Crochet Basketweave Cowl in the Round

One of my most popular blog posts of all time is my basketweave stitch tutorial. It's easy to understand why; this is a fun stitch to work up, and the results are very attractive. One of my favorite basketweave projects has been my Carefree Crossbody Bag pattern. I also enjoy the basketweave stitch for times when mindless crocheting is necessary, such as on my commute or when distracted and chatting with my weekly fiber group. So, when I had some extra Berroco Ultra Alpaca hanging about, I decided to work it up in basketweave.

Sometimes you aren't sure what you are making until after you've begun. Such was the case with this particular project. This was my first time working the basketweave in the round, and boy was it fun. It looks crisper and cleaner than basketweave worked in rows because only the fronts of the stitches show on the outside. What my item eventually ended up becoming was an asymmetrical infinity scarf. I also included a little twist (ba dum tss!) on the basketweave by working up the lighter yarn in basketweave cables to vary the texture in addition to the color.

Working the scarf in the round made the finished product very warm. This is because the pocket in the center traps warmth. It would be an excellent choice for a very warm winter accessory.

Of course, Ranna didn't seem to mind the warmth. She is convinced that this scarf is actually some kind of cat bed. She murred and meowed while trying to get comfortable in it.

All in all, I definitely recommend working up basketweave in this way.

Carefree Basketweave Crossbody Bag

A pattern release! Yaaaaaay! It's been far too long. I was recently promoted at my day-job, and man oh man has there been a lot to do. I'm a Campus Manager now, which is kind of like a principal. The school is fairly small, but it is still a lot of work. However, I settled in today with my laptop to get this pattern out because it was burning a hole in my files! I am thankful to my many testers for working so hard to make it a reality.

Here's the Carefree Basketweave Crossbody Bag! It is available on Ravelry and Craftsy.

Hands free can be a great thing. This bag is meant to be worn across the body, leaving your hands free for texting, creating, dancing… being you! The button keeps your essentials in place and the tight basketweave stitch eliminates the need for a lining. Make it in a funky variegated and stand out or let the texture do all of the work with a solid color. The pattern includes a photo tutorial that will guide you as you work. This bag is made with a lovely cotton-blend yarn, Kraemer Yarns Tatamy Tweed Worsted.

Hot Off the Hook: Basketweave Crossbody Bag

The weather has got me super into bag patterns right now. Summer is officially beginning at the end of this month, and my hands are all about cotton. I'm excited this afternoon because I just finished the sample for the first of two basketweave bag patterns. This one is the crochet version.

I'm sending it to my testers this weekend and I hope to release it at the beginning of July. That way all of you concert/festival/fair/etc goers will have a nice project to make and show off while carrying your stuff in style. The knit version is in progress, as I've mentioned before. Oh, but I'm not stopping there! I also have some delightful crochet-bag-pattern-making plans for this cotton yarn right here:

I found out that an art store in town, Blick Art Materials, carries many colors of Lily Sugar and Cream. Score! Cotton-y goodness, here I come.

Basketweave Cowl

Remember my Basketweave Scarf? Recently I was just itching to work up another project with that stitch. Just my luck, a friend introduced me to Meg White. Meg is a knitter and crocheter who also writes her own patterns. She had come into some free yarn and was sharing with the group I attend on Sundays. How generous! You'll never guess what I scored... more of that awesome Mountain Colors Twizzle yarn in a different color, Big Sky. It was perfect for a basketweave project!

It turned out deliciously squishy if I do say so myself :) I used a 5.5mm hook and not quite one whole skein of the yarn. I still have another one! What shall I make with it?

Did you want to make your own basketweave cowl? Simply follow my basketweave tutorial (linked above) until your cowl is the desired length. Then add a few rows of single crochet with some button holes. Ta da!

Special Edition: Basketweave Tutorial

So here's the deal. I had a few comments requesting a tutorial for the basketweave stitch. This has inspired Illuminate Crochet's first Special Edition post. That's right folks, today you get two posts instead of one! I may do this from time to time as I see fit. The following is an explanation of the basketweave stitch for all interested parties. To be successful you will need to be confident in your ability to chain and double crochet. You may also wish to have a notepad and pen to tally your rows as you complete them. Any size hook and yarn is fine, but I recommend 5.5 mm or 6 mm in a light color when you are learning something new. Each picture will be followed by text instructions. Ready? Here we go!

Start by chaining a multiple of 4. I chained 16 for my swatch, but I would chain 20 or 24 for a scarf width depending on the yarn and hook size. Add 4 more chain stitches. Since I started with 16, this brings my total to 20.

 We are now ready to begin the first row. The entire pattern will be worked as double crochet. Skip the first 3 chain stitches, yarn over, and insert your hook into the fourth chain stitch.

 Work 1 double crochet stitch into each chain stitch across. I have 18 posts including the turning chain made by skipping those first three stitches.

