Basket Knitting Patterns to Help with Spring Cleaning

Want a legitimate excuse to do more crafting instead of cleaning? Knit up some baskets to help you with your spring organization tasks, and as a bonus you’ll have less yarn you need to store!

This simple garter stitch basket from DW Crochet Patterns has a great graphic look that would be fun in any room. It’s worked with two strands of chunky weight yarn held together, which adds structure and allows you to use a lot of odd balls if you don’t want a cohesive color (and I fr one love scrappy baskets!).

Prefer the look of stockinette stitch? This knit basket pattern from A Box of Twine looks like a knit hat turned upside down, with ribbing at the top edge to keep the basket from curling in on itself. This is a slouchier looking project than that first one, but still really cute and would look great with a stripe. This one also uses chunky yarn and comes in two sizes.

Speaking of stripes, this basket from Peony Knits includes contrasting stripes for extra fun, and it has the option of working I-cord handles to make the basket even more functional. Or make a single handle across the middle and use it as an Easter basket.

The Pretty Utility Basket from Knit And Crochet EvrAft is worked in stockinette stitch and calls for three shades of worsted weight yarn to make an ombre fade effect. You can already hear me saying you could do this with odd balls and do the fade more often if you wanted, can’t you? Because I am.

I love the look of hanging baskets but I haven’t made any yet because I don’t know where in my house they might be safe from my yarn-loving cat trying to knock them down and carry them around the house in her mouth. If you don’t have such worries, this version from Sealed by a Kris is cute and easy to work. The wooden loop for hanging adds stability and they use super bulky yarn. It looks like mistake rib, but I’m not 100 percent sure.

I love the look of mesh tops for summer, but I don’t know that I would ever actually wear one that’s full of giant holes, even though I admit they look cool (in both senses of the word) on other people.

What I would wear, though, is something that’s still lacy but maybe a little bit more subdued, like this chevron lace knit top from Yarnspirations.

This easy to knit T-shirt style top is worked flat in two pieces from the bottom up, using and easy lace pattern that’s a repeat of 10 stitches and four rows (though the wrong side rows are just purled, so there’s only two rows you need to learn the pattern on).

It has little cap sleeves that are worked as part of the top by casting on stitches where you need them.

If you’re new to lace knitting this is a good one to try because the pattern includes both written and charted instructions, and the only skills you need are yarn over, knit two together, slip slip knit and slip 1 knit 2 together pass the slipped stitch over (which makes a centered decrease).

There are four size options available (which they claim is enough to cover XS to 5XL), with finished chest measurements ranging from 38.5 inches (that’s 98 cm) to 59 inches, or 150 cm. The amount of ease would vary widely depending on your size and the size garment you choose. For example the largest size is said to fit a chest measurement from 5258 inches/132-147.4 cm, which gives you a range of ease from 1-7 inches, or 2.5 to 17.78 cm, depending on your size. Just something to be aware of when you think about how you want it to fit.

The project calls for Red Heart Cotton Breeze yarn, which isn’t a yarn I’ve tried yet, but it’s a DK weight acrylic and cotton blend, which should make a lightweight top that’s great for summer.

Grab the free pattern from Yarnspirations.

[Photo: Yarnspirations]

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