Behold this very wooly crocheted basket! Made for a claim in the OWS Ongoing Wish Swap Round 3 Spring Edition Gallery. Since it has finally arrived I think it deserves its own thread.
Before: kind of lumpy and oily from the spinning oil. More stitch definition, again from the spinning oil.
I very much believe in blocking yarny items. This will also be slightly fulled to make sure it’s stiff enough not to sag. The pattern suggested starching the basket, but since I used a 100% untreated wool yarn it’ll full beautifully so no starch will be needed. Do not try this with superwash wool!
Prepared for a bath! The water should be quite warm (30-40 degrees C), as if you’re mixing a yeasted dough. A generous splash of såpa (soft soap In english I think). Not the hand soap on the picture. 
Dunk the basket in the soapy water and start working it. If I had a washboard that would have been great but I had to make do with other uneven surfaces and my hands. Rolling up the item works quite well. When the basket cools down I’ll just dunk it again and keep working. Due to my lack of proper equipment the basket was only lightly fulled. I made sure to work the bottom, the rim of the basket and the handles a lot to firm them up more.
Stretched over a plastic flowerpot to dry. It took ages since the wool was so thick. I ended up using the drying cabinet or we might still be waiting (just kidding).
All done!
Wool: Sirritogv 100% faeroese wool from sheep that are shorn once a year. Undyed. Very sheepy and lovely to work with. Just the right amount of scratchy wooly goodness.
Pattern: Woven Basket • Free Crochet Pattern & Tutorial | Craft Passion
I liked the pattern, but there are a lot of ads on the page. Still worth it since the pattern was well written and I think quite newbie friendly. There are staggered increases for the bottom for a nicer look. It’s something I sometimes add myself if it’s not in the pattern so bonus points for having it already included. Less figuring out needed for me!
I made the ”small” since my yarn was thicker than what the pattern calls for. I used a thicker hook too, in order to get a nice fabric with my chosen yarn.
Modifications: different yarn weight/type, fulled and not starched, a final row of crab stitch around the edge (but not the handles) for a more finished look.
Congrats! This crafty goodness is one of this week’s featured projects!