Knitted Basket & Container Patterns

Storage you make yourself

Container patterns are the most immediately useful thing in the pattern library. A basket takes an evening or two, uses yarn you already own, and solves an actual problem: the remote controls, the toddler's blocks, the tangle of chargers. This collection mixes plain, practical shapes — the Fundamentals and Oodles baskets, hanging baskets, footstool and bean bag covers — with the more playful end: fun animal bags, hungry desk worms, fairytale house pencil cases, Christmas gift jar covers, secret Santa goody bags and knitted flowers in pots.

Making a container hold its shape

This is the single skill that separates a basket from a floppy bag, and it comes down to three things.

• Go down a hook or needle size from the ball band. You want dense, slightly stiff fabric that will not slump.
• Choose a stiff fibre. Cotton, jute, rope-style chunky cotton and t-shirt yarn all stand up; soft acrylic and wool do not.
• Work double. Holding two strands together, or working a doubled fabric, adds body without any extra technique.
• Use structural stitches. Single crochet worked in the back loop, garter stitch and firm rib all help a side stand vertical.
• Add a base. A circle of stiff plastic canvas or card cut to fit inside the bottom transforms a wobbly basket instantly.

Choosing yarn and quantity

Chunky and super chunky cotton or t-shirt yarn are the classic choices, and they knit up fast because a basket is really a tube with a bottom. Aran cotton held double gives similar body with more shade choice. For smaller items — jar covers, cutlery holders, pencil cases — DK is fine and leftovers are ideal. Weigh your finished base before you carry on up the sides and you can estimate the whole project accurately; baskets are one of the few makes where you can stop when the yarn runs out and simply have a shorter one.

Shaping bases and sides

Most round containers start with a flat circle worked in the round, increasing evenly on each round, then a single round worked into the back loop only to create a crisp fold where the sides turn upwards. From there you work straight. Square and rectangular bases work the same way, with increases at four corner points. Watch for a base that ruffles — too many increases — or cups, which means too few. Fixing it at the base stage takes minutes; noticing at the rim means starting again.

Handles, linings and finishing

Handles need reinforcement: work them over several rounds rather than a single chain, or sew a length of cotton webbing inside. A fabric lining turns a basket into a proper piece of homeware, keeps small items from poking through the stitches, and is easy to make by sewing a simple bag to the internal dimensions and slip-stitching it in at the rim. For plant pot covers, keep the plastic pot inside rather than potting directly, so the yarn never gets wet.

Gifts and seasonal makes

Small containers make excellent presents in themselves and better wrapping: a jar cover around a homemade preserve, a goody bag as the secret Santa container rather than the gift, mini Easter baskets filled with eggs, or a set of Christmas cutlery holders for the table. Because most take only leftovers, they are also the natural answer to a stash of odd part balls.

Care and washing

Remove any card or plastic base insert before washing. Cotton baskets can be hand washed in cool water and reshaped while damp — stuff them with a towel to dry so the sides hold their line. Jute is best spot-cleaned only. Do not tumble dry structured pieces; heat and tumbling will collapse the shape you worked hard to build.

Knitted container questions

What yarn makes the sturdiest basket? Chunky cotton, rope-style cotton or t-shirt yarn, worked on a smaller hook than the band suggests.

Why does my basket flop? Tension is too loose, the yarn is too soft, or the fabric is too thin — try holding two strands together.

Do I need to line it? Not for structure, but a lining protects contents and makes the piece look finished.

Are these good beginner projects? Very — most are simple stitches worked in the round with no shaping above the base.

Can I make one from leftovers? Yes. Stripes hide yarn changes, and small containers use very little.