Lawn Chair UpCycle

What do you do with that lawn chair that's seen one too many rear ends? Bring it back to life with a fresh weave using paracord or utility rope! This one took about 4 hours to complete.

Materials: 

• Old lawn chair or blank frame
• A little less than 400ft (130yd) of paracord or utility rope (3/16")
• Two pencils or similarly shaped placeholders (crochet hooks here)
• Scissors & Lighter

Begin by cutting all the old material off of your frame. Place your spool on the ground inside the seat frame. This is where it will stay throughout the entire weaving process.

1) Start with a secure knot, a double square knot will do just fine. 2) Pull some slack out of the spool and wrap it around the back (underneath the fold bar), then up towards the top of the chair.

3) Pull a loop over the front of the top bar. 4) Tuck it behind and towards the outer edge of the chair.

5) Grab your pencil or similarly shaped place holder and slide it into the loop, then pull the cord tight. If you're serious about your weaving or you're going to do a lot of these, you might want to invest in a couple of crochet needles like these. Next, wrap it under the fold bar and use your second pencil or placeholder to replicate that process on the bottom bar. 6) Pull another loop up and over the top bar.

7) Tuck it under the back of the chair like the first loop. 8) Pull it towards the outside of the chair and through the previous loop that your placeholder is in.

9) Carefully remove the placeholder and put it through the new loop. 10) Pull cord tight.

Continue this process along the whole bar. Make sure you are pulling the cord taught, but don't yank it as tight as you can. You'll end up with a chair that won't open.

Tip Demonstrated Above: If you're using something like I am for the placeholder, it's helpful to use the new loop to push the end of the pencil through the second loop so that you don't drop the stitch. 

Tip Demonstrated Above: After each new loop is woven, an easy way to tighten the rope is to pull the placeholder straight out from the chair, and then pull on the lead rope that is still attached to the spool.

Avoid going too close to the corners of the chair.

11) Once you're all the way across, measure the last strand about a foot past the bottom bar and cut. Trim the inner strands that are sticking out and carefully burn the end with a lighter to seal. 12) Wrap the final strand over and behind the top bar.

13) Take the end of the cord and pull it down through the last loop.

14) Pull the strand under and around the bottom bar. 15) Pull the cord up through the last loop.

16) Tie another double snake knot or secure knot of your choice. Trim the cord & carefully burn the end to seal.

17) Begin the horizontal cords in the same way you started the vertical ones.

18) For this weave, we did the vertical rows 4 strands thick and the horizontal rows 6 strands thick. Feel free to experiment with different variations here. 

Now sit back and relax in your brand new lawn chair.