Month: December 2023

Crochet basket

On By CarynIn Craft

Here is another good yarn stash buster, a tightly crocheted mosaic basket. I combined the mosaic crochet technique of dipping down with color with an amigurumi technique of using a smaller hook to get a dense fabric.

Photo description: Standing round basket with multi-colored base in rounds, and sides with a two-tone basket pattern, rim finished with an i-cord, sitting on a puff stitch cat mat.

I’ve done a series of video shorts on the stitches starting here.

Here are the instructions:

  • With worsted weight acrylic yarn and a size G hook, double crochet (dc) 10 stitches into a magic ring. Pull the ring tight and finish the round with an invisible join. Weave in end.
  • Start the round by putting the hook through the back loop (bl), yarn over (yo), pull through, and make two chains (ch). Dc in the same space. 2dc in the back loop around for the first row. 1dc bl then 2dc bl for the second row. Dc bl, dc bl, 2dc bl for the third row, etcetera until you have a base the size you want. Each row should have 10 evenly spaced increases. Finish off each row with a invisible join, weave in end. Offset the increases to keep the circle round and not lumpy. You can change colors for each round.
  • Row 1: Turn the work, and work in the opposite direction so the basket pattern faces out. Join color 1 by inserting the hook into the bl, yo, pull up loop, ch1. Single crochet (sc) bl in same loop. Sc bl around. Join with slip stitch (sl st) to first sc.
  • Row 2 and 3: with color 1, ch 1, sc bl in same stitch, sc bl around. Join with slip stitch (sl st) to first sc. Do not cut yarn.
  • Row 4: With color 2, insert the hook into the bl, yo, pull up loop, ch1. Sc bl in same loop. Sc, dc in front loop (fl) of previous row (pr). * skip sc, sc bl, sc bl, dc fl pr. Repeat * around. Drop color 2, pick up color 1, sl st into first sc. Here is a video.
  • Row 5: With color 1, ch1, sc in same stitch. In this row make sure the dc fl pr is in the stitch before the previous row’s dc. Each dc is separated by two sc bl. Continue pattern around. Drop color 2, pick up color 1, sl st into first sc.
  • Row 6: With color 2, ch1, sc in same stitch. In this row make sure the dc fl pr is in the stitch before the previous row’s dc. Each dc is separated by two sc bl. Continue pattern around. Drop color 2, pick up color 1, sl st into first sc.
  • Repeat Rows 5-6 until desired height is reached.
  • I like to finish the top with a three loop i-cord, and found that skipping every fifth stitch gave a nice curve to my basket.
Photo description: Adding a three loop i-cord to the top of the basket, shows the basket side texture.
Photo description: Calico cat in the crocheted basket, she is laying down, it is a tight fit.

Izzy the calico cat reports that I made this basket just a touch too small. She can’t tuck her head in.

Mums

On By CarynIn Garden

I was given a pot of Mums, so decided to plant them in the front garden. If they lived, awesome, if not, at least it was some color for a while. I had some spectacular mums in Colorado, or I remember them as spectacular. They aren’t usually as happy in the Texas heat, but since it is entertaining the idea of winter here, maybe it would work.

Photo description: Yellow and red variegated blooms and bright green compact leaves on a freshly planted chrysanthemum plant.

I was pleasantly surprised that the plant hung in there and finished blooming. On hot days I did have to give it some more water, but overall it did better than I expected. Then it gave me a shock. It started new buds and bloomed scarlet flowers.

Photo description: Single scarlet red mum bloom surrounded by buds bearing the same color.
Photo description: Same mum, but with larger scarlet flowers, and leaves a dusty green., freshly deadheaded.

I thought maybe that there was a different plant growing up from the soil, but when I deadheaded the old blooms it was obvious the bright red flowers came from the same stems. Huh. I did an internet search, and wow, is there a load of garbage about mums out there. So much worthless click bait. I gleaned that this and many other different mum color changes have happened to others, but was not able to find a reliable explanation why. Someone did mention that growers will do things to the plants to make the blooms change color, but most of the answers involved mixing up seed color, which is not the case here.

Bees!

On By CarynIn Garden

The Gregg’s Mist flower that we planted in the spring recovered from the summer heat and spread with the fall rains. We bought it because it is very attractive to butterflies, but the bees love it too!

Photo description: Bee on a light purple chaotic flower surrounded by multi-lobed green leaves as well as a few long paperwhite leaves.
Photo description: More shag carpet cushion-like clusters of flowers with a bee butt visiting, dried leaves in the background.

Now the test is to see how they do over the winter. If they do well, we just might fill the whole front section of the flower bed with them. It is a Texas native.

Another tatting attempt

On By CarynIn Craft

I went shopping in my craft room. I was fairly certain I had more than the one tatting shuttle I found, so I perused my shelves and found a baggie with five more shuttles! Score!

Photo description: Ziplock gallon bag with shuttles and bobbins lying on a table in front of a plastic storage bin filled with yarn tools labeled “knitting”.

I have inherited a variety of crafting implements over the years, so shopping in the craft room is a common occurrence. I did manage to make a lopsided star in tatting. Skill development in this area continues.

Photo description: White tatted five-pointed shape with some twisted stitches and curved points lying on my palm.

Forever project

On By CarynIn Craft

I picked up my knitting again and progressed a little farther. I keep telling myself that this is the worst bit, row-length-wise. I’m making a top-down cartigan with raglan sleeves, and across the shoulders, before the arms are separated from the body, the row has around 300 stitches and is increasing. I’m close to separating the sleeves and then I hope the work will at least perceive to go faster. I posted a couple shorts on YouTube of my real-time perl and knit. It is slow going.

Photo description: Yellow and blue knitting section on circular needles laid over a calico cat.