Category: Easter

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Sweet Little Easter Basket

Have you ever seen such a sweet little Easter basket in all your life? Hence the name, I suppose, but you must admit, it would look lovely as a centerpiece. It just melts my mushy little heart thinking of all the jelly beans, and Cadbury Mini Eggs and Reese’s Bunnies you could fit in this little thing. Yum…

But I digress.

If you crochet—and who doesn’t? (haha)–then you’re going to love this EASY project.

I’m not kidding–I made one and a half of these while watching Voyage of the Dawn Treader last night–which is fabulous, by the way…the movie, I mean…well, and the speed crochet too, I guess. So both.

It’s made in a continuous round…

using 3 strands of your favorite yarn. You know I’m going to say that I used Peaches and Cream 100% cotton–because I love it beyond belief–and it’s soft and comes in a million colors. Good thing because I’m making a few baskets and I need them all slightly different.

A”K” hook worked the best for me–but you can play with it.

Sweet Little Easter Basket

Beg at base of basket, with 3 strands your favorite yarn held tog, ch 2.
Rnd 1: Work 8 sc in first ch. Place marker in first st for beg of rnd; move marker up as each rnd is completed.
Rnd 2: Work 2 sc in each sc around – 16 sc.
Rnd 3: *2 sc in next sc, sc in next sc; rep from * around – 24 sc.
Rnd 4: *2 sc in next sc, sc in next 2 sc; rep from * around – 32 sc.
Rnd 5: Working in back loops only, sc in each sc around.
Resume working through both loops of each st again.
Rnd 6: Sc in each sc around.
Rnd 7: *2 sc in next sc, sc in next 7 sc; rep from * around – 36 sc.
Rnd 8: Sc in each sc around.
Rnd 9: *2 sc in next sc, sc in next 8 sc; rep from * around – 40 sc.
Rnd 10: Sc in each sc around.
Rnd 11: *2 sc in next sc, sc in next 9 sc; rep from * around – 44 sc.
Rnd 12 : Sc in each sc around.

Rnd 13: Incorporate a piece of floral wire under each stitch and sc in each sc around. Note: Adding the wire is optional–but it helps the basket hold it’s shape much better.

Fasten off.

HANDLE
With 3 strands held tog, ch 31.
Rnd 1: Work 2 sc in 2nd ch from hook, sc in next 28 ch, 4 sc in last ch; rotate piece to work along opposite side of foundation ch (at the base of the sts you just worked), sc in next 28 ch–incorporating a piece of floral wire under these stitches, 2 sc in last ch; join with slip st in first ch.

Note: Again, the wire is optional–but it helps the handle hold it’s shape so it doesn’t flop over.

Fasten off.

FINISHING
Sew ends of handle outside top edge of Basket. Weave in ends.

And there you have it my dears. I do hope you’ll try this one. If you’d like help or if you’re new to crochet–go to Crafting Tutorials and scroll to the bottom. There are some easy links to show you the basics–step by step.

Do it–you’ll love it.

Now…to fill this lovely basket with all that good stuff. See’s catalog anyone?

Heh, heh, heh.

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Basket & Grass

Now, I know that Easter was last week, but I also know, that if you are like us–there are still some chocolate bunnies kicking around your place somewhere…and likely you are still picking basket grass off the carpet. It all just came too fast this year and I’m just not quite done with it all.

So in the spirit of the ongoing “celebration”…and nibble-fest, you’ll forgive me if I couldn’t resist the urge to show you the cute little pot holders we came up with—

calling them “Basket & Grass” for hopefully obvious reasons.

I’d like to make a couple in pinks and purples and yellows, you know…just to see how sweet it would look in the spring pastels. Kinda makes you want to run out and buy some baby chicks–doesn’t it?

If there are any brave souls out there who would like the pattern, let me know in the comment section. That just may be the very incentive I need to actually write the silly thing down. It will be good for me.

Happy spring!

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Easter Gummi Candies

You are going to love these cute little gummies. I was amazed at how easy they were to make. You can use your favorite flavor of Jello or even make them two flavors at once–by filling the molds half full, letting them harden and filling them the rest of the way with a second flavor. If you don’t have small candy or chocolate molds you can use ice cube trays or mini muffin tins. You can even pour the gummies out onto a cookie sheet and cut them with cookie cutters.

