Drawstring Basket Crochet Pattern

Need a sturdy, stylish storage solution? Make this drawstring basket! Tight stitches in a unique combination of yarns makes it stand up tall even when empty. Once you’ve filled it, secure your treasures with the drawstring cover!

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Raffia and Cotton

The unique texture of this drawstring basket comes from using two yarns together as one, with a tight stitch gauge. King Cole Raffia yarn gives it the stiffness and stability to stand up straight, even when empty.

Buy King Cole Raffia yarn in the Stitches n Scraps yarn shop. Then combine that with your favorite, worsted weight cotton for added strength, and a tweedy blend of colors! For my basket, I used the Raffia in natural, along with a muted green cotton blend yarn.

Drawstring Cover

My favorite feature of this drawstring basket is the cover. Roll it down when the basket is open, for a soft rolled edge. When you’re ready to close it up again, just cinch the drawstring.

If you don’t want to use the cover at all, fold it in and it becomes a lining on the sides of the basket!

Handy Handles

Every basket needs good handles! The wide, side handles on this basket make it easy to pick up and carry wherever you need it.

Soft-top Drawstring Basket

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Materials:

• Yarn:
  • 200 yds King Cole Raffia 100% Cellulose Rayon, worsted weight yarn
  • 350 yds worsted weight cotton yarn
• Hook: Size H/5 mm crochet hook or size needed to match gauge
• Notions:
  • Yarn needle
  • Stitch marker or scrap of yarn to use as a running stitch marker

Project Level:

Intermediate – Working in rounds and rows, tighter than usual gauge, post stitches.

Size:

• Diameter: 10″
• Height: 5″ not counting cover

Gauge:

11 hdc x 8 rnds = 4 inches.

Use pattern as gauge swatch – After rnd 4, base should measure 4 inches in diameter.

Abbreviations used:

Recommended Resources

• How to Start a Crochet Circle – 3 Ways
• Tutorial – Continuous rounds and running stitch markers
• Ultimate Guide to Crochet Post Stitches from Yarnspirations

Instructions:

Base is worked in continuous rounds. Do not join unless indicated. Use a stitch marker to mark the first stitch of the round.

Base

Holding 1 strand of raffia and 1 strand of cotton yarn together, ch 2.

Rnd 1: 8 hdc in 2nd ch from hook. (8 hdc)

Rnd 2: [Hdc in next st, fpdc around same st] around. (8 hdc, 8 fpdc)

For rnds 3-9, the stitch count will increase by 8 hdc on each rnd.

Rnd 3-9: [Hdc in each st across to next fpdc, hdc in fpdc, fpdc around same fpdc] around. (64 hdc, 8 fpdc)

Rnd 10: [Hdc in each st across to next fpdc, hdc in fpdc, fpdc around same fpdc] 7 times, hdc in each st across to last fpdc, hdc in last fpdc, fphdc around same fpdc. (72 hdc, 7 fpdc, 1 fphdc)

Do not fasten off.

Sides

Join rounds where indicated with a sl st in the first st of the rnd. Use a stitch marker to mark the first stitch of the round.

Rnd 11: [Bpdc in each of next 9 hdc, hdc in next fpdc] 7 times, bpdc in each of next 9 hdc, hdc in last fphdc, join. (72 bpdc, 8 hdc)

Rnds 12-13: Ch 1, [bpdc in each of next 4 sts, fpdc in each of next 4 sts] 10 times, join. (40 bpdc, 40 fpdc)

Rnds 14-15: Ch 1, [fpdc in each of next 4 sts, bpdc in each of next 4 sts] 10 times, join. (40 bpdc, 40 fpdc)

Rnds 16-19: Repeat rnds 12-15.

Fasten off Raffia yarn only. Continue to work with cotton yarn only.

Top

Top is worked in continuous rounds. Do not join unless indicated. Use a stitch marker to mark the first stitch of the round.

Rnd 20: Ch 1, bphdc in first st, bpdc in each st around. (80 sts)

Rnds 21-25: Dc in each st around.

Rnd 26: Dc in each st around to last 2 sts, hdc in next st, sc in next st, join. (78 dc, 1 hdc, 1 sc)

Fasten off. Weave in all ends.

Handles (Make 2)

With cotton, ch 7.

Row 1 (WS): Sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across. (6 sc)

Rows 2-4: Ch 1, turn, sc in each st across.

Do not turn at the end of row 4. Instead, begin working in continuous rounds, starting by working into the first stitch of row 4. Do not join. Use a stitch marker to mark the first stitch of the round.

Rnds 5-20 (RS): Sc in each st around.

Now go back to working in rows.

Rows 21-23: Ch 1, turn, sc in each st across.

Drawstring

With cotton, ch 120, or until chain measures about 42 inches long.

Do not fasten off. Remove hook and secure working loop with stitch marker. This way you can add or remove chains later if needed.

Assembly

Attach Handles

Flatten one end of one handle, and position it along rnds 16 and 17, anywhere along the side of the basket. Use tail to sew in place, then weave in the end.

Flatten the other end of the handle, and position it about 16 stitches away from the first end. Use tail to sew into place, then weave in the end.

Repeat for the 2nd handle, placing it directly opposite the first one. Make sure there is the same number of stitches between the handles on each side of the basket.

Attach Drawstring

Weave drawstring through rnd 27 of top, so that the ends come out centered between the handles as follows: Use the starting tail of the drawstring (opposite the working loop). Start 2 stitches to the right of center, and weave in and out again every 4 stitches. This should bring you back around to about 2 stitches left of center, 4 stitches away from where you started.

Adjust drawstring length by adding or removing stitches as desired. You should have at least 4 inches free on each end, when bag is fully open.

Fasten off and weave in ends on drawstring. Attach a cord lock if desired. Tie a knot in the end of each drawstring to keep it from slipping back through the stitches.

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