Crochet & Knit Sanitary Items

Sanitary Menstrual Pads

For an introduction to Menstrual Pads styles, please visit “Cloth Menstrual Pads“.
Below are a series of examples with tutorials you can follow

Knitted menstrual pads made in Norway probably during the 19th century

Tampons

Reusable tampons offer the advantages of an internal product, with the advantages of a reusable one. They can be cheaper than Menstrual Cups, however they may still cause TSS and can be harder to clean.

Knit or crochet versions can be done in a cotton or bamboo yarn. Knitted tampons usually use the fact that a square or rectangle knit in “stocking” stitch will naturally want to roll. This rolling action makes it easy for the knitted tampon to stay rolled for easier insertion/removal. Crochet tampons sometimes have a flat roll up section, with a curved top to give the tampon a rounded end for more comfortable insertion.

Making a sewn version is simply a case of cutting out a rectangle of cloth (here I’ve used organic cotton jersey), sewing it into a tube, filling it with something absorbent (Like bamboo fleece or cotton terry), sewing it closed and (securely) sewing on a string. The advantage of this style is that it is used much the same as a disposable tampon and needs no rolling or fiddling around with. The disadvantage is that styles that can roll up will allow for easier cleaning than an absorbent-filled tube style.