Tutorial Rag Rug Cat Basket (crochet)

Materials: 

One skein of cotton yarn of approximately 600 grams in color A (my choice: peppermint blue)

One skein of cotton yarn of approximately 600 grams in color B (my choice: chocolate brown)

Cotton yarn is made out of strips op approximately one inch wide / 2,54 cm.

A hook 10 or US N/P

In this case this made me a basket that is 44,5 cm / 17,5 inches wide and 35,5 cm / 6,8 inches high.

This is what I did:

I made an oval bottom and a wide rim, which you fold inward so you have a double edge.

Now I use free style in crochet, so I don't follow a strict pattern here. (With re-used cotton yarn that even isn't really possible I think.) So for the bottom what's important is that you look at how your stitches are acting; if they curl too much to the left or right, you know you need to add or lose an extra stitch. It helps to keep your project as flat as possible so you can see clearly if your stitch lies neatly above the previous row.

Pull the fabric flat so you can see if there is any tension, if so then add another stitch by making 2 stitches in one loop.

I started out with a string of 7 stitches, followed by a row of six (using the 7th stitch as side stitch) and started to crochet in the round, making a nice oval.

When the bottom had a diameter of 20 stitches (10 rounds), I decided that the basket was big enough and I started with the rim.

The rim is 18 rows high. The bottom is made in chocolate. 

The rim is made in:

6 rows of blue, 

one brown row, 

one blue row, 

one brown row, 

5 rows of blue, 

4 rows of brown.

Ending with the brown makes the rim blend nicely with the bottom when folded back inwards.

You make a rim by not increasing another stitch and follow the last row of stitches of the bottom upward. Make it as high as you like, twice the height of what it actually should be, and fold it in half, inward.

This basket slouches a bit, so if you want to keep it tighter you can add padding in between the two edges, or you can decrease a stitch here and there as you see fit.
All is made in double crochet. For the bottom I make a stitch through one side of the loop, that gives an edge on each row, for the rim I made a stitch through both sides of one loop to gain a thicker structure.

Of course you can make it smaller by making the bottom 8 or 9 rounds, or wider if you like for a large cat or a dog. For miss Poes, who is a small feline, the basket is luxuriously wide.

If you have any questions or comments, leave me a comment. I would love it if you send me a link to your finished basket. Have fun!

It's in the bag.. eh... basket

Do you remember the cotton yarn I made? Well this is what has happened with it. 

Miss Poes badly needed a new basket and I decided to make her, her own chocolate peppermint Rag rug Cat Basket.

She received it a few days before Christmas. She just couldn't wait. (That's why she's posing with her festive neck attire.)

"Cause she won't tell you, but if you look at her closely while she's lying in the sun, you'll see she isn't black at all, but a dark deep chocolate brown instead. She loves the smell of dried peppermint leaves, so this cat basket suits her perfectly.

I crocheted it with a hook nr 10 or US N/P. 

Both miss Poes and I are very content with the outcome.

It is a very simple oval design, almost round, and the great thing about it is that I can throw it in the washer without a blink! It is made of re-used cotton that is so thoroughly washed that it will stand a heat of 100 C if it must. 

So there you have it, although a bit late... Miss Poes early Christmas present.

Next post will be a tutorial for those interested.

In my workspace

I am.....

 ...happily working on my metal projects, knitting stitch markers and wire objects.

...creating my own cotton yarn for a soon to be started (Christmas) project.

...enjoying the fire of my little ETNA gas-stove.

... happy.

Rag Rug completed!

It is finished, the rag rug is completed!

It was such fun making this piece!

Before I started on this rug I frogged my February sweater and was quite frustrated. After such an event there is nothing better than a sturdy rug with a big crochet hook to work on.

It took some force, real physical activity, pulling the cotton thread through the loops, and that was just what I needed to get my mojo going for the sweater again.

I am really happy with the result, and so is Miss E.  who deceided that the rug was just the thing for her room to play on, regularly shared by Miss Poes.

So the living room will have to wait a little longer for it's perfect rug. 

First I'll have to collect new basic materials, new/old cotton to rip and turn into balls of thread.

What I also love about this project is that it finishes in such a short time. It is addicting to work on.

To keep the rug flat I made it while I sat on flat surface, as the rug grew bigger I literally sat on it while making it. This way it was easy to see when it needed an extra stitch to add to the width of the circle.

I started with 6 loops, then crocheted the ends together and from there on started to work in circles.

Adding stitches is an intuitive process. When the stitch you are working on stands no longer direct above the stitch in the ridge below it but slants in the wrong direction, then you know you need an increase. When that happened I worked two stitches in one loop. As you go it is a good idea to flatten out the rug quite often to see if you're not  increasing too much or might need another increase.

I finished the rug with 32 circles it is 1.25 m in diameter / 50 inches and took approximately 2 sets of bed sheets incl. pillows and such.

Rag Rug

I had these old bed sheets and I needed a little excuse to buy new ones.....

.....at the same time I want a circular rug in my living room and I can't seem to find anything nice.

Combine these two needs together and you start rag rugging!