Stitching in the Garden.....Crocheted Sugar-Pumpkin Hammocks

Several years ago I had the idea to turn my backyard garden VERTICAL!!  We had wonderful weather that year and I had a bumper crop of ALMOST EVERYTHING that I had planted!! And because my mind is always at work on things stitched, I figured out a way to grow my sugar-pumpkins vertically on tee-pees, making crocheted "hammocks" for them to rest in as they got heavier.

I added the Tee-pees after the vines started to grow and then the tendrils would reach out grab hold....sometimes with a little help from me.  So my pumpkins grew to the SKY!!

I used 100% cotton to make the hammocks.  The "bed" of it is crocheted and I just added cotton strings so that I could adjust the length of the ties easier. 

Sometimes the weight of the sugar-pumpkin would pull the hammock down slightly.  It was usually not a problem, but I kept extra cotton yarn in my garden apron in case I needed to secure the hammock a bit better.

As you can see by the dying vines underneath, some of my sugar-pumpkins were about ready to harvest!!!  They were so pretty and I did not lose a single one to rot from sitting on the ground :-)

Click here to get a pdf version of the pattern which includes the symbol pattern as well as the written one.

SUGAR PUMPKIN HAMMOCK for your garden

MATERIALS: Sugar’n Cream, 100% USA grown cotton, 30 yards.

·         Size H crochet hook

SIZE: 15” X 10” X 10”  not including ties

GAUGE:  First two rows = 1 ½”

Row 1: Ch 5, dc in 5^th ch from hook

Row 2: Ch 5, dc in same st, ch 2, (dc, ch 2, dc) in 3rd ch of beg ch 5 of previous row.

Row 3-10: Ch 5, dc in same st, *ch 2, dc in top of next dc. Repeat from * across. (dc, ch 2, dc) in 3^rd ch of beg ch 5 of previous row. 

Finish off at end of row 10. No need to weave in ends.  Cut three 24 inch pieces of cotton yarn.  Tie one to each corner of the pumpkin hammock. These are used for tying your hammock to the tee-pee.

Be Blessed!!

Amy B