I Crocheted a Cover for my African Basket!

 I love African baskets.  I discovered them years ago at a craft show in which I was one of the vendors.  Two booths down from mine was a man from Ghana selling hand woven baskets and I went home with two or three.  Since then, I see them more often.  I don't know if they have become more popular or if they are just on my personal radar, but they are beautiful and perfect for us yarn lovers.

In my home I have a studio which is a pet free zone, but when I dare to venture out into the rest of the house, I have two cats with whom to contend.  They would like nothing better than to find an unattended basket and it would take them seconds to shred the yarn therein.  As a result, every time I need to put a project down for a few minutes, I have to find a high perch or some place that is cat safe.  One day last week I was thinking how nice it would be if one of my African baskets had a lid.  That way I could easily take my projects anywhere and tuck them safely inside the basket when I needed to take a break.

Last night I set to work crocheting my new basket cover.  The crocheting took no time at all and then I devised a way to attach my cover.  I was pretty happy when I came up with my button and elastic joins.  There are six spaced evenly around the basket and it's easy to open a couple and fold back the cover to gain access inside.  When the cover is on, it can be used as a mini basket to hold other items you may need at hand.  The cover can also billow up to stuff the basket full if so desired.  

 I know I haven't given all the details, but I'm thinking of writing it up as a pattern.  It would be easy to adjust for any round basket and it's a fun little project.  Before I sign off for today, I just wanted to share a great online store for purchasing African baskets.  Their shipping is fast and the baskets come in great condition.  It's called Baskets of Africa and they have a gorgeous selection of styles available.  Wouldn't a basket stuffed with yarn and topped with a crocheted cover be a great gift idea?  Hmm... maybe next Christmas.