 Chain 2 and turn. We will now begin our second row by working around the posts. We will not be working into the "v's" like we would if we were doing another row of double crochet. We will be working around the posts made by the stitches of the previous row.

Skip the first post. Yarn over and insert your hook from right to left under the following double crochet stitch. In this picture you can see the post resting over the front of my hook, followed by my yarn over, followed by my working loop (the loop that always stays on your hook as you work).

 Yarn over and draw up a loop just like you would with any other double crochet stitch. 

 Finish your double crochet stitch as you normally would (yarn over, pull through two, yarn over, pull through two again). Congratulations! You have made a front post double crochet stitch. Notice that the stitch is now raised in the front.

Work three more stitches in just the same way, inserting your hook under the posts. 

We will now start a new set of four, this time back post double crochet. Yarn over and insert your hook from right to left under the next post from the back of the work. The post will rest on the back of your hook. Here you see a view from the top.

Here is a view from the front. Notice my hook is behind the work and the post of the current stitch is resting on the back of my hook. 

Yarn over and draw up a loop.

You now have three loops on your hook. Finish the stitch just like a regular double crochet to complete your back post double crochet stitch.

Here I have completed 4 back post double crochet stitches, inserting my hook from behind each time, pulling the posts back. Notice the difference between the four front post stitches and the four back post stitches.

Here is a view from the top.

Remember those front post double crochet stitches? Work another set of four. Continue working alternating sets of four until you reach the end of the row. I worked 4 front post dcs, 4 back post dcs, 4 front post dcs, and 4 back post dcs.

To finish the row, work 1 double crochet stitch into the top of the turning chain from the previous row. Chain 2 and turn.

For row three simply repeat row two. In other words, when you come to a front post like the one above, work a front post double crochet stitch. When you come to a back post, work a back post double crochet stitch. 

Here is my first completed front post stitch of my third row.

Remember to insert from the back when working a back post double crochet.

Yarn over.

Draw up a loop.

Finish the stitch as you would a normal double crochet stitch. 

Finish the row by working a double crochet stitch into the top of the turning chain as before.

Whew! We are done with row three, our second row of around the post crochet. Remember, our first row was regular double crochet.

Work two more rows as we did before. Here is my swatch at the end of my fifth row. I worked 1 row of regular double crochet and then 4 rows of around the post crochet.

Four our next row (row 6) we will start by chaining 2 as before. 

Don't panic. We are going to reverse the position of our posts. Instead of starting with a front post double crochet, we will start with a back post double crochet. Here I have yarned over and inserted my hook from the back, pulling the first post back as well. 

This is what it looks like from the front. Complete the stitch as you would a normal double crochet.

Here is a view from the back after I completed the stitch. Repeat this process for the following 3 front posts, converting them into back posts.

When you reach a back post, work a front post double crochet stitch, inserting your hook from the front. Here I have drawn up a loop before finishing the stitch.

This is what your work should look like at the end of row 6. The front posts are now back posts and vice versa. It may feel funny to work these stitch changes but I know you can do it! If you make a mistake simply pull it out and try again.

Don't forget to work 1 double crochet into the top of the turning chain at the end of every row. In this picture you can see the turning chain just hanging out and waiting to be crocheted into.

For rows 7, 8, and 9, go with the flow. When you reach a front post work a front post, when you reach a back post work a back post. Here I am at the end of row 9 after completing two sets of 4 rows each. To continue your object, continue working 4 rows alike and switching the posts on every 5th row. These sets of four identical rows are what form your basketweave. 

If you have any questions, feel free to ask them in the comments! If you need a good video, I suggest All Free Crochet's YouTube series with Mikey. Happy hooking!

Men's Crochet and Basketweave Scarf

An area that could use a lot of development is crochet menswear. It can sometimes be difficult to find a pattern that is more masculine to wear or to create. Of course gentlemen should feel free to wear whatever they like in whatever color they enjoy, but the simple styles that many men prefer are hard to come across. I am the sort of person who believes that anyone should be able to crochet without fear of judgement, whatever your gender or age. Sometimes folks run into opposition from clueless jerks who portend that crochet is only practiced, and should only be practiced, by little old ladies. Not true! Just like colors, crochet is for everyone! Perhaps an explanation for the lack of masculine patterns is the lack of variety in fashion for men in general. It seems to me that in every store I visit women have more clothing options.

One stitch that I have found works well for masculine items is the basketweave stitch. It is bold and clean. I decided to make a basketweave scarf for my dear husband.

 

The fabric is very cushion-y and flexible. I have heard some people claim that no crochet can hope to rival the flexibility of knitting. To them I say, meet the basketweave! For this particular scarf I used wool.

What are your favorite stitches and patterns for men?

Update: By request, there is now a tutorial for the basketweave stitch.