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Gummi Candies

Ingredients:

1/2 cup cold water

1 package Jello– any flavor

4 packets unflavored gelatin

Directions:

1. Spray candy molds or pans with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Combine unflavored gelatin, flavored gelatin, and cold water in a small pyrex 2 cup measuring cup. Stir with a small whisk or rubber spatula until well mixed. Cover with plastic wrap and let mixture rest for 10 minutes.

3. Set cup in pan of hot water and cook over medium heat. Continue stirring while mixture melts and becomes liquid.

4. Once mixture is fully liquid and pretty much clear, remove it from the heat and pour into your molds.

5. Allow it to set and cool slightly, then place in freezer for 10 minutes to solidify.

6. Once solid, remove from molds, and gobble them up!

Easter Gummi Candies
 
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Ingredients
  • ½ cup cold water
  • 1 package Jello-- any flavor
  • 4 packets unflavored gelatin
Instructions
  1. Spray candy molds or pans with nonstick cooking spray.
  2. Combine unflavored gelatin, flavored gelatin, and cold water in a small Pyrex 2 cup measuring cup. Stir with a small whisk or rubber spatula until well mixed.
  3. Cover with plastic wrap and let mixture rest for 10 minutes.
  4. Set cup in pan of hot water and cook over medium heat.
  5. Continue stirring while mixture melts and becomes liquid.
  6. Once mixture is fully liquid and pretty much clear, remove it from the heat and pour into your molds.
  7. Allow it to set and cool slightly, then place in freezer for 10 minutes to solidify.
  8. Once solid, remove from molds, and gobble them up!

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The Real Easter Bonnet


I seem to start so many of these “retro” posts with the words, “When I was little…” that it was getting monotonous. So to break things up a bit–I’ll begin a bit differently. Here goes.

Back in my day–

Easter meant a couple of things. One, of course, was bunnies and baskets and tons of colored candy eggs. But what it also meant was a positively perfect pink or yellow or lilac sticky-out-y dress. They were fussy and stiff and scratchy, but that didn’t matter one tiny bit–because, as you can see, we also got a matching hat, and gloves and ruffly socks and a teeny, tiny, boxy, slightly ridiculous clasp purse to complete the ensemble.

But the down side was that back then, the whole wide world was entirely black and white.

Kind of a drag.

So glad this generation invented color.

Way to go.

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Silk Tie Easter Eggs

Well, we’ve found our absolute favorite Easter egg dyes…

of all time.

No tablets, no food colors, no cups, no drips, no stained fingers or clothes, no spilling—

I could go on and on. But seriously, the best part about this method is that everything you need is right in your kitchen and closet…or worst case—the thrift store. Who would have thought that an old ratty, out of date silk tie could be the gorgeous answer to the annual Easter egg dying ordeal?

Your whole family is going to love this.

Here’s what you’ll need:

Eggs

Silk ties–look for a tiny tag at the small end of the tie. It needs to say 100% silk. Seriously, this doesn’t have to cost a mint. We picked all these up at the local thrift store–for just a few bucks.  The thinner the fabric the better the transfer. If you’re raiding the closet, please be sure to get your man’s permission before you start cutting things up.  ;} Oh, and if your tie is from China–don’t eat the egg. They have different standard for their dyes and many are not safe. SO, in that case just enjoy the egg and toss it out after Easter. Got that?

An old, white T-shirt–cut it into squares big enough to wrap around the eggs

String

3 Tablespoons of white vinegar

Pot of water

Vegetable oil

Now then…

Cut open the tie at the back and take out the facing fabric. All you will be working with is the actual colored silk.

Cut the silk into pieces big enough to cover the egg…

Wrap it around your egg. Don’t get to0 nutty about this step, just do the best you can.

Now, roll the egg up with the T-shirt fabric.

The idea is to press the colored silk right up against the egg.

The bald kid and I had a competition to see who could wrap their eggs the purtiest. I totally won.

He’s such a sillyboy.

Anyway…

set the wrapped eggs in a pan of cold water with the vinegar mixed in. Make sure the water completely covers the eggs.

Boil for 20-25 minutes.

Remove the eggs…

and allow them to completely cool.

Now the fun part—unwrapping the eggs to see what you’ve got.

Rub a tiny bit of vegetable on your masterpieces and see how pretty they look.

Even the subtle ones are beautiful.

If you’re like us–you’ll want to make a million more–because it’s so easy and there’s just no mess. You can use the fabric more than once–if you’re so inclined.

Think of the possibilities.

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