The Recycle T-shirt crochet basket free crochet pattern and photo tutorial is designed to help you upcycle old materials into something new and useful. Earth day is quickly approaching us and I wanted to provide everyone a way to throw away and buy a little less. Lots of different materials can be used for these crochet baskets. The baskets are very quick and easy to make up.
Every time you buy something new the factories have to use energy to make more items to send to the stores. Every time you throw away something it just ends up in our land fill. Let’s do our planet a favor and reuse what we have in a new and creative way. That is where my free crochet basket pattern steps into play.
Dimensions: 4.5″ Diameter- 2″ Height
The tutorial below uses a standard size T-shirt yarn as the base and a Bernat Softee Baby cotton as the working yarn. Anything can be used for both parts. You can use anything as your filler base as long as it is as thick as or thicker than T-shirt yarn. Anything smaller will not give you a sturdy basket. I have made five baskets so far using different materials such as: t-shirt, homemade super thick T-shirt yarn, rope and twine. I plan to try strips of jean as a filler next. The T-shirt yarn makes a floppier basket, while a rope makes a sturdier basket. Any medium to light weight yarn will work for this pattern as well. You can also use a crochet thread it you like. I have a post on how to make Thick T-shirt Yarn here!
Dimensions – 7″ Diameter – 3.5″ Height
Recycle T-Shirt Crochet Basket
The Materials
Filler Material – This will be your t-shirt yarn or some Thick T-shirt Yarn.
Working Yarn – Any yarn you would like. I find the medium weight to lightweight will work best.
Crochet Hook – Use the size that is recommended with your yarn or size that you are comfortable using with the working yarn you chose. I used a US size G with a lightweight cotton yarn for all my baskets.
Scissors
Yarn Needle
Stitch Markers
Stitches and Abbreviations
Sc- Single Crochet
Ch – Chain
Slst – Slip Stitch
Dimensions
The dimensions for each crochet basket will vary based on the materials you use. You can also remove a row from the base to make a smaller basket. The basket I made using the full pattern and a standard t-shirt yarn had a diameter of 4.5 inches and 2 inches tall when made with 5 side rows. As for all the other crochet baskets I made, I will list their dimensions under their photos.
Tutorial
This tutorial is for softer fillers like T-shirt yarn. I will be making a second tutorial using sturdier materials like rope and twine. Please let me know in the comments below if you liked this tutorial! Let’s get started.
Step 1: Take you filler material and make a loop.
Step 2: Next, use a slip knot to put your working yarn on your hook. Work one sc around both strands of filler.
Step 3: Now working around the loop only, place as many sc as you like. We will be pulling this loop shut and you want to have the sc crammed together. For a standard T-shirt yarn I used 19 sc. For the thick T-shirt yarn I used 25 sc. Because you are varying the beginning stitch count, you are able to use this pattern for a variety of different materials.
Step 4: (Round 1)Next, pull on you filler tail and tighten the loop.
Step 5: (Round 2) From the picture above I weaved my tail under the other filler so that it was on the backside of my project. Mark your first stitch with a stitch marker. Sc around your filler. Place 1 sc in each stitch of the previous round.
Step 6: (Round 3) When you get back to the stitch marker, sc and move the stitch marker to that sc. (First sc of the new round.) Sc into the same stitch just worked. Place 2 sc in each stitch around. You are always working around the filler.
Step 7: (Round 4) Once you get back to the stitch marker, sc in the same stitch as the marker and move the marker to the stitch you just made. Sc in the next stitch, 2 sc in the next stitch. (Sc in the next 2 stitches, 2 sc in the next stitch) repeat this all the way around. Note: Because the beginning stitch count varies you might not end this row with a (2 sc in the next stitch). This is absolutely fine! Just stop at the stitch marker and start the next round.
Step 8: (Round 5) Once you get back to the stitch marker, sc in the same stitch as the marker. Move the marker to the stitch you just made. Sc in the next 4 stitches, 2 sc in the next stitch. (Sc in the next 5 stitches, 2 sc in the next stitch) repeat this all the way around. Note: Because the beginning stitch count varies you might not end this row with a (2 sc in the next stitch). This is absolutely fine! Just stop at the stitch marker and start the next round.
