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How big of a basket can you make with just one skein of yarn? The free pattern I used calls for four balls of yarn for the small size, five for the medium, and six for the large. I only had one. So I set myself a little challenge: start the basket and keep going until the yarn ran out.
What I ended up with is a small catch-all basket that lives on my work desk now, and I love it. If you’re a beginner, or you’ve got one lonely skein in your stash, this is a quick and satisfying make. (If you’re just getting started and want to see what a budget-friendly starter project looks like, I also tried a $10 Amazon sunflower crochet kit.)
About the Yarn: Bernat Fab
I used Bernat Fab in the colorway Glowing Garden. It’s 100% polyester, and the label describes it as a plush core wrapped in a printed fabric exterior. Up close, the inside looks a bit like fiberfill or insulation, with seamed fabric wrapped around it.
The color is a warm golden yellow printed with purple, peach/orange, and yellow flowers. It’s very soft, and the label says it’s machine washable.
Bernat Fab is a #7 jumbo-weight, printed fabric-tube yarn made of 100% polyester with a plush polyfill core.
Materials
- 1 skein Bernat Fab yarn (I used Glowing Garden)
- Crochet hook 15 mm (US P) (affiliate link)
- Stitch marker (or anything you can use to mark the start of the round)
- Yarn needle
- Scissors
- Free written pattern: Bernat Three Crochet Nesting Baskets on Yarnspirations
Skill level: Beginner. It’s almost all single crochet. Finished size: About 7.5” across and 3” tall Time: It works up fast. About an hour.
How to Crochet a One-Skein Basket
These steps follow what I did in the video. For the full written pattern, see the link above.
Step 1: Make a Magic Ring
Make a magic ring, leaving a 2-inch tail.
Step 2: Round 1
Work 8 single crochets into the ring. Don’t join.
Step 3: Work in Continuous Rounds
This basket is worked in continuous rounds (spirals), so place a marker in the first stitch to show where each round begins.
Step 4: Round 2
Work 2 single crochets in each stitch around.
Tip from my mistakes: I pulled my magic ring too tight here. Don’t do what I did! Getting your tension right with this chunky fabric yarn takes a little practice. For more on taming tricky yarn, see my Red Heart All-In-One yarn review and tension hacks.
Step 5: Round 3 and Increase Rounds
For round 3: 2 single crochets in the next stitch, 1 single crochet in the next. Repeat around.
Increasing is what makes the base bigger. As long as you keep increasing, you’re building the bottom of the basket. I did one more increase round after this (still using the 2 sc, 1 sc pattern from the video).
Step 6: Work Up the Sides
When the base is big enough, stop increasing and just work 1 single crochet in each stitch around. That’s what makes the walls of the basket grow upward.
You can decide when to switch at any point. Just finish a full round of increases before you start the sides, or the basket can come out lopsided. Once you’re on the sides, you don’t need to count rounds. Keep going until you run out of yarn.
Step 7: Finish Off
When you’re almost out of yarn, fasten off. Use a yarn needle to weave in the end, then trim it with scissors.
Tips & Lessons Learned
- Watch your starting tail. I tugged on my magic ring end at the beginning, and that tangled my skein later. All that tangling made it harder to pull the yarn as I worked.
- Tension takes a minute. This yarn has a plush core, so it behaves differently from regular yarn. It ended up stitching up easier than I expected, though.
- Want a taller basket? Next time I’d get two skeins. One skein makes a shorter basket, but honestly, I really like how it turned out.
How to Use Your Little Basket
A small basket like this is great for:
- Organizing yarn or crochet notions
- Keys and small everyday items
- Toiletries
- Small home decor pieces
- A catch-all on your desk (that’s where mine lives!)
Your Turn!
Would you try making something with just one skein, or would you go for the bigger basket with four? Tell me in the comments!
You might also like
- I Tried a $10 Amazon Sunflower Crochet Kit: An Honest Review & Project Journey
- Red Heart All-In-One Yarn Review: Flower Power, Tension Hacks & Blanket Reveal
Want more one-skein projects and beginner crochet experiments? Join my weekly newsletter and get new tutorials, stash-busting ideas, and behind-the-scenes looks at what I’m making, sent straight to your inbox.
Disclosure: Some links in this post are affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
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