Nine days ago I began work on a project. It was supposed to be the first in a series of two pet mats, instead it became a basket.

Here is a view of the interior:

And here is a view from the side:

So how did this happen? How did this project start as a pet mat and then morph into a basket?

I have previously made a pet mat using this exact combination of materials: one strand of yarn made from acrylic yarn scarps paired with another strand of acrylic yarn in a solid color, and at no point was I tempted to turn it into a basket.

But this time, I decided that I wanted the stitches to be visible, so I made two changes in an effort to accomplish just that.

One, I used Red Heart Super Saver hot red rather than soft navy. Two, I used a 6.5 mm hook rather than an 8.0mm hook, and it was this second element that created the change that caused this project to transform from a pet mat to a basket.

The 6.5mm hook made neater, more easily seen stitches, and it also made a firmer, sturdier fabric that better lent itself to a sculptural project like a basket than to a pet mat that should, for the comfort of the pet, have some drape.

And unlike the brown and yellow basket Ella Fitzgerald sings of in the video below, there is little chance that this hot red basket could get lost.