If you like the size of this basket base, you can end the basket base here. Just skip the next step and start on step 10. If you want a bigger basket continue to the next step.
Step 9: (Round 6) Once you get back to the stitch marker, sc in the same stitch as the marker and move the marker to the stitch you just made. Sc in the next 6 stitches, 2 sc in the next stitch. (Sc in the next 7 stitches, 2 sc in the next stitch) repeat this all the way around. Note: Again, you might not end this row with a (2 sc in the next stitch). This is absolutely fine! Just stop at the stitch marker and start the next round.
Step 10: (Round 7 and beyond)This is where you can get creative. You will be single crocheting the same amount of stitches for each row without any increase. If you want a crochet basket that is mostly solid with the working yarn, just sc in each stitch around. Keep track of the first stitch of each row. You will want to end your basket close to the first stitch. When you are ready to finish the basket just hold your filler on the inside of the basket so it is next to the last row instead of on top of it. Work a few sc with it like this and then slst to the next stitch without working over the filler to finish. Fasten off and weave in your ends.
Basket Side Designs
When making up these crochet baskets I played with a number of different side designs. Scroll down and find the design you like and the instructions will be below the picture. The base is made the same way for each basket. There is a second tutorial for the rope baskets coming soon.
Dimensions – 7″ Diameter – 3.5″ Height
Alternate Round 7 and beyond: For the sides of this basket, I finished Step 9, then moved to the next row (ch 2, skip the next 2 stitches, sc in the next 2 stitches) Repeat this around. Remember to mark your first stitch. Once you get back to your first stitch, to make the pattern work you may need to add an extra chain or skip a stitch. Whatever you do to clean up the stitch count, do not worry it will not be that noticeable. Mark your new first stitch. (2 sc in the ch 2 space, ch 2 and skip the 2 sc stitches of the previous row.) Continue this around, keeping track of your first stitch until the basket is as tall as you would like it to be.
You will want to end your basket close to your first stitch. When you are ready to finish the basket just hold your filler on the inside of the basket so it is next to the last row instead of on top of it. Work a few sc with it like this and then slst to the next stitch without working over the filler to finish. Fasten off and weave in your ends.
Dimensions: 4.5″ Diameter- 2″ Height
Alternate Round 7 and beyond: Next we will make the sides of the basket. For the next row, (ch 1, skip the next 1 stitch, sc in the next stitch). Repeat this around. Remember to mark your first stitch. Once you get back to your first stitch, to make the pattern work you may need to add an extra chain or skip a stitch. Whatever you need to do to clean up the stitch count, do not worry it will not be that noticeable. Mark your new first stitch. ( sc in the ch 1 space, ch 1 and skip the sc stitch of the previous row.) Continue this around, keeping track of your first stitch until the basket is as tall as you would like it to be.
You will want to end your basket close to your first stitch. When you are ready to finish the basket just hold your filler on the inside of the basket so it is next to the last row instead of on top of it. Work a few sc with it like this and then slst to the next stitch without working over the filler to finish. Fasten off and weave in your ends.
Dimension – 4″ Diameter – 3″ Height
Alternate Round 7 and beyond: For the sides of this basket, I finished Step 9, then moved to the next row (ch 1, skip the next 1 stitch, sc in the next stitch) Repeat this around. Remember to mark your first stitch. Once you get back to your first stitch, to make the pattern work you may need to add an extra chain or skip a stitch. Whatever you need to do to clean up the stitch count, do not worry it will not be that noticeable. Mark your new first stitch. ( sc in the center sc of the previous row (this is a waistcoat sc) ch 1, skip ch 1 space.) Continue this around, keeping track of your first stitch until the basket is as tall as you would like it to be.
You will want to end your basket close to your first stitch. When you are ready to finish the basket just hold your filler on the inside of the basket so it is next to the last row instead of on top of it. Work a few sc with it like this and then slst to the next stitch without working over the filler to finish. Fasten off and weave in your ends.
The sky is the limit on the different patterns you can create. Do you like the diamond pattern I created on this basket?
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