Easter Greetings & More Stash-busting Mini Baskets

Happy Easter!

An awesome Easter for me and my family as we spent the evening observing the lunar eclipse.



This photo was taken with a domestic camera on a very cloudy night.  We were very lucky to have a break in the clouds at just the right time.  Within 3 seconds, the clouds had come across again. 

When we come indoors from the cold night air, 
this is what we see:

Seven mini Easter baskets crocheted by Jodiebodie

A row of crocheted mini Easter baskets; each basket filled with mini chocolate Easter eggs. (By the time you read this, at least three of them will be gone because these baskets are for our young visitors to choose and take with them).

Three of these baskets were crocheted last Easter–I blogged about them in my post "Last Minute Easter Baskets"–and I quickly crocheted a few more this year.

Seven little baskets hanging in a row.

These baskets are a great way to use up surplus yarn.  In this case, I used two strands of 4-ply cotton worked together instead of a single strand of DK weight yarn as suggested by the pattern ("Mini Crochet Easter Basket" by mrsbrownmakes.blogspot.co.uk)

Coincidentally, Caissa "Cami" McClinton acknowledged on Crochet Spot (blog) that the double stranding technique is a super strategy for stash busting because it works double the amount of stashed yarn with no extra effort.

I like the double stranding technique for its colour effects.  There are examples and further discussion of colour combinations and double stranding in my previous post about mini baskets and tips for how to do it in Cami's Crochet Spot article "Stash Busting Tip: Double-Stranded Crochet!". 

Easter 2015 Colour Combinations

variegated mint/white + navy and
variegated mint/white + emerald green
to make a striped basket

apricot + yellow and
apricot + light blue
This was such a great stashbuster, all that is left of the light blue is a tiny scrap!

Variegated aqua/white + royal blue

Yarn Details

Some of these 4-ply cottons have no yarn information because they were either remnants or given to me without labels.

Natural Soft Crochet & Knitting Cotton 4 Ply Equivalent
Colour: Green 36010
Lot:  5126

Variegated mint (remnant)
Solid navy (remnant)

 Sullivans Super Saver 4 Ply cotton
Colour: Apricot 36004
Lot: 4587

Lion Brand Bonbons Nature Pack
Colour: Lightest Yellow 640
Lot: n/a

Solid Light Blue (remnant)

Milford Soft 3 Ply Cotton
Variegated aqua/white
Colour:
Soft Ombre Pastel 0740
Lot: unknown 

Solid Royal Blue (remnant)

Three new baskets for 2015

What do you do at Easter?  This year we had a luncheon gathering with extended family on Easter Saturday which included a big Easter egg hunt for both adults and children.  Having little nephews and cousins to share the excitement made it extra fun and magical.

As my own children get older (but never too old for an Easter egg hunt) the hiding places become trickier. This year I added an extra twist to our traditional Easter Sunday morning hunt: an egg timer!  The challenge was to find all the eggs within a 7 minute time limit.

Do you observe Easter?  

If so, what do you do at Easter time?

For many it is the chance to get away over the long weekend holiday break.

Some people will celebrate Easter twice as they will eat hot cross buns this weekend and then celebrate Greek Easter in a month's time. 

We have a large Greek diaspora in Australia, especially in Adelaide and Melbourne. It is great to live in a country where we can learn about each other's cultures without even having to travel!

I will end with a roundup of 2015 Easter greetings from fellow bloggers.  
Please add your own greetings. I would love to hear from you and find out how you celebrate Easter.  

