the mother of invention

My friend Morgan had a toddler break through a door for the first time today and asked if I could make her a crocheted door knob cover. I can, but not quickly enough to solve her problems today. When my friend Christina, who was also involved in this conversation, suggested a sock and duct tape (which would probably also work beautifully), I had this idea for a stop-gap measure. It's not pretty, but I think it has the potential to work just as well as my beloved crocheted covers. Ready to try?

Grab a men's athletic sock--the newer and thicker, the better. Cut about 3" off the toe. Take a needle and thread (double the thread for strength) and sew a long running stitch along the raw edge. I sewed my row about 1/4" away from the edge. If I were making another, I'd move in a little more, to 1/2" or 3/4" away from the edge. Cut the needle off leaving two long tails of thread at each end of your row of stitches.

Using the thread ends, tie the sock onto the doorknob. Tie it tightly enough so that it can't be pulled off, but not so tightly that it won't turn.

Trim your ends, and voila! This works on the same principle as the crocheted cover. The sock will slide on the doorknob, and little hands won't have the strength to squeeze it and get enough traction to turn the knob. How cheap and easy is that?!

If you try it, you'll have to let me know how it works.