Sea Waves Basket – Free Crochet Pattern

The Crochet Sea Waves Basket is the result of a lot of days and nights dreaming about the sea and the soothing sound of its waves.

Sea Waves Crochet Organizer - Free Pattern - Raffamusa Designs

Whether you want to use this basket as a plant vase cover, as a fruit basket, or for your yarn storage, I am sure it will add a beautiful crochet touch to your home decor.

When I was 18 or 19 and left my parent’s home to go study University in the north of Italy, I went from a beautiful place on the Adriatic Sea and found myself somewhere in the middle of a flat piece of land, far from the coast, far from the mountains, far from nature… Gee, I would spend hours daydreaming about the sea. And not only daydreaming! Sometimes I would dream of it at night too. Dreaming of jogging by the sea, swimming in the sea, and hanging out with friends on the sea!

Getting used to not seeing the sea and the mountains every single day has taken me ages! But now, after just about 11 or 12 short years, I am finally recovered. Lol. Well, I guess only people who were raised by the sea can understand the pain here.

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Sea Waves Basket Design

Before moving on to actually crocheting our Sea Waves Basket, let’s have a look at the design options that I created for this basket. The features that you can customize are essentially handles and bottom.

You can choose whether or not to add handles to your basket, and you can choose to use a wooden bottom or crochet the base of your basket.

In order to make it easier for you to navigate through this blog post, here is a list of the things I will be talking about.

Tapestry Crochet Sea Waves Basket - Free Pattern - Raffamusa Designs

Adjust the Design for a Different Number of Stitches

I designed the pattern of the Sea Waves Basket so that I could fit five waves in exactly 70 stitches. If you would like to change the number of stitches, add or remove multiples of 14, which is the number of stitches for a single wave.

Crochet Sea Waves Baskets with Wooden Bottoms - Raffamusa Designs

Wooden Bottom vs. Crocheting the Bottom

I wrote the pattern so that you can choose if you want to use a wooden bottom for your basket or just crochet one.

The advantage of using a wooden bottom instead of crocheting one is that your bottom will actually be hard, which can be useful for a basket.

Tapestry Crochet Sea Waves Basket - Free Pattern - works both with a wooden bottom and crochet bottom

If you decide to purchase a wooden bottom, you will have to find one that is 20 cm (8″) in diameter. When I purchased mine on Etsy, I got one that had 53 holes for attaching yarn. However, not all wooden bottoms have the same number of holes.
In this pattern, I will provide you with the info for using a 20-cm wooden bottom with either 53 or 45 holes.
If you have a different number of holes, you will have to find the right math to get to 70 stitches!

Working with T-shirt Yarn

  • T-shirt yarn can be quite stretchy, which makes keeping an even tension a bit more difficult. So pay extra attention to not stretch the yarn too much while crocheting. This way you will avoid distorted or uneven stitches.
  • Do not trust the knots that are made to join the strands. These knots will most likely come undone while you’re crocheting or after you wash your work. You can check out this post to learn how to best join T-shirt yarn.

Materials

  • 8.0-mm (L/11 US, 0 UK) Crochet Hook
  • 60 m (65.6 yards) of Super Bulky T-shirt yarn (5-6 wpi) in color 1 (for the waves)
  • 60 m (65.6 yards) of Super Bulky T-shirt yarn (5-6 wpi) in color 2 (for the background)
  • Tapestry Needle
  • Scissors
  • Optional: 20-cm (8”) Round Wooden Bottom for Crochet Baskets with 53 or 45 holes.

Crochet Abbreviations (US Terms)

Ch – Chain
Inc – Increase
Knit St Knit Stitch
MCMagic Circle
Sc – Single Crochet
Sk – Skip
St – Stitch
Yo – Yarn Over

Size

The finished basket is approximately 7″ (17.5 cm) tall and it has a diameter of 9.5″ (24 cm).

Gauge

10 knit sts for 9.5 rows worked in tapestry crochet in 4″ (10 cm).

Special Stitches

Increase (Inc)
One Inc consists of 2 sc made into the same st.
When attaching yarn to your wooden bottom, 1 inc consists in making 2 sc in the same hole.

Magic Circle (MC)
If you do not know how to make a magic circle, you can visit this step-by-step tutorial.

Waistcoat or Knit Stitch (Knit St)
Learn how to crochet the knit stitch HERE.

