Does sagging come with age?

Odd question for an entry, yes?

What brings it to mind is a project I crocheted back in February.  I had bought a bag of Berroco's (discontinued) "Luxe" and set to crocheting a basket.  Oh, yeah, I remember thinking that I was so clever  to crochet a basket to hold my WIPs.  I was "problem solving" back then.  Unfortunately though, with time, or perhaps the extreme heat, my basket started to sag.  And sag, and sag some more!

Before I knew it, my "basket" that was once supported by a large plastic bowl inside was just a heap of fabric wrapped around the base.  Lifeless.  Like dirty laundry just lying there waiting for someone to come by, pick it up, wash it, dry it and put it back in it's proper place. 

The whole family would walk by it.  Saying nothing.  Admitting nothing of this failed project.  I'm sure, as with the laundry, they were all wondering when I'd do something about it.  It looked hideous.

I took the project down and looked it over.  I decided to take matters into my own hands and try to take gravity head on.  I thought I'd outwit gravity by pulling the "basket" up and with the same fiber, adding a crab stitch edging on the inside -- which included decreasing stitches all the way around.  This way, I reasoned with myself, there'd be a lip on the inside to help it grab the edge of the bowl to prevent it from falling down, sagging down again.

     I was wrong.

The sagging continued.  Actually, it was worse than before!  The work released itself from the bowl quicker than before -- and still no one said anything.   I might add in my defense of loosing the battle against gravity that the weather has just been horrible -- very hot and humid.  Gravity had seemingly teamed up with Mother Nature; they had to have.  How could I possibly compete against these two great forces?

I let the sagging project sit for awhile.  Each day I'd walk by it.  "Hideous," I'd think to myself; and still, the family said nothing.

So, yesterday, during my crochet for charity break, I took it in my hands again and pondered another way to straighten this project out.  I considered ripping the whole thing out, but then all I'd have is a naked bowl and a lot of crinkled (and saggy) fiber to roll up.  I considered gluing the "basket" to the bowl, but that would make for future cleaning a bit difficult.  So as I pondered my eye drifted over to a pile of stash I set aside for a future freeform project.  There was an acrylic fiber there of the same color.  I decided to do a little "face lifting" by adding a "pull string" to the inside top of the "basket."

Come on, baby, try your sagging routine again!  Now all I need to do is pull the string to tighten it up.  Much like they do for Joan Rivers, Sly Stallone, and other stars that had their faces lifted & tightened a wee bit too much.  [[wink wink]]  I have, for now, won the sagging battle!  (If not, I'll give thoughts to injecting it with botox!)