Crochet basket

Finished this basket today, a Christmas present a bit late! I had been looking for ready-made baskets for my daughter but coulnd't find any of the right size. Decided to buy some of the tube yarn to crochet baskets myself. I gave her a note as Christmas present, explaining what kind of baskets I would make.

I had been given exact measurements: width 30 cm, depth 25 cm, height 26 cm.

I started out by crocheting the base part according to those measurements. Single crochet (British double crochet) back and forth to create a piece 30 x 25 cm. I used a crochet hook size 8.0 mm.

After the base was finished, continued crocheting round it. This is what forms the basket, you just keep crocheting until the sides are high enough. You need to be careful not to increase the number of stitches at the corners.

For the first 5 rows after the base I took both loops of the previous row on the hook to create a firm bottom part of the basket. After that I wanted to form horizontal rows. That you get when taking only the back loop on the hook.

After the basket was high enough I re-enforced the top edge by going round it a second time, using slip stitches.

The basket weighs 900 grams. My hands hurt a bit from the work, so I'm going to work on some lighter things for a couple of days before making more baskets. Promised to make 3 of those for my daughter.