Even though there aren't any Jewish holidays that celebrate hearts, I certainly am not immune to all the heart shaped cuteness going on out there, and so I just had to indulge myself and have a go at this little heart shaped crocheted basket that I've had my eye on for some time. (Especially since on account of jet lag and being on a clock that is seven hours behind ours here in Israel I had a long long night in which to crochet!) The results you see here are 100% inspired by this fantastic crocheted heart basket, though I did add my own touch, and I did play around with the pattern just a bit which I'll explain to you below.
I will admit, this was actually the second heart basket that I made last night, the first one did not make the cut on account of its not stiff enough shape and the fact that I initially thought that dark blue and bright yellow might work....wrong. Fortunately the second try is a winner, and I can't wait to make some more!
You'll Need:
- t-shirt yarn
- light weight cotton yarn in pink and red
- a size 6mm (or slightly larger) hook
- a 3.5 mm hook
- crocheted heart pattern
- crocheted t-shirt yarn basket pattern
How To:
Note: All t-shirt yarn is not created equal (weight wise), so while the pattern indicated a much larger hook, for the sake of making a basket that retained its shaped I decided to use a 6mm hook that is quite a bit smaller than what one would normally use with t-shirt yarn, and with great results.
Using grey t-shirt yarn crochet a heart according to this pattern, and then consult the heart basket pattern for general directions. Do note however that I made the following changes in the pattern to achieve a slightly more open looking basket:
Row 1 of basket side: Crochet into from loop only. Crochet 2 sc into the middle stitch of the 7 trc group from the previous round
Row 2 of basket side: Crochet into from loop only.Crochet 2 sc in the stitch before the incread of row 1, sc, and crochet 2 sc in next stitch
Row 3 of basket side: Crochet into both loops. Crochet 2 sc in the stitch before the first increase of row 2, sc, and crochet 2 sc in next stitch, sc, and crochet 2 sc in next stitch.
After completion of row 3, using a strand of pink and a strand of red cotton and a 3.5mm hook, crochet all around the edge, making two sc into each stitch. Crochet another row. in which you skip a stitch at the bottom point of the heart and the top middle of the heart to help enhance the heart shape.
Enjoy and thanks again to Cinthia over at my poppet for her wonderful pattern and inspiration!
Oh and by the way, wouldn't this be an adorable little mishloach manot basket for Purim? Then again, this heart shaped crocheted basket would be great just about anytime!
