If there's an unlimited supply of anything in my household it's yarn and dog toys. Could have guessed, huh? The joke is always that I'm trying to find storage for my uncontrollable need to buy more of them. Recently I ran out of room for both! gasp! and knew I needed a solution.
I told Landon I needed another cabinet for my yarn... to which he replied jokingly, "Why don't you crochet one?" haha Joke's on him- because I did. (Let's be serious though, this basket is going to be for dog toys because, who am I kidding, it's not big enough for all of my yarn.)
In an attempt to use up some of my existing yarn (again, let's be serious- that'll never happen) I used a leftover skein of yarn from an afghan I had made. I wanted something soft for this basket since it'd be used for dog toys. Thinking about my little dog back at home with my parents- I know how hard it can be for them to crawl into a basket to get toys- so this one will fold easily if they want to grab one from the bottom.
You'll notice in the pattern that I used a smaller hook than recommended for the yarn. This is to create tighter stitches that will offer a little more structure to an otherwise soft yarn. I used Bernat Blanket yarn- I love working with this super soft yarn. It also works up super quick so you can whip out this basket in no time flat! (If you're looking to make an afghan but are a little nervous about the amount of work it will take- start with Bernat Blanket yarn- it will be done A LOT faster!)
While this basket will be holding Finley's toys- it's not big enough to hold all of them. (or half or even an eighth of them...) So we'll be taking a box of used dog toys to the local shelter. One dog doesn't need a hundred toys. Don't tell Finley though, he was not impressed when I packed them into a box.
You can purchase an ad free version in my shop or find the free pattern below.
Happy Crocheting!
~Dana
Materials:
7 mm crochet hook
Bulky (Weight 9) Yarn – I used Bernet Blanket Yarn
Yarn Needle (Will need to be a larger eye size for bulky
Yarn)
Abbreviations:
SC : Single Crochet
HDC: Half Double Crochet
BLO: Back loop only
CH: Chain
SL ST: Slip Stitch
Pattern:
Magic Ring (or ch 6, sl st to 1st ch to join)
R1: 6 sc in magic ring, sl st to join (pull to tighten)(6sc)
R2: Ch 1, 2 sc in each st around, sl st to join (12 sc)
R3: ch 1, 2 sc in each st around, sl st to join (24 sc)
R4: ch 2, *1 hdc in next st, 2 hdc in next st, rep * around, sl st to join (36 hdc)
R5: ch 2, *1 hdcin next 2 st, 2 hdc in next st, rep * around,sl st to join (48 hdc)
R6: ch 2 *1 hdc in next 3 st, 2 hdc in next st, rep * around, sl st to join (60 hdc)
R7: Rep R6 (75 hdc)
R8: ch 2 * 1 hdc in next 4 st, 2 hdc in next st, rep * around, sl st to join (90 hdc)
R9: ch 2 *1 hdc in next 5 st, 2 hdc in next st, rep * around, sl st to join (105hdc)
R10: ch 1, 1 sc in blo eac stitch around, sl st to join (105 blo sc)
R11: ch1, *1 hdc in next 5 st, hdc 2 tog in next, rep from * around, sl st to join (90 hdc)
R12: ch 1, hdc in each st around, sl st to join (90 hdc)
R13- R19: Rep Row 12
Handles:
(The first handle is a continuation from the basket)
R20: chain 12, skip 9 st, sc in 10th st, turn (don’t chain)
R21: Skip 1st st, sc in each across, sl st in last ch.
Finish off.
Count 35 st from end of first handle…
R1: Sc in 36th st, ch 12, skip 9 st, sc in 10th st, turn (don’t chain)
R2: Skip 1st sc, sc across, sl st in last ch.
Finish Off.
Sew in ends.