june at noon

In our family we have a grandmother who is very fond of birds. When I saw this project, I was inspired to create my own version of a crocheted twine bird feeder for Grandma. In fact, I liked it so much I made two!

I started with the same premise as the original, but I altered it a bit, so I thought I’d share the pattern with you here. It may look complicated, but I assure you this is one of the quickest, easiest things I have made in a long time!

Also, I am an experienced crocheter, but not an experienced pattern writer, so I hope this makes sense. Please let me know if something is unclear or incorrect so I can fix it!

You need:

• Some sort of twine or thick string. I used jute gardening twine.
• A crochet hook that creates the size of stitches you’d like.
• At least 20 glass or plastic beads in colors of your choice. Don’t worry about the size of the holes in the beads, as you’ll be attaching them with thread rather than the thicker twine.
• A small- to medium-sized glass bowl.
• Needle and thread.
• Double-sided tape.

Basket:

Round 1. To start, chain as many stitches as you need to go around the middle or lower circumference of the bowl, depending on where you’d like the basket to start. Make sure you make an even number of chains. Join to the first chain with a slip stitch, being sure not to get the chain twisted.

Round 2. Chain 2 (counts as first dc), then double crochet (dc) in next chain and all around, joining to the first dc with a slip stitch.

Round 3. Chain 4 (counts as first dc and first chain 2), skip next dc, *dc in next dc, ch 2, skip next dc. Repeat from * all around, joining to the first dc with a slip stitch.

Round 4. Chain 2 (counts as first dc), dc in next chain 2 sp, *dc in next dc, dc in next chain 2 sp. Repeat from * all around, joining to the first dc with a slip stitch.

(At this point, you can add more rounds if you feel it’s necessary to secure your bowl or get the right look.)

Finish off.

Rope 1:

Join to one side of the top of your basket with a slip stitch and create a long chain, however long you’d like it to be to go from one side of the basket to the other for hanging. Join to the opposite side of the top of the basket with a slip stitch and finish off.

Rope 2:

Repeat the instructions for Rope 1, starting 1/4 of the way around the top of the basket from where Rope 1 is attached so that the ropes will intersect each other.

Supports:

On the underside of the basket, join with a slip stitch directly below one end of one of your hanging ropes and create a short chain that goes straight across to the opposite side of the bottom of the basket. Join with a slip stitch directly below the opposite side of the hanging rope and finish off.

Repeat for a second, intersecting chain. These will ensure your bowl doesn’t slip out of the basket if it gets a little heavy or stretches.

Finishing:

If desired, take some twine and form a small loop through the hanging ropes. (This will keep the hanging ropes together at the top and may make it a little easier to hang from a hook.)

With invisible or matching thread, sew beads into the spaces created in round 3. I chose to string them by taking the thread sideways through a double crochet, through the bead, and then through the next double crochet, all the way around using one long thread. You could also sew the beads individually as you like.

Place your bowl into the basket, securing with some double-sided tape around the outside of the bowl (between the bowl and the twine), and fill it with birdseed!

(Additional photos on flickr.)