Crochet Basket Tutorial

What you'll need: Cotton Yarn (most weights should work) An appropriate size hook for your yarn Yarn needle Spray Starch (to stiften the basket) Difficulty: asy ! Crochet Terms: This pattern is written in "# terms$ American terms are gi%en below in green$ British (American) sp ! Space ss ! Slip Stitch (Slip Stitch) ch ! Chain (Chain) dc ! &ouble (Single) htr ! 'alf Treble ('alf &ouble) tr ! Treble (&ouble) dtr ! &ouble Treble (Treble)

Basket Base
Begin with a magic ring$ (f you)re not sure how to make a magic ring* check out the beginning of my +i, and +atch -lowers Tutorial to see what to do$ ./"0& /0

Chain 1

Then make a half!treble crochet into the ring$ That)s the one where you yarn o%er* put your hook through the ring* yarn o%er and pull through* then yarn o%e one last time and pull through all 2 loops on the hook$

+ake 34 more of these half!trebles into the ring$ Then pull the end of the yarn to bring the circle together$

+ake a slip stitch into the second of the two chains at the %ery start of this round$ This should gi%e you 31 stitches altogether$ ./"0& T5/ Chain 1

0ow make a half!treble into the same stitch that you 6ust made your slip stitch into$ Then* into the ne,t stitch of the round* make two more half!treble crochets$

5ork your way around the circle* making two half!trebles into each stitch of the round below* until you get right round to the beginning$ Then make a slip stitch into the top chain of the starting chain of two$ You should ha%e 17 stitches now$ ./"0& T'. Chain 1 to start$

8ike we did last time* make a half!treble into the same stitch that the slip stitch went into$ Then* into the ne,t stitch* this time we)re going to only make one half!treble crochet$

Then* into the ne,t stitch you)ll need to make two half!treble crochets$ And into the stitch after that* 6ust one half!treble$

So* continue around the circle in the same way* repeating the same thing9 1 half!trebles into one stitch and then 3 half!treble into the ne,t stitch$ /nce you get round to the beginning* make a slip stitch into the top of the beginning chain of 1$ ./"0& -/". Begin the the same way again* chaining 1 and then making a half!treble (htr) into the same stitch$

+ake one htr into the ne,t stitch and then another htr into the stitch after that$ Then into the ne,t stitch you)ll need to make two half!trebles$

Then you)ll need to make one half!treble into each of the ne,t two stitches$ Continue round the circle in the same way* making 1 htr)s into the ne,t stitch and then 3 htr into the ne,t two stitches after that$ /nce you get round to the beginning* make a slip stitch into the top of the starting chain to finish the round$ So hopefully you)re starting to see how the pattern is going to work$ All you need to do now is carry on in this same pattern until the base of the basket is the size that you want$ So* ./"0& -(: would look like this9 Chain 1* make a htr into the same stitch* 3 htr into the ne,t 3 stitches* repeat the same thing around the circle* 1 htr into ne,t stitch and 3 htr into the ne,t 3 stitches until you reach the beginning* then slip stitch into the top of the chain to end the round$ -or each round after this* you)ll need to increase the pink number by 3$ So ./"0& S(; would ha%e 4 single htr)s ./"0& S : 0 would ha%e 5 single htr)s ./"0& (<'T would ha%e 6 and so on and so on$$$ You can stop with as few or as many rounds as you)d like to make you basket the right size$

Basket S(des
./"0& /0 Chain 1 0ow* for this round ( worked into only the back loop of the stitches in the row below$ You can see in the picture (abo%e right) that ( only ha%e picked up one loop on my hook* and it)s the loop that)s furthest away from me* out of the two loops that make up the stitch$ (n all honesty* you don)t really need to worry too much about working into the back loop$ (You)ll see why at the end of this tutorial$) So if you)re struggling with the back loop part* 6ust ignore it=

All we)re going to do for this round* is make one half!treble in each stitch (or back loop) of the round below$

Carry on with this until you get right round to the beginning$ Then make a slip stitch into the top of the starting chain of 1 to finnish the round$

./"0& T5/ ( decided to make my basket stripy* so if you want to do that to* you)ll need to break off the old yarn colour and add a new one at the start of this round$ Chain 1 and then make a half!treble into each stitch of the round below$

/nce you are round to the beginning* make a slip stitch into the top of the starting chain of 1 to finish$ ./"0& T'. (and subse>uent rounds) Again* if you want stripes* you can change yarn colour before you start the ne,t round$ Then chain 1* make one half!treble into each stitch around the basket and then make a slip stitch into the top of the starting chain of 1 to finish the round$ +ake as many rounds like this as you want* to get the height of basket that you need$ .emembering to keep changing your yarn if you wants stripes$

dging
/nce your basket is the height you want* you can 6ust lea%e it like that* or if you prefer* you could add an edging$ ?oin yarn and chain 3$

+ake a double crochet into the same stitch as the chain$

Then make one double crochet into each stitch of the round below until you are back to the beginning$ Then make a slip stitch into the first double crochet of the round$

Then* to finish the edging* ( did a round of crab stitch* or )backwards dc)s)$ So to start* make one chain and make a dc into the same stitch$

Then* instead of making a double crochet (dc) into the ne,t stitch as usual* we)re actually going to make it into the stitch behind! See where my crochet hook is in the picture (abo%e left)$ So pull the loop on your crochet hook out slightly so it will stretch back to the stitch on the right!hand side of the dc you)%e already made and put your hook into the stitch$

Yarn o%er and pull through the stitch* then yarn o%er and pull through the two loops on the hook* as you normally would to complete the stitch$ (abo%e left) Then work you way around the basket doing the same thing* each time working into the stitch to the .(<'T of your current stitch$ /nce you)%e done a few* you)ll start to see how it)s going to look$

/nce you)%e got right back round to the beginning and made a )backwards) dc into e%ery stitch* cut your yarn and pull the end through the stitch$ 5e)ll use a needle to gi%e us a neat finish$

Take the yarn to the inside of the basket and using a yarn needle* thread it through the bottom of the first double crochet of the round$ This will pull the last stich into place$ Then* thread back through to the basket inside and wea%e it in to finish$

-inishing
So now you ha%e your basic basket$ You can lea%e it at that* or decorate with ribbon* flowers* felt* buttons* any number things really$