Indian Star Basket (or pillow): new overlay crochet pattern

Indian Star Basket design was inspired by Native American textile and fiber art. I don’t really know if it’s a global trend at the moment, but I have noticed that today more and more designing companies (making clothes and interior accessories) look into the “tribal” theme. I can see lots of geometry in today’s design. I browsed images on Pinterest and fell in love with these geometrical ornaments. And decided to create something myself.

Just to make it clear, I didn’t intend to recreate real Native American patterns or symbols. And my own design doesn’t have any deep meaning. It’s just a colorful ornament I had fun with.

My first idea was to create a basket. Baskets and other containers, boxes are always good. They help to keep yarn and wips in order, they can be used in the kitchens, bathrooms, bedrooms in the kids rooms. They help to organize everyday’s chaos and at the same time add beautiful colorful accents to our interiors.

Add this pattern to your Ravelry Queue

Indian Star Basket is made in overlay crochet technique with lots of front post stitches which give it a nice structure and create ornamental pattern on the plain background. The basket’s size can be easily adjusted, and you can make a smaller/taller one (which can also serve as a crochet vase), or wider and bigger.

Indian Star Basket pattern is available in my Ravelry store HERE on Etsy HERE with 30% discount through Monday, May 29 (no coupon code needed). 

So that basket keeps its shape well and its sides don’t collapse (it’s important especially for large pieces) it is recommended to line it with a sturdy fabric. One the testers, Lori Baran, who helped me to polish the pattern, used old jeans fabric to line her basket. And it worked out just great!

Stiff and sturdy yarns are recommended since it’s a basket and it should be sturdy. I used Bloom (worsted yarn) by Scheepjes, which is 100% cotton and comes in a range of bright and happy colors. You can check this yarn in local Scheepjes shops, at Wool Warehouse* and Deramores*. 4.5mm Amour Clover hook* worked best for me but you can of course choose any other size which will give you acceptable gauge.

As I mentioned, Indian Star overlay crochet pattern can be used not only for baskets. When my own basket was finished I thought it might be nice to try the same pattern for a pillow. It is worked in the same way as the basket (in rounds) but the bottom part is skipped. To save yarn I only made star ornaments on the front of my new pillow throw. And the rest was crocheted with just single crochet stitches (US term) and ribbed stripes.

A complete tutorial about how to make a pillow is also included to the pattern. I used Soft Fun* (DK) yarn by Scheepjes and 4mm (G) crochet hook, and the pillow turned to be approx. 40cm/16” large.

After pillow throw was ready I thought why not to try something with just ribbed stripes. And this is how my make-up pouch was created. I just followed instructions for ribbed stripe and crocheted in round. When the desired height was reached, I sew the bottom with tapestry needle and yarn in same color as first rounds and inserted a zip into the upped edge (same as for pillow). Ta-daaah! Here it is!

I just love when crochet patterns can be used in many ways and I always try to adjust my own patterns. And I think Indian Star Basket is a very nice example.

*************************************
About Indian Star Basket pattern in brief:

• Level: Intermediate (front post stitches)
• Materials: Worsted yarn in 4 colours (Bloom by Scheepjes), 4.5mm Amour Clover crochet hook*, stitch markers, scissors, tapestry needle to weave in ends and assemble toy.

You can find Bloom yarn at Wool Warehouse (HERE*), Deramores (HERE*) and your local Scheepjes shops.

• Size: The size of the finished basket/pillow depends on the yarn and hook you use. My basket is approx. 82cm/32in in circumference - 25cm/10in wide across the bottom, and 21cm/8 ½ in high. The pilllow is approx. 40cm/16” large.
• Language: English
• Instructions: US crochet terms and abbreviations (including complete stitch guide), written instructions, step-by-step pictures showing how to make each detail and put the toy together. 
• Indian Star Basket pattern is available in my Ravelry store HERE and on Etsy HERE.
• Add this pattern to your Ravelry Queue

Subscribe to a newsletter not to miss a single post. You can also follow me on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram.



* DISCLOSURE: This blog contains affiliate links (marked with *). I may be compensated with a tiny amount from each purchase made via these links, and it will not cost you a penny. By using affiliate links you support my blog. Thank you!