Project: Purple haze

This pretty basket of violets by Charmaine Fletcher will add a touch of country charm to the breakfast table. Each delicate violet is finished off with a gold bead in the centre. Taken from Egg Cozies (£9.99, www.thegmcgroup.com).

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Purple haze


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This pretty basket of violets by Charmaine Fletcher will add a touch of country charm to the breakfast table. Each delicate violet is finished off with a gold bead in the centre. Taken from Egg Cozies (£9.99, www.thegmcgroup.com).


Materials

Any DK yarns in beige, jade green and purple

11 gold beads

A pair each 3mm (UK11:US2–3)
and 4mm (UK8:US6) needles

A set of 4mm (UK8:US6) double-pointed needles

Sewing needle

Tapestry needle

Invisible sewing thread

Tape measure

Dressmaker’s pins


Tension

Not critical


Pattern notes

This cozy is designed to accommodate most egg cups but works particularly well on stemmed designs.


Special abbreviations

Skpo: slip one stitch, knit one stitch, then pass the slipped stitch over.


Purple haze basket chart

36 sts x 14 rows

Each square = 1 st and 1 row

020_EGGCOZIES


 Method

The basket is knitted first, from the bottom upwards in rounds and a basket weave-style pattern. After 14 rows the chart work is complete and the colour changed to green for the grass, worked in stocking stitch and decreasing for closure at the top. An I-cord handle is added to the basket; then purple flowers are made and added on, with a single gold bead in the centre of each.

 

Basket

With 4mm DPNs and beige, cast on 36 sts and arrange over 3 needles.

Working in rounds, follow the chart from beg to end to form the basket.

Change to green yarn.

Rounds 1–9: Knit.

Round 10: (K7, skpo) to end (32 sts).

Round 11: (K6, skpo) to end (28 sts).

Round 12: (K5, skpo) to end (24 sts).

Round 13: (K4, skpo) to end (20 sts).

Round 14: (K3, skpo) to end (16 sts).

Round 15: (K2, skpo) to end (12 sts).

Round 16: (K1, skpo) to end (8 sts).

Break off yarn, leaving tail for sewing and thread end through rem sts to close.

 

Handle

With 4mm DPNs and beige yarn cast on 4 sts, leaving a 4in (10cm) tail at the beg for sewing later.

Make an I-cord tube approx 10in (25cm) long by knitting all rows from right to left, sliding the sts back to the RH end of the needle to start each new row and pulling the yarn tightly behind the work between rows. Fasten off, leaving a tail for sewing and draw end through sts to close. Sew onto the basket by pulling ends through to the WS and securing the last ½in (1.5cm) of each end with stitching.

 

Violets
(make 11, or more if preferred)

With 3mm needles and purple yarn, cast on 5 sts.

Rows 1–2: K5, turn.

Row 3: Cast off 3 sts, (loop left on needle counts as 1 stitch), k1, turn (2 sts rem).

First petal complete.

Row 4: K2, cast on 3 sts, turn (5 sts).

Rows 5–6: K5, turn.

Row 7: Cast off 3 sts, (loop left on needle counts as 1 stitch), k1, turn (2 sts rem).

Second petal complete.

Rep rows 4–7 three times (for third, fourth and fifth petals).

Fasten off, leaving a tail for sewing.

 

Optional leaves
(see tip on page 23)

With 3mm needles and green, cast on 3 sts.

Row 1: Knit.

Row 2: Purl.

Row 3: K1, m1, k1, m1, k1 (5 sts).

Row 4: Purl.

Row 5: K1, m1, k3, m1, k1 (7 sts).

Row 6: Purl.

Row 7: Knit.

Row 8: Purl.

Row 9: K2tog, k3, skpo (5 sts).

Row 10: Purl.

Row 11: K2tog, k1, skpo (3 sts).

Row 12: Purl.

Row 13: K3tog.

Fasten off, using the loop to draw the thread through to a leaf-like point; then gently sew the rem tail down the LH side to the bottom. Break off yarn. Rep for as many leaves as desired, sewing on and darning in ends as you go.

Making up

Violets

There are 2 tails to each flower: 1 on top of the first petal and 1 at the base of the last petal. Using the base tail, draw it along the inner petal edges and gently pull together to form a flower. Then, working it along each petal edge, define the flower petals in turn, forming a gentle curve, catching the top tail and drawing it down to the centre, over-sewing it with the working base tail. Fasten off, but leave the top tail (now drawn down to the centre) to stitch on to the greenery. Repeat this process with the other flowers. Arrange randomly over the green area and sew on.

 

Add the bead centre by using invisible thread and a loop start (double over the thread, pass through the needle’s eye, bringing the needle through the greenery and through the thread loop to secure without a knot). It is easier to go from flower to flower, until all the beads have been used, securing the invisible thread without cutting then trim it later. Darn in any loose ends.

 

Handle

Sew to the basket by pulling ends through to the WS and securing the last ½in (1.5cm) of each end with stitching.


Tip

You could make white flowers instead, add a few leaves and have a basket of summer daisies. Or in blue, create forget-me-not flowers. Alternatively, use up yarn-stash oddments for an abundance of
colour, adding the leaves to ‘blend’ from one colour into the next.


 

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