In this blog post, I'll show you how I crochet my baskets and what types of bases I use. This way, you can easily create and design your own custom basket.
Size:
You can adjust the size of the basket to your preference, depending on the yarn you choose and how many rounds you work. The thicker the yarn and the more rounds you crochet, the larger the basket will be. This gives you the freedom to create the basket exactly as you envision it—whether small and compact or large and spacious.
Material:
You can use almost any yarn to crochet your basket, depending on the style and stability you want to achieve. Personally, I find cotton ideal, as it gives the basket more firmness. However, you can also use a cotton-acrylic blend, which also provides good stability and versatility.
For smaller baskets that don't need to be very tall, I often use pure acrylic yarn, as it works well when the basket doesn't need to hold much weight.
The amount of yarn you need depends largely on how big you want your basket to be and what type of yarn you choose. Thicker yarns will give quicker results and require less yardage, while thinner yarns will require more material and time but allow for more intricate designs.
When choosing a crochet hook, I recommend using one size smaller than what is suggested on the yarn label. This prevents the stitches from being too large or loose, ensuring that your basket remains sturdy. Of course, if you naturally crochet tightly, you can stick with the recommended hook size.
Abbreviations: (I use US Terms)
ST: Stitch
SC: Single Crochet (x)
CH: Chain stitch (0)
DC: Double Crochet
SS: Slip Stitch
you can find the abbreviations for the colours in the material list.
The Different Base Options
Square base in two variations:
This base is particularly simple and is worked in rows. Start by chaining the desired number of stitches and work enough rows to form a square—single crochet stitches work best for this.
To create the sides of the basket, attach the yarn at one corner and work one single crochet stitch for each stitch along the edges, making one single crochet per row, and join to form a round. Then, continue working in rounds upward until you reach the desired height.
The Second Square Base:
This base is worked in closed rounds of single crochet, similar to a granny square.
It begins with a magic ring into which 8 single crochets are made. Each round is closed with a slip stitch and started with a chain stitch that is not counted.
The corners are created in the first round. To do this, work 1 single crochet into the first stitch and 3 single crochets into the next stitch. I place a stitch marker in the middle stitch to easily identify the corner stitches. Repeat this 4 times.
Continue working round by round until the desired size is reached. Each side gains 2 stitches per round.
To work up the walls, I briefly turn the piece so that the neater side is on the inside, then crochet one single crochet into each stitch, working through the back loop only. After that, simply work in closed rounds without increases until the desired height is reached.
The Round Base:
This base is worked almost like the second square base, but without the corners, and also in closed rounds.
It begins with a magic ring into which 8 single crochets are worked. Each round is closed with a slip stitch and started with a chain stitch, which is not counted.
In the second round, each stitch is doubled, in the third round every second stitch is doubled, in the fourth round every third stitch, and so on until the desired size is reached.
The walls are worked in the same way as before. The work is briefly turned, with the first round worked only through the back loop, then it is continued in closed rounds without increases until the desired height is reached.
Lastly, the Rectangular Base:
This base is also worked in closed rounds. I recommend turning the work after each round to change the direction. Each round begins with a chain stitch (not counted) and ends with a slip stitch.
The base starts with a chain, which influences the shape of the base: A longer chain creates a longer, narrower base, while a shorter chain results in a more compact, wider base. In this example, I started with a chain of 10 stitches. Then, a turning chain is worked, followed by a single crochet in the first and each of the next 8 chain stitches. In the last chain stitch, work 5 single crochets, placing markers in the 2nd and 4th stitches (these are now the corners).
Next, continue along the opposite side of the chain, working one single crochet in each of the next 8 chain stitches, and in the last stitch, work 4 single crochets (the 5th was already worked at the beginning). Place markers in the 2nd and 4th stitches here as well.
From now on, work in rounds until the desired size is achieved. Always work 3 single crochets in each corner stitch, so that each side increases by 2 stitches per round. The stitch marker is always placed in the middle of the 3 new stitches in each corner.
The walls are worked as before: continue without increases, with the first round worked only through the back loop. Then continue working in closed rounds until the desired height is reached.
The diagram may look a bit more complicated at first glance than the others.
My Basket:
I decided on a square shape for my basket and used the granny square technique. For this, I chose macramé yarn and a matching crochet hook.
I worked 7 rounds until I had 15 single crochets on each side, as this size appealed to me. Then, I turned the work and crocheted single crochets all around into the back loop only.
For this basket, I chose the moss stitch pattern, which shows off particularly well in a tow-coloured basket. In the 2nd round, I crocheted 1 single crochet, 1 chain stitch, and skipped 1 stitch all the way around. The round ends as usual with a slip stitch and begins in the next round with alternating 2 chain stitches (the 1st being the turning chain and the 2nd the first stitch of the pattern). The next round then begins with a chain stitch and a single crochet into the first chain space.
In this pattern, I worked up to 4 rows high, reaching my desired height. 😊 Of course, you can make the basket larger if you wish.
I hope you enjoyed this pattern. As usual, I would love to hear your comments or feedback if you worked the decoration. In the future, you will find many more free patterns on my blog at Crazypatterns. Just click on the “Posts” tab at the top.