Your new favorite basket or plant cozy awaits in the Shellweave Basket Cozy. An easy two-round repeat creates a beautifully textured fabric, while a decorative crochet mesh overlay with attached shells evokes the look of seashells caught in a fisherman’s net. Fill the basket with rolled hand towels in a guest bathroom, or use it to hold a favorite plant. This basket is a gorgeous, decorative addition to coastal homes or anyone yearning for summer.

Time: Weekend Project

Size:  7.5 inches Diameter x 6.5 inches High

Skill Level: Easy

Gauge: Gauge is unimportant to design.

Materials

Yarn: Premier Raffia, bulky (100% cellulose rayon; 131 yards [120 meters] / 3.5 ounces [100 grams]): 2166-05 Straw (MC 2 balls)

and Premier Minikins, fine (50% cotton/50% acrylic; 158 yards [145 meters] / 1.75 ounces [50 grams]): 2103-03 Shell (CC 1 ball)  from www.premieryarns.com

Hook: Size G/6/4mm crochet hook

Notions: #56982 White Nassa shells, 36 from www.limabeads.com; #8810 Embroidery Needle Threader from www.clover-usa.com

Special Stitches

Single crochet spike stitch (sc spike st): Insert hook from front to back in base of indicated st, yo, pull up lp to height of current row, yo, pull through both lps on hook.

Single crochet join (sc join): With lp on hook, insert hook in indicated st, yo, pull up lp, yo, pull through both lps on hook.

Pattern Notes

Pattern is worked in rounds, do not turn at end of rounds.

Weave in ends as work progresses.

Chain-1 at beginning of rounds does not count as a stitch, unless otherwise noted.

All rounds of Basket are worked with RS facing.

Back loop of a stitch is the loop of stitch that is farthest away.

All rounds of Overlay are worked with WS of Basket facing.

Join with a slip stitch unless otherwise noted.

Pattern

Basket

Rnd 1: With MC, make a magic ring, ch 1 (see Pattern Notes), 8 sc in ring, join (see Pattern Notes) in top of beg sc. (8 sc)

Rnd 2: Ch 1, 2 sc in each st around, join in top of beg sc.  (16 sc)

Rnd 3: Ch 1, 2 sc in first st, sc in next st, [2 sc in next st, sc in next st] around, join in top of beg sc.  (24 sc)

Rnd 4: Ch 1, 2 sc in first st, sc in next 2 sts, [2 sc in next st, sc in next 2 sts] around, join in top of beg sc.  (32 sc)

Rnd 5: Ch 1, sc in first st, [2 sc in next st, sc in next 3 sts] 7 times, 2 sc in next st, sc in next 2 sts, join in top of beg sc.  (40 sc)

Rnd 6: Ch 1, 2 sc in first st, sc in next 4 sts, [2 sc in next st, sc in next 4 sts] around, join in top of beg sc.  (48 sc)

Rnd 7: Ch 1, sc in first 2 sts, [2 sc in next st, sc in next 5 sts] 7 times, 2 sc in next st, sc in next 3 sts, join in top of beg sc.  (56 sc)

Rnd 8: Ch 1, 2 sc in first st, sc in next 6 sts, [2 sc in next st, sc in next 6 sts] around, join in top of beg sc.  (64 sc)

Rnd 9: Ch 1, 2 sc in first st, sc in next 7 sts, [2 sc in next st, sc in next 7 sts] around, join in top of beg sc.  (72 sc)

Rnd 10: Working in back lps (see Pattern Notes) of sts, ch 1, sc in each st around, join in top of beg sc.

Rnd 11: Ch 1, sc in first st, sc spike st (see Special Stitches) of next st [sc in next st, sc spike st in next st] around, join to beg sc. (32 sc, 32 sc spike sts)

Rnd 12: Ch 1, sc spike st in first st, sc in next st, [sc spike st in next st, sc in next st] around, join in beg sc.

Rnds 13-34: Rep rows 11 & 12 alternately 11 times.

Rnd 35: Rep rnd 11. Fasten off.

Overlay

Rnd 1: With Basket last rnd WS facing, working in back lps of sts with CC, sc join (see Special Stitches) in same place as join, 2 sc in next st, [sc in next st, 2 sc in next st] around, join in beg sc. (108 sc)

How to Thread Shell: Remove the tag from needle threader so you have only the wire. Enlarge lp on hook and remove hook, insert one end of threader through lp, insert both wire ends through shell from inside (WS) to outside (RS) through hole. Gently pull ends of threader through shell to bring up lp, remove threader and replace hook on lp, tighten lp on hook to continue.

Rnd 2: [Thread Shell (see above), ch 10, sk next 5 sts, sl st in next st] 17 times around, ch 3, dtr (counts as ch loop) in top of ch above first shell. (18 ch lps)

Rnd 3: [Ch 9, sl st in center of next ch lp] 17 times, ch 3, dtr in center of next ch lp. (18 ch-9 lps)

Rnd 4: [Ch 5, enlarge lp and remove from hook, insert one end of threader through lp, insert both threader ends from inside (WS) of shell to outside (RS) through hole, gently pull ends of threader to bring lp up through shell, remove lp from threader and return to hook, tighten lp on hook, ch 5, sc in center of next ch-9 lp] 18 times, ending last sc in top of last dtr in previous rnd. Fasten off.