How to Crochet the Knit Stitch - Raffamusa Designs

Pattern Notes

  • This basket is crocheted using tapestry crochet.
  • All color changes are done with the last yo of the last st in one color. Take a look at this tutorial HERE to learn how to make invisible color changes.

How to Join the Rounds of Your Crochet Basket

The Sea Waves Basket is worked in consecutive rounds, and you will join each round before moving to the next one.

While you could make a regular slip stitch to join your rounds, I think that there is a better and neater method, which I will show you below.

  1. Remove the hook from the last loop and move your working yarn towards the inside of the basket, as shown in the top left panel in the figure below.
  2. With a movement from the inside of the basket to the outside, insert your hook into the first st of the round.
  3. With your hook, grab the loop that you removed in Step 1.
  4. Pull the loop through the first st that you now have on your hook.

And you’re done joining your round!

Crochet Sea Waves Basket. How to join the yarn at the end of each row.

Pattern Notes

  • If the pattern says “5 sc”, it means that you have to make one single crochet in each of the next 5 stitches.
  • Throughout the basket body, the stitch count is always 70 sts.
  • For the other parts of the pattern, the stitch count is indicated within brackets.
  • Remember to join each round with the method that I showed above.
  • The initial ch 1 does NOT count as your first stitch.

Crochet Sea Waves Basket – Free Pattern

Option 1 – Wooden Bottom

For attaching the yarn to the wooden bottom, you will start crocheting on either side of the bottom going counterclockwise (for right-handed crocheters). Just remember that the side of the bottom that is facing up is the inside of your basket.

Keep in mind that the first two rows are crocheted in this same direction, i.e. counterclockwise, and you keep the hook on the inside of your basket. However, when you start crocheting the body of the basket, you will turn your work so that your hook is on the outside of the basket, and the direction of the rows will grow clockwise if you look at the basket from above.

Let’s Do It!

Round 1. Using your yarn in color 1, attach the yarn to the round wooden base for crochet baskets. To attach the yarn, sl st in any of the holes and make 1 sc into that same hole.

  • For wooden bottoms with 53 holes: Make *2 sc, 1 inc*. Repeat in between * until the end. Join as described above. (70 sts)
  • For wooden bottoms with 45 holes: *(1 Inc, 1 sc) 4 times, 1 inc. Repeat from * other 4 times. Join as described above. (70 sts)

Round 2. Ch 1, sl st in front loops only (each loop facing the inside of the basket) all around. Join. (70 sts)

When you start working the body of the basket, these sl sts might be curling toward the inside of the basket. If this is the case, just push them out with your hand to make the sc stitches.

Option 2 – Crochet Bottom

With yarn in color 1, make a MC.
Remember to join each round with a sl st.

Round 1. 7 sc in MC.
Round 2. 7 inc. (14 sts)
Round 3. (1 sc, 1 inc) 7 times. (21 sts)
Round 4. 1 sc, 1 inc, (2 sc, 1 inc) 6 times, 1 sc. (28 sts)
Round 5. (3 sc, 1 inc) 7 times (35 sts)
Round 6. 2 sc, 1 inc, (4 sc, 1 inc) 6 times, 2 sc. (42 sts)
Round 7. (5 sc, 1 inc) 7 times. (49 sts)
Round 8. 3 sc, 1 inc, (6 sc, 1 inc) 6 times, 3 sc. (56 sts)
Round 9. (6 sc, 1 inc) 7 times. (63 sts)
Round 10. 4 sc, 1 inc, (8 sc, 1 inc) 6 times, 4 sc.(70 sts)

Round 11. Flip your base so that the wrong side is facing up. Insert your hook under the post of the last sc of round 10, and make 1 sc. Keep making sc around the post of the sts from round 10 until the end. (70 sts)

You have now created a sc baseline round that will allow you to crochet a very straight basket.

To crochet the body of the basket, you will have to ch 1 and turn your work so that you can work the next rounds on the right side of your basket, i.e. the outside. See panel 4 in the image below to understand.

Crochet Bottom for the Tapestry Crochet Sea Waves Basket - Free Pattern

Basket Body

Round 1. With the yarn in your color 1, ch 1, sc in each st from the previous round.

Round 2. Ch 1. Knit st in each sc all around.

Round 3. Ch 1 using the yarn in color 1. Start carrying color 2 inside of your sts. Make 9 knit sts with color 1, 5 knit sts with color 2. Repeat from * 4 more times. Join using yarn in color 2.

From now on, always join your rounds using yarn in color 2.

