Crochet Tin Covers :: Ta-dah!

Oh my. I have to admit that it's given me a silly amount of guilty pleasure keeping you guessing over this creative make. Sorry. Well no, truthfully I'm not really very sorry, it's been tremendous fun reading your comments on my last post, I've enjoyed it so much!

Ok, enough with the teasing, shall we cut straight to the story? It all started last week when I bought my first small £1 pot of spring narcissi home from the supermarket. I buy these every year, you may remember I crocheted some blue and white jar jackets for them a few years back. I'm currently using those jars to hold pens and pencils, so I simply popped the pot into a very cute little 1940's china jug (a recent ebay purchase). But they didn't look right. They wobbled and wibbled.

I thought to myself that what I really needed was a little dish with a flat bottom. Cos then I could keep the narcissi in the very lovely bright yellow plastic pot, but have some sort of un-wobbly vessel to stand them in. I began looking around on the Shelves of Doom to see if I could find some sort of a dish, but nothing appeared. And then the idea hit, it came whizzing into my Creative Mind just like that. It was the shape you see. I had this flat-bottomed dish shape in my mind. And this is what whizzed in........

A tuna tin.

Of course! It's the perfect size and shape. Per-fect. I just needed to remove the contents (tuna/mayonnaise sandwiches anyone?) and come up with some sort of pretty cover for the empty tin. Genius!

Now I decided to keep it very simple. I figured that all I needed to do was to make a kind of a cuff that would sit neatly around the tin, much as I did for these jars, remember them? No bottom needed, just the sides to be covered, with a pretty decorative edging around the top.

I could not WAIT to get started, I cannot tell you how stupidly excited I became over this idea. Like I felt I would burst if anyone tried to stop me from doing this thing.

I set to work. I got out my basket of Rowan handknit Cotton (oh how I adore this yarn!), a 3.5mm hook and off I went. Round and round creating rings of colourful, cottony stripes.

I had originally thought about finishing off the top edge with a little scallop or picot, but somewhere along the way I got fixated on the idea of using beads. Not sure where this influence came from, but I felt sure I could have a go at actually crocheting in some beads as I worked. I maybe saw it done somewhere, but can't recall. So I just had a play with it until I worked out how to do it.

And was it successful, this beady finish?

Oh YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes yes yes yes yeppity yeah-haw yes it was!!!!!!!!!

It really worked out beautifully.

Want to see?

Want to see my first tuna tin cover???

Ahhh ok................................................................................................

Ta-dah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Big smile. I LOVE it. It's just so colourful and cute and perfectly simple.

And it goes beautifully with the yellow pot I think.

Pretty and Practical.

Do you like the effect of the beads? Isn't it great? I used plastic beads from a child's jewellery making set, as they are colourful and quite chunky and have big holes for threading. I couldn't use the pretty glass beads that I have as the holes are too small, but I've since discovered an incredible range of coloured glass "pony beads" that are designed specifically for threading onto DK weight yarn. They're available online from a well known Rowan knit designer called Debbie Abrahams....do check them out if you like this sort of thing. I've ordered myself some but they've not arrived yet, I'll show you when I get them.

I figured that these covered tins could be used for all sorts of things, not just to hold plant pots. I've got this overwhelming urge to force feed my family tuna for every meal and make dozens of these sweet little things. For holding coins and buttons and paperclips and jewellery and all manner of Small Things.

So of course once I'd made the first one, I had to make more. Had to experiment a little with the stripes and the top edge and the business of prettifying the hooky.

So out came the buttons. Nothing I love more than to stitch buttons onto crochet.

I made the stripes wider this time too (double rows of each colour) and tried out a scallop edging along the top.

This is the third one I made, finished off with vintage mother of pearl buttons.

Awwww they look so cute all together! I took them up to the bathroom shelf to photograph them as I had an idea I wanted to see them against a blue background.

The blue one with the pearly buttons was snapped up by a visiting friend. She called round for a cuppa as I was making it and declared that she was in love with it and really had to take it home. Who was I to argue? Plus it gave me reason to make another one, cos two's just never enough.

I tell you, these are sooooo addictive. And quick too. By the time I came to make this one, I knew what I was doing and it only took about an hour, I kid you not.

I made up a couple of my teeny tiny flowers, and did four "half leaves".....by that I mean I literally made half of the original leaf pattern (ch 6, begin in 2nd ch from hook and work dc, htr, tr, htr, dc, finish off)

Stitched them all into place and added a couple of buttons.....

Awwwwwwwwwwww! I think this might be my favourite one of all.

A handful of colourful, creative scrumptiousness.

Pretty, pretty.

And useful too....they work a treat with these little plant pots. Just as I imagined when the idea first formed.

♥ Love ♥

I made this rather girly one for Little Lady this morning. Little B was out with Daddy so I took the opportunity to make/photograph a tutorial for you.

