free pattern – Crochet blog

DIY Christmas Crochet Basket Tutorial

Published on October 11, 2024December 7, 2024 by Nicola Florence @ ayarnyrobin1 Comment

With Christmas fast approaching I wanted to share with you a fabulous and practical pattern, perfect for this festive season. These handy baskets can be used to gift or store festive chocolates or just add a little seasonal decor around the home.

These baskets are super versatile. You can swap the colours to suit your own style and add whatever decorations you choose, here I have chosen to add a sweet wooden snowflake, but ribbons, bows and bells would look just as good. The best bit about these baskets is the wooden base.

The wooden base makes this a super quick make and means the basket has a great shape and is sturdy…all good elements for a useful basket to have. You will find bases in all sorts of shapes and sizes on lots of different shopping sites. I got mine from Etsy, as I like to support small business owners when I can. Take a look here to get started

I would just like to talk about your choice of yarn or cord for a moment also. I purchased several versions before I settled on one I was happy with. Some were too splitty, or dull, or just didn’t crochet well. I highly recommend using this 5mm braided recycled cotton cord because it is economical, comes in a great colour range and is easy to work with.

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Pattern notes

The pattern that follows can be adapted to any size or shape base. The pattern uses English crochet terminology, but you can find US crochet terminology in brackets just below.

Ad free version with detailed round by round instruction for Trio of baskets in sizes 12cm, 15cm and 17cm here.

I strongly advise that you mark the 1st chain 1 of each round with a stitch marker. Repeats are marked by *

What you will need

5mm braided cotton cord in colour of your choice

wooden base(s)

scissors

hooks – see below

stitch marker

decorations of your choice – bows / bells / small tree ornaments

Stitches used

DC – double crochet ( SC – single crochet)

slst – slip stitch

Ch – chain stitch

Dc: Insert hook into chain or under both loops of stitch, yarn over and pull through so there are 2 loops on hook, yarn over again and pull through both loops on hook.

Hooks used

5mm and 8mm

To start

Start by holding cord underneath the base. Using smaller hook pull up a loop through the first hole in the base.

Yarn over and pull through loop on your hook.

*Pull up next loop from the underside of base through next hole and complete DC* Repeat around base to last hole. Slst in 1st st.

Now turn work so outside of the basket is facing you.

Round 2: Using larger hook. Ch1 (counts as a st) place marker. DC in next stitch and in each st around.

Round 3: ch 1, continue to place DC in each st for desired height of basket, placing marker in ch1 of each round. Change colours as desired.

eg/ large basket pictured had a base with 37 holes / 17cm diameter. I completed rounds 1 – 8 in candy red and rounds 9 – 11 in natural. Final round in natural also. My basket measures 14cms tall.

Final round: Do not ch1, slst in each st around. Fasten off.

With smaller hook weave in loose ends. Weave starting tail at base so that it fills in the gap.

Now decorate your basket as desired.

Next steps

If you have enjoyed this pattern you can help support what I do by

• Pin for later on your Pinterest board

• leave me a like or a comment below

• tag me in your makes using @yarnyrobin

ad-free version with detailed round by round instruction for Trio of baskets in sizes. 12cms,15cms and 17cms

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Crochet Rainbow Pattern…

Published on May 14, 2020May 14, 2020 by Nicola Florence @ ayarnyrobin5 Comments

Hi, I just wanted to drop by to share with you this fabulous and free crochet sampler rainbow pattern by the amazing Sharon from The Stitch Foundary

It’s a quick make and looks fabulous hung up in the window to show support to all of our key workers at this unbelievable time and to add some cheer and unite in community spirit.

From a crochet point of view, the pattern is free, easy to follow and has several different stitches which give the rainbow some lovely textures. There is no gauge to worry about and you can make it from scraps…what’s not to love!

I did alter mine slightly…sorry Sharon!

I used 5 stitches to complete my popcorns in the orange row, instead of the recommended 3 stitches…just because it made my popcorns fatter and I like nice fat popcorns! Then on the last row of red I chained 5 and missed a stitch, instead of chain 3 between each stitch…just because it made the row less ruffled and more arched and I preferred the more simple finish.

Anyway, it’s a fabulous pattern and will make you smile if you hook it!

xxxxx

#Sidekicksistas…

Published on January 21, 2020 by Nicola Florence @ ayarnyrobin6 Comments

I wanted to stop by and show a beautiful shawl I made as a Secret Santa swap for one of my #sidekicksistas.