Round 4. Using color 2, ch 1, and make 1 knit st. *7 knit sts with color 1, 7 knit sts with color 2. Repeat from * 3 more times, 7 knit sts with color 1, 6 knit sts with color 2.

Round 5. Using color 2, ch 1, and make 2 knit sts. *5 knit sts with color 1, 9 knit sts with color 2. Repeat from * 3 more times. 5 knit sts with color 1, 7 knit sts with color 2.

Round 6. Using color 2, ch 1, and make 2 knit sts. *5 knit sts with color 1, 2 knit sts with color 2, 4 knit sts with color 1, 3 knit sts with color 2. Repeat from * 3 more times. Make 5 knit sts with color 1, 2 knit sts with color 2, 4 knit sts in color 1, 1 knit st in color 2.

Round 7. Using color 2, ch 1, and make 3 knit sts. *4 knit sts with color 1, 2 knit sts with color 2, 1 knit sts with color 1, 2 knit sts with color 2, 2 knit sts with color 1, 3 knit sts with color 2. Repeat from * 3 more times. Make 4 knit sts with color 1, 2 knit sts with color 2, 1 knit sts in color 1, 2 knit st in color 2, 2 knit sts with color 1.

Round 8. *With color 2, ch 1 and make 3 knit sts. 4 knit sts with color 1, 5 knit sts with color 2, 2 knit sts with color 1. Repeat from * 4 more times.

Don't forget to pin the free pattern of the Crochet Sea Waves Basket to your favorite Pinterest board!

Round 9. *With color 2, ch 1. Make 4 knit sts in color 2, *4 knit sts in color 1, 3 knit sts with color 2, 3 knit sts with color 1. Repeat from * 4 more times.

Round 10. With color 2, ch 1, and make 5 knit sts. *8 knit sts in color 1, 6 knit sts in color 2. Repeat from * 3 more times. Make 8 knit sts in color 1, 1 knit st in color 2.

Round 11. With yarn in color 2, ch 1 and make 6 knit sts. *6 knit sts in color 1, 8 knit sts in color 2. Repeat from * 3 more times. Make 6 knit sts in color 1, 2 knit sts in color 2.

Here, you can cut your yarn in color 1.

Round 12-13. With color 2, ch 1. Knit st in each st around.

Finishing

If you would like to finish your basket without adding handles, just skip to round 16. If you would like to make a basket with handles, continue from round 14.

Round 14. Ch 1, knit st in the first 5 sts. Ch 12, sk 10 sts and knit st in the next st. Knit st in the next 24 sts. Ch 12, sk 10 sts, knit sts in the next st, knit st in the last 19 sts.

Round 15. Ch 1, knit st in the first 5 sts. Sc 12 sts in the 12-ch spacing. Knit st in the next 25 sts. 12 sc in the 12-ch spacing, and knit st in the last 20 sts.

Round 16. Ch 1, sl st in the front loop (the loop facing the outside of the basket) all around.

Tie off. Weave in ends.

Your Crochet Sea Waves Basket is ready!

I hope you enjoyed crocheting this pattern. Please, do not hesitate to contact me if you need any help or support. I am looking forward to seeing all your beautiful makes on Facebook and Instagram!

Find more baskets and home decor projects here on the blog…

10 thoughts on “Sea Waves Basket – Free Crochet Pattern”

  1. Hello. I love your basket and your great thorough instructions. I have checked the etsy link for the wooden base but the 20cm available has only 45 holes. Is there another link for a 53 hole bottom? Thank you.

    Reply
    • Hi Mei, thank you so much for letting me notice the change in the Etsy shop I linked to.
      So, there are a couple of options. If you have a 20-cm round bottom with 45 holes, what you can do is to crochet *(1 Inc, 1 sc) 4 times, 1 inc. Repeat from * other 4 times. This way you’ll get 70 final sts. Otherwise, you could also choose to crochet the base by making 10 rounds of increases starting with 7 sts in a magic loop.
      I hope this helped! I’ll also update the blog post as soon as I can. Thank you so much again for your comment 🙂

      Reply
    • Hi, it’s on Ravelry. Just look for the link to the Ravelry page in the pink box. I’m not sure the promotion for the free download is still running because that was 2 days ago, but you can always try 🙂

      Reply
  2. What a nice pattern. Thank you for sharing. I have used t- shirt yarn before and found out it’s too heavy for my hands to use. Is there another yarn with the same guage that’s not so heavy?
    Thank you for your suggestions.

    Reply

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