I’ve been working on new garden whimsy project. It started with a teacup planter that I purchased recently and it will have some cute crochet teacups displayed in it.
I did a fair bit of experimenting with a pattern before I got what I think is right. Thank goodness crochet is forgiving and on a small item like this it was easy to unravel and try again.
Join a chain of 4 into a circle. Chain 3 for the first double crochet (dc). Do 15 dc into the ring to make a total of 16 dc. Join.
To start the sides of the cup crochet into the inside or front loop around the edge of the base. On the 16th dc join with a slip stitch to the first dc.
Chain 3 and do 15 dc around the side, join. Repeat row. You will have done 3 rows of dc which form the cup. Join and don’t fasten off.
After joining the last one with a slip stitch, chain 11. In second stitch from hook chain 10 back to the rim of the cup. This makes the handle. I used a needle and piece of yarn to join the bottom of the handle.
The saucer is next, Join yarn with a slip stitch into the outside or back loop of the bottom of the cup. Chain 3 and then do 1 dc in the same stitch as the chain. Continue around the edge of the cup, doing 2 dc in each stitch. Join at end and fasten off. This is the part if fiddled with a bit. First I did just 1 dc a stitch and then 2 in the next, but the saucer part wasn’t quite big enough and didn’t lay flat.
These little crochet teacups make up so quickly and use up little bits of stash yarn, that before I knew it I had 12 of these little cups.
Now on to the teacup tree. I was inspired with an idea from the Toronto Tea Festival seen on Tea in the Valley. Margie shares my love of tea and teacups and when I saw her photo I decided I had to have my own teacup tree. After all I already have a bottle tree in the garden.
I was going to use the idea of branches in a teapot and have china cups hanging on it but when I started thinking about it I worried about the cups getting blown around in the wind and perhaps falling off or breaking. It was then that I saw (and purchased) the giant teacup planter and came up with my own idea for the teacups.
I plan to plant some thyme in the planter and have a little sign saying “It’s tea thyme” When it gets planted up you can be sure I’ll be sharing another photo of it.
I just still might make a bigger version with real teacups. I already use teacups in all sorts of ways in the garden, so a teacup tree would fit right in.
Here are more of my stash busting projects.
Crafty is craf-tea
