Soft Stripe Drawstring Pouch Basket Crochet Free Pattern

Introduction

This Soft Stripe Drawstring Pouch Basket is a cozy little catch-all that works equally well as a bedside basket, a plant-pot cover, or a gift pouch. It's made from super bulky t-shirt yarn in butter yellow and white stripes, so it works up quickly and feels wonderfully squishy in your hands. The dense back-loop half double crochet fabric gives it a ridged, structured look that still holds its shape when you cinch the top closed. If you can make a magic ring and a half double crochet, you can make this basket — it's a perfect first "shaped" project.

Materials Needed

• Yarn: Super bulky t-shirt yarn (approx. 5–7 mm wide ribbon), cotton/elastane blend. Color A (butter yellow): approx. 120 yd. Color B (white): approx. 60 yd.
• Hook: 8.0 mm (US L-11) crochet hook
• Notions: Stitch marker, tapestry needle, scissors, measuring tape
• Finished size: Approx. 6 in / 15 cm diameter x 7 in / 18 cm tall (flat cylinder); cinched pouch approx. 5 in / 13 cm wide x 8 in / 20 cm tall

Abbreviations

• ch – chain
• sc – single crochet
• hdc – half double crochet
• hdc-blo – half double crochet in the back loop only (work into the back loop of the stitch, leaving the front loop free to create a ridge)
• hdc2tog – half double crochet two stitches together (a decrease)
• MR – magic ring
• sl st – slip stitch
• sk – skip
• sp – space
• st(s) – stitch(es)

Gauge

8 hdc x 7 rows = 4 in / 10 cm in back-loop hdc, unblocked. Work a small swatch in hdc-blo and measure a 4 in section; if you have more stitches than 8, go up a hook size, and if you have fewer, go down.

Tips Before You Start

• T-shirt yarn has very little stretch and a lot of drag — keep your tension relaxed so the hdc-blo ridges stay even and the base lies flat.
• Because the body is worked in a continuous spiral, place your stitch marker in the first stitch of each round and move it up as you go; the stripe changes are easier to count this way.
• Change colors on the last yarn-over of the final stitch of a round so the new color begins cleanly at the start of the next round.
• Work the eyelet round before the channel closes up — it's much easier to reach the R29 stitches while the opening is still wide.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Base (Color A)

Rnd 1: MR, 8 hdc into ring, sl st to first hdc (8 sts).

Rnd 2: ch 1, 2 hdc in each st around, sl st to first hdc (16 sts).

Rnd 3: ch 1, [hdc, 2 hdc] x8, sl st to first hdc (24 sts).

Rnd 4: ch 1, [hdc, hdc, 2 hdc] x8, sl st to first hdc (32 sts).

Rnd 5: ch 1, [hdc x3, 2 hdc] x8, sl st to first hdc (40 sts).

Base measures approx. 6 in / 15 cm across. Do not fasten off.

Body Stripes (hdc-blo, continuous spiral — place marker in first st)

Rnd 6: hdc-blo in each st around (40 sts).

Rnds 7–9: hdc-blo in each st around (40 sts).

Change to Color B.

Rnds 10–12: hdc-blo in each st around (40 sts).

Change to Color A.

Rnds 13–15: hdc-blo in each st around (40 sts).

Change to Color B.

Rnds 16–18: hdc-blo in each st around (40 sts).

Change to Color A.

Rnds 19–21: hdc-blo in each st around (40 sts).

Change to Color B.

Rnds 22–23: hdc-blo in each st around (40 sts).

Change to Color A.

Rnds 24–25: hdc-blo in each st around (40 sts).

Body measures approx. 6 in / 15 cm from base edge.

Drawstring Channel (Color A)

Rnd 26: ch 1, hdc-blo in each st around (40 sts).

Rnd 27: ch 1, [hdc2tog, hdc x3] x8 (32 sts).

Rnd 28: ch 1, hdc-blo in each st around (32 sts).

Rnd 29: ch 1, [hdc2tog, hdc x2] x8 (24 sts).

Rnd 30: ch 1, hdc-blo in each st around (24 sts).

Rnd 31: ch 1, [hdc2tog, hdc] x8 (16 sts).

Rnd 32: ch 1, hdc-blo in each st around (16 sts).

Rnd 33: ch 1, hdc2tog x8 (8 sts).

Rnd 34: ch 1, hdc-blo in each st around (8 sts).

Fasten off leaving an 8 in tail; thread the tail through the front loops of the last 8 sts, pull tight, and weave in.

Eyelet Round for Cord (Color B — worked at Rnd 29 level, before the channel closes)

With Color B, join yarn at any st of Rnd 29, ch 1, sc in same st, [ch 2, sk 1, sc in next st] around, sl st to first sc (12 ch-2 sps). Fasten off and weave in.

Cord (Color B)

Row 1: ch 60, sl st in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across (59 sts). Fasten off. Thread the cord through the eyelet round and tie the ends in an overhand knot.

Edging (Color B)

Join Color B at the top edge of Rnd 34, ch 1, sc in each st around, sl st to first sc (8 sts). Fasten off and weave in.

Assembly and Finishing

Steam the basket lightly to relax the t-shirt yarn and even out the ridges — hold the iron just above the fabric rather than pressing it down. Shape the base flat with your hands while the yarn is still warm. Weave in all remaining ends on the wrong side, splitting the ribbon tail so it lies flat. There are no seams to sew; the basket is worked in one piece from the base up. Once dry, pull the cord to cinch the top into a soft pouch shape, or leave it open as a straight-sided cylinder.

Pro Tips and Variations

• Swap the stripe sequence for a single color, or use three colors in a random order for a scrappier, bohemian look.
• Add a small tassel or wooden bead to each end of the cord for a finished, giftable detail.
• For a taller basket, add extra hdc-blo rounds before the drawstring channel — each round adds roughly 1 in / 2.5 cm of height.