Little Boxes

I just love 'How to' programmes so Kirstie's Home-made Home is unmissable viewing for me. Yes, I know we can't all go and have a one-to-one tutorial with a master craftsman or woman and then have them turn up later with the project we started beautifully finished for us but I don't mind that - I just love watching them try crafts I haven't tried before or come up with new ways of working with the ones I have tried. Watching Kirstie learning to crochet with Erica Knight, I found the urge to try making the little gift basket irrestible. I even had yarn and hook to hand so I started right away.

I made the squares for the larger one on the left first. In the programme, they had used twine, which would be stiffer and make a firmer fabric. I used an 8 ply  pure wool knitting yarn with a 3.5 crochet hook but I wasn't all that sure it would stand up by itself when made up. I then made the smaller basket with a slightly thicker yarn I happened to have in my collection of leftover bits and bobs. That made up very well using the overcasting seam shown on the programme. I decided then that perhaps backstitching the side seams would make them more rigid and would help the larger basket stay upright. Having done that I found that they worked even better when the seams were left on the outside. And so there we have it. Where to go from here with this? I think little handles would be good,  and maybe a quilted lining for the larger one to help keep its shape; oh and maybe either embroidered or crochet motifs. Yes they would make great little gift baskets but I would like to think they would suggest themselves as more than a receptacle, that they might indeed be another little gift in themselves.

Two further thoughts came to me while I was making these. Firstly, simply working in double crochet rows (single crochet if you work to US patterns) makes such a lovely firm fabric. Secondly that both the yarns I had chosen would probably felt really well. Now there's a technique I haven't tried yet.
I'll be watching again tonight and, if needs be, reminding myself that for the time being the house can't cope with the paraphernalia and materials needed for yet another craft hobby and that I already have plenty of 'projects pending' and works in progress to keep me busy.