Everyone knows how busy Father Christmas is right now, so naturally when Grandma Fig got the call from his elves, to help out with a stylish handmade accessory for a little someone’s new bike for Christmas, out came the crochet hook!
This quick little make works up in a few hours, in chunky yarn. I’ve used cotton, as this helped give me a more rigid texture. If you don’t have any chunky yarn, you could double up with 2 strands of DK for a similar weight, so you could use up lots of scraps and oddments – a great stash-buster! You could even experiment with raffia or t-shirt yarns, for a more “woven” effect, but keep the hook size small as this helps with the rigidity of the basket sides. You could also add a D shaped cut out of thick card, or other rigid material, into the base of the basket, to help hold its shape too.
The finished basket is more suited to a child-sized bike, but you can start off with more stitches, and work an extra round of bobbles, if you’d like to make a bigger one.
Read on below to find out how to create your own, or download the PDF pattern here for an easier to read, printable version...
Materials:
Chunky Yarn: 2 x 50g if making in one solid colour, 5 x 50g if making as in photo with one main colour and 4 stripes.
2 buttons 2cm diameter
Hook: 4.00mm
Stitch markers
Information:
This pattern is suitable for confident beginners. The basket measures approx. 23cm from side to side when laid flat. If you would like the basket to be larger you could increase the start chain length in multiples of 3
Crab stitch is used around the top edge, to create a firmer edging, but if you find this stitch tricky, you can slip stitch into each stitch around on the last row, to create an alternative ridged row.
Abbreviations & stitch info:
UK terminology is used.
DC – Double crochet
Tr - Treble
HTR - Half treble
Ch - Chain
SS - Slip stitch
PS (Popcorn stitch) – 4Tr into same stitch, remove hook from working loop, and replace hook to pass through 1st Tr, and back through working loop, YO, pull through both loops on hook.
Crab stitch (reverse DC stitch) - Ch1, insert hook through stitch to the right, YO and pull through, YO and complete DC, insert hook into stitch to the right, YO and pull through, YO and complete DC.
Pattern:
Main basket
Chain 17.
Round 1: DC into 2nd chain from hook, DCx14, (2DC, Ch1, 2DC) into final chain, DCx14 back along the opposite side of the chain, (2DC, Ch, DC) into first stitch to complete the round. SS to join.
Round 2: Ch2 (counts as 1st DC of round), 2DC into same stitch, DCx17, (2DC, Ch 2DC) into chain space at the end, DCx18 back along the opposite side, (2DC, Ch) into chain space at the end, SS to join.
Round 3: Ch2 (counts as 1st DC of round), 2DC into same stitch, DCx21, (2DC, Ch, 2DC) into chain space at the end, DCx22 back along opposite side, (2DC, Ch) into chain space at end, SS to join.
On the next round, you will begin shaping this piece, which will form the basket base, by working longer stitches on one side than the other, to create a slight “D” shape.
Round 4: Ch2 (counts as 1st DC of round), 2DC into same stitch, DCx25, (2DC, Ch, 2DC) into chain space at the end, DCx3, HTRx3, Trx13, HTRx3, DCx3, (2DC, Ch) into chain space at end, SS to join.
Round 5: Ch2 (counts as 1st DC of round), 2DC into same stitch, DCx29, (2DC, Ch, 2DC) into chain space at the end, DCx3, HTRx4, Trx16, HTRx4, DCx3, (2DC, Ch) into chain space at end, SS to join.
Round 6: Ch2 (counts as 1st DC of round), 2DC into same stitch, DCx33, (2DC, Ch, 2DC) into chain space at the end, DCx3, HTRx4, Trx20 HTRx4, DCx3, (2DC, Ch) into chain space at end, SS to join.
Rounds 7-10: 4 rounds of tight DC into each stitch and both chain spaces. This will start to form the side wall of the basket (78DC)
On the next round, you will begin the popcorn rounds. The pattern is written for changing colours for each bobble stripe.
Change colour
Round 11: Ch3, PS into same stitch, Sk2, Ch2, PS, Sk2, Ch2, repeat from * to end, SS to join.
Round 12: Ch1, *DC into top of PS, DCx2 into chain space, repeat from * to end, SS to join.
Change colour
Repeat rounds 11 & 12
Change colour
Repeat rounds 11 & 12
Change colour
Repeat rounds 11 & 12
You now have 4 rounds of bobble stripes.
Change to original colour used for basket base.
Place markers so that they are both located on the back of the basket (the flatter side of the “D”, with 7 bobbles between them.
Round 19: Work one round of DC.
Round 20: Work one round of DC, DC2tog across each stitch with markers.
Rounds 21&22: Repeat rounds 19& 20 – this causes the two back “corners” of the basket to pinch in slightly.
Round 23: Crab stitch all around top of basket, fasten off yarn.
Straps
With the back of the basket facing you, working into round 21 of the basket, DC 6 stitches around the post of the 6 DCs immediately after the marker on the right.
Work back and forth, in DC, until strap measures 13cm.
Next row (make buttonhole): DCx2, Sk2, Ch2, DCx2
Next row, DCx2, 2DC into chain space, DCx2
Work one more row, then fasten off.
Work a second strap in the same way, but in the 6 DCs immediately before the marker on the left.
Finishing:
Sew buttons in place, on the inside back of the basket, approx. 3cm down from the crab stitch edging.
Sew in loose ends.
Click here to find the free pattern …… and please share your finished baskets – tag us in your makes @little.fig.handmade on Instagram if you can!
- Michelle
Little Fig Patterns All rights reserved 2023. This pattern is for personal use only. You can print this pattern for your own use but cannot distribute for free or resell electronically or by hard copy.
You may sell your makes from a Little Fig pattern if you sell on a small scale – please credit us as pattern designer. Little Fig patterns may not be used commercially or for mass production.
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