Halloween Basket

Materials Needed: RED HEART® “Super Saver®” Yarn: 100% acrylic, Art. E300 (8 and 6 ounce skeins) or Art. E301 (3 and 21/2 ounce skeins): 2 ounces No. 254 Pumpkin*, 1/2 ounce No. 312 Black. Gallon size empty, clean plastic bleach bottle; pencil, hole punch; orange spray paint; crochet hook size H-8 [5mm]; small amount black felt. Hot melt glue gun and glue sticks; ruler; scissors; white craft glue.

1. Mark 4" from the bottom of the bleach bottle and repeat around the bottle. Mark again 1" above the 4" marks. Cut from the bottle opening down to the 4" mark, then around the bottle following the 4" marks for the basket. Cut following the 1" marks for the handle.

2. Punch holes down the center of the handle every 1/2", beginning 1/2" from the end. Cut the corners of the handle to round the ends. Make 32 evenly spaced marks 1/4" from the top edge of the basket; punch holes over the center of the marks.

3. Spray basket and handle on all sides with orange paint and allow to dry.

4. Basket Cover: With Pumpkin yarn, ch 5; join with a sl st to form a ring. Rnd 1: Ch 3, 15 dc in ring; join with a sl st to top of ch-3 – 16 sts. Rnd 2: Ch 4, * dc in next dc, ch 1; rep from * around; join to 3rd ch of ch-4 – 16 sps. Rnd 3: Sl st in next sp, ch 5, dc in same sp, * (dc, ch 2, dc) all in next sp; rep from * around; join to 3rd ch of ch-5. Rnds 4-10: Sl st in next sp, ch 6, dc in same sp, * (dc, ch 3, dc) all in next sp; rep from * around; join to 3rd ch of ch-6.

5. Fasten off. (Note: Stretch cover over basket to check height of cover before fastening off and work more or fewer rnds to fit.) Edging: Stretch cover over basket and align ch-3 sps with holes. With Black, make a slip knot on hook, * insert hook between dcs and into hole of basket and complete a sl st, ch 1, 3 dc in next ch-3 sp and hole, ch 1; rep from * around; join to first sl st. Fasten off. Weave in ends.

6. Handle: With Pumpkin, make a slip knot on hook, work 2 sc in each hole across long sides and 6 sc in each of the 2 end holes; join. Fasten off. With hot melt glue, glue ends of handle to inside of basket.

7. Face: Click here for pattern
Cut three 1" triangles from black felt for two eyes and a nose. Cut one mouth from black felt following template. Glue features to front of basket with craft glue.

ABBREVIATIONS: beg = beginning; ch = chain; dc = double crochet; mm = millimeters; rep = repeat; sc = single crochet; sl st = slip stitch; sp(s) = space(es); st(s) = stitch(es); * or ** = repeat whatever follows the * or ** as indicated.

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Reproduced with permission from Coats & Clark Inc.
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