DIY: Crocheted Basket — the little onion

On the fourth day of Craftsmas our DIY will be:

crocheted baskets basking,
embroidery hoops a-hanging (here!),
gold feather earrings (here!), and
a warm, chunky arm-knit blankie (here!)

This was my first time to crochet a basket, and I have to admit it was much easier than I anticipated! A person can never have too many baskets in their life and home, and I’m a firm believer than you can make ANYTHING more pleasant by storing it in a cute container (diapers! mail! broccoli!). Just think of all the cute little things you could store in these. Personally, I’ve been using the small basket to hold a little succulent as I ease it into death, and I’ve been using the larger basket to hold a bunch of pom poms I made for another project. Someday soon I’m going to attempt a giant basket to hold… giant things… but first I need to find the right (economical) yarn so it doesn’t defer my retirement.

These are really simple to crochet- if you can single crochet, you can make these baskets! They’re also very forgiving (yarn size and hook size aren’t really important), and you can easily tailor these to make them wider, thinner, taller, or shorter. Hope this helps- If you have any questions just shout!

You’ll need:

Yarn
- for the big guy I used Yarn Bee Tocco Di Lana yarn in washed sage
- For the little guy I used Easy Home Chunky Yarn in Gray (this was a gift- I think it came from Aldi- but any bulky weight yarn should do)
Crochet hook (size not critical!)
- For the big guy I used size N
- For the small guy I used size J
Darning needle
Leather for handles if desired (I used leather bookmarks from Hobby Lobby)

“Big guy” Pattern:

Final dimensions are 9.5” diameter x 6” tall

Row 1: Create magic ring. Chain 1. Single crochet into magic ring 6 times, slip stitch to first stitch to complete first row. (6 stitches)
Row 2: chain 1; 2 single crochets in each stitch around (12 stitches)
Row 3: chain 1; *2 single crochets in one stitch, 1 single crochet; repeat from * around (18 stitches)
Row 4: chain 1; 2 single crochets in one stitch, single crochet in next 2 stitches; repeat from * around (24 stitches)
Row 5: chain 1; single crochet in back loop only around (24 stitches)
Rows 6-9 (or as many as needed to reach desired height): chain 1; single crochet around (24 stitches)
Assembly: Tie off and hide ends. To make leather handles, purchase leather pieces (I bought these leather bookmarks half off at Hobby Lobby). Put 4 holes in each end of each leather handle in the shape of a square. Stitch handles to basket using darning needle and leftover yarn.

“Little Guy” Pattern:

Final dimensions are 4” diameter x 5” tall

Row 1: Create magic ring. Chain 1. Single crochet into magic ring 8 times, slip stitch to first stitch to complete first row. (8 stitches)
Row 2: chain 1; 2 single crochets in each stitch around (16 stitches)
Row 3: chain 1; *2 single crochets in one stitch, 1 single crochet in next stitch; repeat from * around (24 stitches)
Row 4: chain 1; *2 single crochets in one stitch, 1 single crochet in each of next 2 stitches; repeat from * around, chain 1 (32 stitches)
Row 5: chain 1; 2 single crochets, 1 single crochet in each of next 3 stitches; repeat from * around (40 stitches)
Row 6: chain 1; single crochet in back loop only around (40 stitches)
Rows 7-18: (or as many rows as needed to reach desired height): chain 1; single crochet around (40 stitches)
Row 19 (handles): chain 1; single crochet in next 8 stitches. Chain 9; turn and single crochet back toward basket in 9 new stitches. Back on basket, single crochet in 3 stitches. For next 2 stitches: single crochet while slipping a stitch from free end of handle along with stitch. Single crochet next 14 stitches. Chain 9; turn and single crochet back toward basket in 9 new stitches. Back on basket, single crochet in 3 stitches. For next 2 stitches: single crochet while slipping a stitch from free end of handle along with stitch. Single crochet final 8 stitches. Slip stitch to beginning of row to complete round.
- tlo pro-tip: you might find it easier to crochet handles separately instead (make 2): Chain 9. Single crochet in second stitch from hook and in each stitch across. Attach with darning needle to each side of basket.
Tie off and hide yarn ends