May your Easter be peaceful and joyful!

xxx

 

 

Easter Greetings from the Blogosphere

Alison (Farmhouse Traditions)

• "Spring crochet motifs": http://farmhousetraditions.blogspot.com.au/2015/03/spring-crochet-motifs.html 

Amy (Love Made My Home)

• "Easter decorations": http://lovemademyhome.blogspot.com.au/2015/04/easter-decorations.html 
• "April Mantel": http://lovemademyhome.blogspot.com.au/2015/04/april-mantel.html

Anne (Anne's Crochet Palace)

• Anne has created a special Easter masthead on her blog: http://annescrochetpalace.blogspot.com

Annemarie (Annemarie's Haakblog)

• "Link Your Stuff!": http://annemarieshaakblog.blogspot.com.au/2015/04/link-your-stuff.html 

Géraldine (Wool and Cats)

• "Photo du vendredi": http://woolandcats.blogspot.com.au/2015/04/photo-du-vendredi_3.html

Herriet (Stip & Haak)

• "Pasen": http://stipenhaak.blogspot.com.au/2015/04/pasen.html

Jacquie (Bunny Mummy)

• "Family, Flowers......and Crochet": http://bunnymummy-jacquie.blogspot.com.au/2015/04/family-flowersand-crochet.html
• "This Weeks Group Walk.....Number 15": http://bunnymummy-jacquie.blogspot.com.au/2015/04/this-weeks-group-walknumber-15.html

Janine (Simple Things)

• "Easter Goodiness & A Wish for You":  http://j9shappiness.blogspot.com.au/2015/04/easter-goodiness-wish-for-you.html

Julie (Little Woollie)

• "Friday Finds #36": http://littlewoollie.blogspot.com.au/2015/04/5-friday-finds-36.html 
• "Progress on the wool studio!": http://littlewoollie.blogspot.com.au/2015/03/progress-on-wool-studio.html

Liz (Reckless Knitting) 

• "Happy Easter!": http://recklessknitting.com/?p=2621

Meredith (Mereknits) 

• "Happy Easter Everyone": http://mereknits-mereknits.blogspot.com.au/2015/04/happy-easter-everyone.html

Michelle (Crochet Between Worlds)

• "Success at the Sydney Royal Easter Show!": http://crochetbetweentwoworlds.blogspot.com.au/2015/03/success-at-sydney-royal-easter-show.html
  

Natalie (Coco Belle)

• "Fijne paasdagen": http://cocobelleblog.blogspot.com.au/2015/04/fijne-paasdagen.html

Pam (Winkel's Crazy Ideas)

• "Easter Sunday - He is risen!": http://winkelscrazyideas.blogspot.com.au/2015/04/easter-sunday-he-is-risen.html
  

Sara (Tangled Happy)

• "Amigurumi Easter Egg": http://www.tangledhappy.com/2015/04/amigurumi-easter-egg.html 
• "Crochet Chick": http://www.tangledhappy.com/2015/04/crochet-chick.html 
• "Crochet Easter Egg Applique": http://www.tangledhappy.com/2015/04/crochet-easter-egg-applique.html 

 Sharon (Creativity and Family)

• "Wishing You All a Very Special Easter. ": https://creativityandfamily.wordpress.com/2015/04/04/wishing-you-all-a-very-special-easter/

 

Links & References

ABC News, " Blood Moon Lunar Eclipse", [image], Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 4 April 2015: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-04-04/blood-moon-lunar-eclipse-april-2015/6371412


Crochet Spot, web site: http://www.crochetspot.com

Lupey Loops, "Last Minute Easter Baskets", blog entry, 19 April 2014:  http://lupeyloops.blogspot.com.au/2014/04/last-minute-easter-baskets.html
More colour blending experiments with links to further information about double stranding.

McClinton, Caissa"Cami", "Stash Busting Tip: Double-Stranded Crochet!", online article, Crochet Spot, 31 March 2015: http://www.crochetspot.com/stash-busting-tip-double-stranded-crochet
Explanation of double-stranded crochet technique with helpful links and colour suggestions from readers.

"Mini Crochet Easter Basket", crochet pattern, Mrs Brown Makes, April 2014:  http://mrsbrownmakes.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/mini-crochet-easter-basket.html

Weule, Genelle, "Bad Weather May Rain on Unusual Easter Eclipse", ABC Science, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 2 April 2015: http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2015/04/02/4210045.htm