A basket for my cousin

I really like split rings. They are a technique used in tatting that allows you to close a ring in any direction by using two shuttles. The split ring was one of the techniques I needed to learn in order to tat the Minor Norwegian Dragons pattern. I really like that pattern, but that's not what today's post is about. So last year for a cousin's birthday, I decided that I wanted to tat him something. But I wasn't sure what to make him. I wanted it to be something that he could use, not just a frilly piece that he would look at and hesitantly thank me for while thinking thoughts like: What do I do with this girly thing? Is this suppose to look like a bear, or an elephant?
Well, I had tatted myself a little pocket out of two sheets of split rings that was useful keeping things together in a bag or on a table, and it gave me an idea for a split ring basket. I thought that a basket, if I made it big enough, could be placed on a table and hold his keys, watch, or other objects.
I went with the idea, deciding that I had enough time to make it large enough.

Done in size 10 thread, left unstiffened so that the sides can stretch to hold things.

I was very happy with how it turned out. The variegated thread made it possible to see what way the pattern went, and the size worked for what I wanted.

I'm not slouching, doc!

Okay... Maybe I have put on a few pounds...

I was a fun piece. I tatted the bottom first. After I had that sheet the size I wanted, I began working on the sides. For the sides, I just went around and around, joining each ring to the one below it. When I reached the beginning, I just joined the ring to the one below and beside, that way the next row would begin above the previous one.
The entire piece was made with split rings, excluding the beginning and ending rings of the bottom and the sides. Those were just normal rings.
I've noticed that some tatters out there don't really like split rings. But if you give them a chance and experiment a little, they are a very useful and fun technique.