If you don’t know I am wonderfully blessed to be a part of a fabulous group of crafties that meets once a month. I met them online way back when I had my foot operation and I started the #seasidestashbustingblanket in 2018, and they kindly invited me along. They really are just the most supportive and creative women and we all share the same crafty kindred spirit. Even though I don’t make the monthly meets and only get to about three a year, I just love these women so much. The highlight is always our Christmas dinner in December where we all chip in and cook something for the table…here we are look…

This year for the secret Santa swap, I decided I was going to make a shawl and after a long trawl through ravelry, I set my heart on the Dragon Belly Shawl by Johanna Lindahl of Mijo Crochet. It is a free pattern and has a simple 2 row repeat, which means it is the perfect pattern to hook up whilst indulging in a box set. Perfect relaxing crochet. The pattern is well written and I will definitely be making this again.

I decided to treat my recipient to a Scheepjes whirl to hook this shawl in…well to treat myself really as I had never hooked with this yarn before and I had wanted to for ages. I chose the Blueberry Bambam which was my second choice. I had originally chosen the Jaffa Pop colourway…but it was out of stock everywhere, and I mean everywhere and was not due to be re-stocked until after Christmas. So Blueberry Bambam it was.

The yarn was a beauty to hook with. It is a beautifully soft cotton blend 4ply yarn which has a long gentle gradient. I used the whole 200g (1000m) and it made a great sized shawl. The whirl was worth every penny, as it produced a really lovely quality fabric which drapes amazingly. I love the raised rows of this shawl and it is aptly named the Dragon Belly for this reason. So, if your looking for a fabulous make which won’t tax your brain; but will certainly scratch that creative itch and give you a real sense of hooky satisfaction…this is the pattern to go for.

xxxxx

Bright and Bold Summer Flowers…pattern news

Published on June 25, 2019July 7, 2019 by Nicola Florence @ ayarnyrobin2 Comments

Do you remember not so long ago I said I had some exciting news to share with you? Well, I can share that news now…

These are my bright and bold summer flowers and they were featured in Crochetzine, a fabulous online crochet magazine, last month!

I felt so proud and excited to see my work shared. Of course I want to share it with you also. These are great flowers to make from left over snippets, but I think they work best in a cotton yarn, as they hold their shape better.

The pattern is based on hyperbolic crochet, but don’t let that put you off…it is really simple! I have had so many lovely comments about the bunch I have on my table. Here’s the link to Crochetzine, where you will find my pattern.

Do let me know what you think if you make any won’t you?

xxxxx

Last minute Easter pattern…

Published on April 6, 2019 by Nicola Florence @ ayarnyrobin3 Comments

I thought I’d drop by to let you know all about a really cute pattern I have found. It’s a quick make and the pattern is free (always a bonus!) and it would make a super cute Easter gift or spring gift.

It’s a very sweet little lambs hat, what could be more spring like…apart from a little fluffy yellow chick perhaps!

The pattern is available in all sizes from 0 -3 months right through to big peoples sizes and it is brilliantly written. If your thinking I’m not sure about making those bobbles there is a useful youtube link to help you with that. All in all this pattern would take you a couple of hours to make…that’s plenty of time to hook yourself a little flock.

I just adore how those lamb ears are low set and droop down.

Of course I made a pink one too…

So here are the pattern details…

Pattern by: Sarah Zimmerman

Pattern Name: Lamb’s Hat

Have you found any good patterns worth a shout out recently?

xxxxx

Heart baby blanket…

Published on April 2, 2019April 2, 2019 by Nicola Florence @ ayarnyrobin19 Comments

Here it is, my beautiful grey and white heart baby blanket…

I love this pattern, thanks to the very talented @emmacartercrochet for sharing this fabulous pattern which is called ‘The Ombre Heart C2C Blanket’ and which is also free!!! How generous to share such a brilliant pattern.

It is a corner to corner construction and therefore works up quite quickly. The version in Emma’s pattern has 5 colours which fade into each other, but I opted for a solid grey heart this time. I say this time, because this pattern is addictive and I already want to make more.

I opted to add a simple double crochet (single crochet) border in grey, and added one of my natural sustainably sourced cork labels as the finishing touch.

I just love the soft texture of this baby blanket…

I think the heart would look amazing in a swirl or gradient yarn, but I have chosen to make a rainbow blanket next, so the swirl may have to wait! After working on these calming grey and whites this is what I’m going to be using next…

My favourite colour…..Rainbow!

xxxxx

Grey and white…

Published on March 30, 2019March 26, 2019 by Nicola Florence @ ayarnyrobin6 Comments

I said I’d pop by to show you what is on my hook this week, so here I am.

But first of all, thanks for letting me know what you were making…I really enjoyed finding out what you were up to!

This week has been all about grey and white makes for me…and I can’t get enough of this calming colourway.

I have a corner to corner on the go right now

The pattern is The Ombre Heart C2C Blanket by Emma Carter Crochet.

I am really enjoying hooking this blanket. The pattern does not give a finished size and I was a bit worried it would either be too big or too small for what I wanted, but it is turning out to be just right for what I had in mind. It will make a decent sized baby blanket.