use as many or as few as you wish. My stitches are pretty tight so each of my rings have 55 single crochets.

Step 2:
Take one of the jump rings; open it and go through the top of one single crochet. Add one of the fish hook earring wires. Close this jump ring. Now if you wanted to leave it like this, you’d still have some pretty cool earrings even without the decorative option.

Step 3:
Adding the decorative bit: Taking another jump ring, open it and add the decorative piece, close this one and open another jump ring. Attach the second jump ring to the jump ring holding your decorative piece and then attach it directly beneath the earring wire (see finished project if you are unsure) and close the jump ring. You can attach it to the bottom of a stitch or to the plastic ring itself. These pieces are very light weight and will not pull the yarn out of shape if you choose to attach it to the stitch.

You now have one finished fabulous earring! As you can see in the photo, they are roughly 2” in length.