Decorated coat hangers not only look good in your wardrobe they are practical too. The texture of the knitted cover stops silky clothes from slipping off. They add an personal touch when giving hand-made or vintage clothes as gifts. Even quicker are painted wooden coat hangers. Effective yet simple and cheap to produce – give a set of three tied together with ribbon. The knitted cover pictured here is so simple that anyone able to cast off and do basic garter stitch could make it. There is no purl, no shaping - just a simple strip. A bit like a doll's scarf. It's also a great way to use up odd scraps of yarn. The method here specifies 4ply, but any weight of wool will do. Cast on stitches to measure the width of the hanger front and back, knit in garter stitch until the strip measures the length of the hanger when slightly stretched. Cast off. You will need Yarn - 4 ply mercerised cotton (or matt cotton), To cover the hanger, find the centre on work in both length and width and slip over the hanger hook, forcing the hook through your knitting then stitch the strip together on the underside of the haner with a neat catch stitch. Sew both ends. If you also want to cover a standard (13.5cm) hook, cast on 38sts (measure your hanger hook and adjust accordingly) then work 4 rows garter st. Cast off. Fold around hook and sew edges together so that hook is covered, catch to hanger cover to avoid the hook cover slipping off. Alternatively, wrap the hook with the yarn, securing at each end with a blob of PVA glue. www.rosbadger.com