Free crochet basket pattern for beginners | Easy rectangle

I’ve been asked multiple times to publish some super easy crochet patterns for beginners and here it is – my crochet basket! Super simple and fast to make, sizable and multipurpose.

I will first go over the supplies and then will explain how to make it and size it if need be.

SUPPLIES needed for crafting a crochet basket

The beauty of creating your own home décor stuff is that you can make it basically out of anything. Seriously! You can for example make your own ‘yarn’ out of plastic bags you have at home and use it to create a beautiful bathroom rug. But that’s a topic for another post 🙂

For this project I got a ‘yarn’ made of recycled fabric leftovers (white skein on the image). I got it from the local DIY store so it’s a no-name. I really like this type of material as it usually is unique in terms of color and texture. Plus, you can get them at a really low cost (mine was like 2$ for a skein which was enough to make the whole basket).

Just one hint here – whatever you choose try to get something fairly stiff. If you decide to make baskets using soft materials then you are running a risk that they may collapse and/or will not preserve their shape.

On top of that I utilized red cord and few decorative clothes pegs. All got from the same store so no-name and very cheap. I like mixing contrasting colors and that is why I chose red and white.

Crochet hook used for making the basket was 7mm (US something a bit larger than K-10.5). Of course, depending on your material you may have to use larger or smaller hook.

I also needed a tapestry needle for sewing up the basket sides. But don’t worry if you don’t have it – sides can be joined also with slip stitches.

Crochet basket PATTERN

Our rectangle basket is made of 5 components – a bottom base and 4 sides (duh!).

Basket Bottom:

• Base chain: Chain 21
• Row 1: Beginning from the second chain from the hook 20 sc (single crochets), chain 1, turn
• Rows 2 through 17: 20 sc, chain 1, turn
• Row 18: 20 sc, fasten off and weave in ends

For me the bottom base measures 25 cm (10 inches) x 20 cm (8 inches). And this is essentially the width and length of my basket. If you need to make it smaller or larger just adjust the number of stitches in a row and a number of rows.

This is really simple – your base chain should always be 1 stitch longer than the number of stitches in a row if you crochet using single crochet stitches. Therefore, if for example your row needs to have 15 stitches then your base chain should have 16.

If you need to adjust the number of rows then simply finish earlier or continue working until you get your desired measurement. After finishing each row (except for the last row) chain 1 and only then turn your work. This way you’ll get really neat edges. For the last row – just fasten off and weave in yarn end (no need to make that additional chain at the end of the row).

Longer sides:

Make 2 of these.

The length of this component should match the measurement of the bottom rectangle longer side.

The number of rows here will be your basket height.

• Base chain: Chain 21
• Row 1: Beginning from the second chain from the hook 20 sc (single crochets), chain 1, turn
• Rows 2 through 9: 20 sc, chain 1, turn
• Row 10: 20 sc, fasten off and weave in ends

For me the final size of this side is 25 cm (10 inches) x 15 cm (6 inches). This means that my basket is 15 cm high.

Adjusting the size of this component works in the same way as adjusting the base rectangle. After making the first row you may want to check if it matches the length of the basket base. Theoretically it should but sometimes you may have to tweak it by 1 or 2 stitches.

If you decide to change the number of rows make sure all four sides are adjusted to ensure the basket height is even. Sounds obvious but I’ve seen my trainees doing weird stuff here 🙂

Shorter sides:

Make 2.

The length of this component should match the measurement of the bottom rectangle shorter side.

The number of rows here will be your basket height.

• Base chain: Chain 18
• Row 1: Beginning from the second chain from the hook 17 sc (single crochets), chain 1, turn
• Rows 2 through 9: 17 sc, chain 1, turn
• Row 10: 17 sc, fasten off and weave in ends

Adjusting this part works exactly same as what I described above so I believe all should be clear by now.

Crochet Basket ASSEMBLY

Once you have all parts ready just connect them. You can do it in variety of ways – I decided to sew it up along the edges, on the outer side, with contrasting cord. You can also join components using crochet hook – single crochet or slip stitch would work best.

In general – if you want to create more sharp edges, then join on the outside. If you’d like to soften the edges then sew or crochet on the inner side.

Now that you have it assembled, feel free to add any small décor you have/want. I just simply used thin white cotton yarn, pulled it through the peg’s spring and simply tied it to the basket side. Release your imagination – you can add beads, buttons or many more!

And this is it – you have your crochet basket ready!

Hope you enjoyed it. Let me know if you have any questions and please post some pics of your baskets for my inspiration 🙂

Last but not least, if you are looking for some other cute and easy patterns then check out my free Crochet Llama. If you are looking to undertake some more challenging projects then visit my Etsy shop.

Thanks and stay safe!

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