Striped Easter Basket Crochet Pattern
With all of our lives upended and our attention constantly focused on the hourly news updates, I thought it was time to introduce a new project; something that can help reduce the ever mounting levels of anxiety. It is weird to think that something so normal as the Easter holiday is right around the corner….it is honestly hard for me to think about anything right now other than the current state of the world. I have been trying to limit my engagement with the news to only twice a day for my sanity. Many of you are probably doing the same, so I won’t talk about my thoughts and feelings on the virus here. I am sure you have all been reading quite enough of the unsettling news as well as your friends’ and families’ posts of their opinions or accounts of their experiences. I would like this space to be more of a refuge for you; a place to take your mind off of the negative for just a little while and focus on something fun and productive.
This Easter basket project is something I have been planning as part of an Easter themed set of patterns. When it became apparent that so many people would be stuck at home with little to do to keep their minds at ease, I decided to release the patterns individually as they were finished, and to make them available to all of you for free. The first of the bunch is this simple pattern for a crocheted Easter basket that can easily be made from the longer scraps of yarn you may have squirreled away. ((If you are anything like me you may even have baskets and baskets of full unused skeins of yarn just waiting for a project)) The cording isn’t even terribly important if you don’t have any handy, it just gives the basket a more rigid structure. You can substitute strips of fabric, yarn, upholstery piping, rope….get creative! I used some old extra clothesline I had left over from last summer. In the pattern, I suggest using a super bulky yarn for three reasons; first because it helps with the structure of the basket, secondly, the bulkiness really helps hide the cording, and third because it works up incredibly fast. Two inexpensive types of yarn that I find are the most accessible are (1) Yarn Bee’s Effortless Super Bulky and (2) Lion Brand’s Wool-Ease Thick & Quick ((this one you can even find at most Wal-Mart stores, so you can pick some up when you are there to buy groceries)). If you don’t have access to any bulky yarn, no worries, you can just double up and work two strands together of worsted weight or whatever you have lying around. Even if you only have a hodge podge of different types of yarn, try it out! Maybe you’ll end up with something super unique and really cool looking. Please do not make a special trip to your local craft store right now. Yarn really is not worth the risk to your health or the health of those around you.
As always, happy stitching, and be well!
I love seeing photos of your work! Post progress photos and show off your finished project on Instagram & Facebook, tag us @mapleandorange, and use the hashtag #MOstitchesintheworld.