Nesting Lopi Baskets

Finally admitting that my beautiful Lopi wool would be too warm (and perhaps to itchy) to make the jumper of my dreams, I decided to find another use for it.

Realising that knitting it at a higher tension than intended would result in a stiff fabric, I set about exploring how large a self-supporting storage basket I could make. The result was these three nesting baskets. The pictures show them after more than two years' use, so I'm pleased with how they have kept their shape. Their edge lengths are 4.5", 5.5" and 6.5". Pattern instructions show figures for the sizes as follows: small(medium, large)

The yarn I used was Álafoss Lopi, which is a chunky, 100% new wool yarn. The yarn itself is quite stiff and this is vital for the baskets to work. If a you do wish to substitute a softer yarn, it may be possible to mitigate this by working on even smaller needles and adding some stiffener at the seams.

Needle size: 5mm

Gauge: 16 stitches and 32 rows to 10cm in garter stitch

Cast on 1 stitch.

Row 1: Kfb (knit into the front and back of the stitch, to increase by one)

Row 2: Kfb once, K to end

Repeat row 2 23(28, 33) times, resulting in 25(30, 35) stitches per row. This is the end of the increases. Decrease as follows:

Row 1: K2tog, knit to end

Repeat until 3 stitches remain. K3tog and draw the thread through the loop to close.

For each basket, you will need five such squares. To assemble them, arrange so that each 'cast on' corner meets a corner of the base square (but doesn't meet another 'cast on' corner). Arranging it so will help with structural integrity, by helping to prevent the box leaning, and ensuring that the top edge of the box is a little firmer, thanks to the K2tog edge. 

Use blanket stitch in a contrasting colour to make the four seams around the base and the four up the sides.

As you will see, this pattern is very simple and flexible. I chose to use just one colour per basket, but next time will probably add stripes. The options for introducing more colour are endless. I hope you enjoy making and using them!