I'm so excited about the crochet+bead technique. It's amazing. And it's sparking off all sorts of new creative ideas (I'm thinking round cushions with a beady edging, a beaded bag, and a long, skinny scarf with a beady bottom edge!)

I'm going to try and upload/write the tutorial this weekend for you.

Better get yourself some tins of tuna in anticipation.

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 Edit to add :: someone yesterday (who doesn't like tuna) suggested using pineapple tins instead. Marvelous idea, we are getting a bit tuna'd out here. Tomorrow I'm scouring the supermarket shelves for tins. Cat food you say?

Another Edit :: (( thank you)) for all the tin love! I've uploaded the pics for the tutorial but won't have time to write it until tomorrow. In the meantime if you want to get started, this is it in a nutshell ::

You should make a foundation chain to tightly fit your tin (mine was 46+1 for turning). Work in dc (sc for US peeps), in Back Loops Only. At the end of the first row, sl st into beginning chain so that it joins up and looks like circular bangle. Work all future rows with right side facing (no turning) and always end row with a sl st join (no sewing up). Crochet ends in as you go (no darning). Scallop edging as follows :: work one row of dc, then next round in same colour, *skip 1 stitch, work 4 htr in next st, skip 1 st, sl st in next st* and repeat. Beading tutorial will come tomorrow.

By the way I'm moving onto pineapple tins, they're slightly taller = more play with stripes and embellishment possibilities. Also I've now got a mad urge to stitch ric rac braiding onto crochet......I'm thinking ric rac braid+buttons!! My cup runneth over!!!!

xx

(((( THE TUTORIAL IS READY! ))))

 

 

 

 

Comments

[karen]

You are genius.

[Katherine of Kitten's Lost Her Mittens]

I love these! They're so pretty!! I think the one with the flowers is my favorite. But I like how they're so adaptable - lots and lots of ways to decorate them. Looking forward to the pattern!

[Angie]

Very artsy and fun, as always! I like them all. Girl, you are amazing.

[Margriet]

We will have a lot of tuna the next week ....;-))

[Jackie]

Oh wow these are so cute and gorgeous I think we will have to have some Tuna so I can have a go

Jackie x

[Briony]

Fabaulous idea, thanks.
Thought you'd like to know that I am just going down stairs to teach my husband how to make hexagons following your tutorial. He is making the granny square blanket at the moment but wants another project for inbetween.
Wish him well....
Briony
xx

[Miss Holly]

Well...you have really done it this time!!!! I will be making these maybe today!!! And I have 9 cats so lots of tins....very clean tins..I might add...
Just beautiful!!!!!

[Mandy McCauley]

How fantastic! Lovely colours as always. xxx

[diana]

Great idea, especially the pretty tins for storage ideas! TFS ;-)

[verónica]

So pretty! I love them all!

[Heike]

Cute, CUUUUTE oh so CUUUUUUUUUUUUUTEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

[anna]

They so look like they could become fabulous bracelets, I am coveting one already....

[Purple Princess]

Yup, awesomeness. Used to be a mere can of tuna now a desirable knick-knacky yarny item of gorgeousness! Result I'd say.

[Carla]

Oh they look so pretty and happy!! That's actually a pretty good idea, using a tuna tin. I'll pass that along to my mom!

[Rachel Mackin]

These are lovely. The flowery one would go well in my living room! I'll have to pull my finger out and get making some tuna sandwiches first.

[Crafty Gardener]

Fabulous little idea. I'm sure tins of all sizes would work well. We just had tuna sandwiches yesterday, so I'm off to the recycling box to find the tin.

[Allie Cat]

What a fab idea! I love it! I've been buying loads of narssici pots lately and de-soiling them and putting them in vintage bowls full of beach pebbles ( well I live in Cornwall and there are plenty of beaches around here!) I got the idea from a the book "homemade". I must say it does look good in our Art room, very cheerful indeed! But I think tuna sandwiches may be in order very soon! :-) xxx

[susana]

Hola!!!
Que bello y q buen gusto e ingeniosa.
Lamento tanto no poder leerte.
Un fuerte abrazo Susana

[Rebecca]

Oh how fun, love it, love it, love it.
My new crochet brain can't think of how you get the bead on the yarn :(
Crocheting to the tune of 8 inches of snow on the ground in wa state.
thanks for the tease, the end result is so darling.....
Rebecca

[Jackie]

Another FAB idea Lucy and they look fantastic too! :O)xx

[Vera]

SOOOOO adorable! My favorite kind of project.....quick but gorgeous! Thanks for sharing. Can't wait for your tute. Looks like we'll be having tuna casserole this week.....

[Lisa G.]

What a clever person you are. So cute!

[rakkie]

génial, super bonne idée!
vive les trouvailles de Lucy

[shelley]

The one with flowers . . . divine!! Absolutely love, love, love the tiny flowers and the color of the stripes to go with. I don't know how your house can even stand one more delightful piece of hooky happiness!!

[Adrianne]

Very nice, I will be eating a lot of tuna to make similar creations.
You're an inspiration!

Adrianne