Hi folks.

Have you ever found yourself with loads of of balls yarn you just don’t love or want to use any more?  I have the perfect solution to use them all up at once!

What you need

Yarn – whatever you have.  I have only used acrylic yarns to make this style of basket so far, but anything will work – even different yarns mixed together – add in some lace an chunky for a different look.  It doesn’t matter if you don’t have big balls of yarn.  Just start with say 6 then as one yarn runs out, add another.

Hook

When using multiple strands, you’ll need big hook.  When using 6 strands of acrylic, I have used an 8 mm hook.  It will depend on your crochet style. You want a tight finish without it being too difficult to  work with.

I have made things with up to 12 strands before – just experiment with what you’ve got to see what works for you. My biggest hook is a 15 mm hook. It can be a bit of a work out working with lots of yarn and big hooks,  but it all happens very quickly.  I usually finish a basket in a sitting or 2.  Easy.

How to do it without making a tangled mess

I make sure my balls are centre pulled to make them stay still.  You can do it with the outer wound end, but things can get a bit messy.

What to do

Well, it’s basically the same as my crochet bags tutorial, but it’s a bit more by feeling than formula.

You begin with a magic circle and start a base.  It really will depend how many strands of yarn you’re using, how big your hook is and your crochet style how closely you’ll follow the circle formula

I found that by not may rounds in, I was getting warping, so I did a a round of no increases to flatten it out again.  You really do have to look at it round by round as warping and cupping can happen very quickly.  Just adjust as I suggest in the  circle formula post.

When your base is big enough, you have a choice how to continue on to the sides.  No matter which way you choose, you are not increasing any more – just going round and round in a spiral.

Option 1 is to work into the back loops only of the stitches to give a more definite base/sides distinction.

Or you can go with option 2 and just work into the stitches as normal.  Here’s how they both look – blo on the left, into stitches on the right. :

Then it’s a simple matter of going round and round until your basket it high enough.  I do recommend ending with an invisible join.

Hot tip – use the eye end of the needle rather than the pointy end to weave in your ends – much easier!

You don’t have to make huge yarn holding sized baskets.  I have made quite a few very shallow vessels and keep one next to me on the couch with all my bits and bobs in it.  Very handy – less loosing stuff down the back of the couch!

So there you have it.  Go whip up a basket or 2 🙂