Breton Baskets are the perfect size to store all sorts of things from yarn to pegs and citrus fruits to small toys.

They are crocheted in the round using waistcoat stitch to create a knitted look with very defined colour-work motifs or stripes.

The pattern comes in three sizes and you can choose from six different motifs to add colour. Three of the motifs are striped and three are seaside themed with waves, chains and anchors.

A FREE version of the pattern is available further down this post.

Click here to jump to the pattern support links.

Green wooden background with a crocheted basket hanging on a metal hook. Basket has stripes in a yellow contrast colour.
Green wooden background with two crocheted baskets hanging on metal hooks. Baskets have seaside waves and stripes in contrast colours.

Buy Breton Baskets

Breton Baskets can be purchased on Etsy and Ravelry. Click on your preferred icon for more pattern details, or to purchase:

Breton Baskets were first published in Issue 175 of Inside Crochet. Hard copies went on sale on 1st February 2025 and digital copies are available here.

Finished Measurements

Small basket: 14cm/ 5.5″ total height (including ring), 23cm/ 9″ circumference of opening and 38cm/ 15″ at widest circumference

Medium basket: 17.5cm/ 7″ total height (including ring), 27cm/ 10.75″ circumference of opening and 40cm/ 15.75″ at widest circumference

Large Basket: 19cm/ 7.5″ total height (including ring), 32cm/ 12.5″ circumference of opening and 45cm/ 17.75″ at widest circumference

Materials Required

Yarn: Krea Deluxe Organic Cotton from Tangled Yarn; 50g/ 165m/ 180yds; 100% Organic cotton. Also available in 25g/ 83m/ 90yds balls. Shades 19 (mink), 27 (teal) & 09 (mustard) were used.

Table of yarn requirements for reach basket size and style for Breton Baskets crochet pattern.

Yarn Substitution Suggestions:

Mid-range

  • Bio Love by Rosarios4, 50g/ 175m/ 191yds; 100% organic cotton
  • Fair Cotton by Katia, 50g/ 155m/ 170yds; 100% organic cotton

Budget

  • Cotton 8 by Scheepjes, 50g/ 170m/ 186yds; 100% cotton
  • Safran by Drops, 50g/ 160m/175yds; 100% cotton

Hook: 3mm hook (US C3/ D2)

Sundries: 1 x place markers, tapestry needle, small/ medium/ large wooden hanging rings

Stitches & Techniques (UK terminology)

  • double crochet, waistcoat stitch, waistcoat stitch increases & decreases, slip stitches
  • crocheted in rounds
  • slip stitch joined

Helpful tutorials for Breton Baskets

If you are new to some of the crochet stitches used in the Breton Baskets, here are some tutorials to help you make them:

Green wooden background with a crocheted basket hanging on a metal hook. Basket has waves in a blue contrast colour.

Construction & Gauge

The baskets are worked in rounds of a continuous spiral. The hanging rings are added to the basket at the end.

Blocked gauge for waistcoat stitch is approximately 22sts and 30 rnds over 10cm/ 4”.

Abbreviations

BLO – back loop only CC – contrast colour ch – chain cm – centimetre dc – double crochet (US single crochet) ea – each FLO – front loop only g – gram m – metre MC – main colour pm – place marker rem – remaining rep – repeat rnd(s) – round(s) RS – right side sk – skip st(s) – stitch(es) ss – slip stitch wc2tog – waistcoat stitch two together wc – waistcoat st WS – wrong side yds – yards yrh – yarn around hook “ – inches

Special Stitches

Waistcoat stitch (wc): similar to a double crochet, but hook is placed through V at front of stitch and out through upside down V at back, instead of under front and back loops on the top of stitch.

Waistcoat stitch 2 together (wc2tog): place hook through V of first st, yrh and pull up a loop (2 loops on hook), place hook through V of second st, yrh and pull up a loop (3 loops on hook), yrh and pull through all 3 loops.

Notes

Colour changes: always made at final yrh of the st before the new colour is required.

Tapestry crochet: This allows colour patterns to be created in your work. Insert your hook as if to wc, lay the non-working yarn (the one being trapped/carried behind) over the hook, yrh with working yarn and pull up a loop (ensure that the non-working yarn has been trapped down at the back and has not been pulled through to the front), yrh, pull through both loops. The Colour-work Chart shows which colours go where within each round. It is essential that colour changes occur in the final yrh of the st before the new colour is required.

Supporting Images

Six supporting images for making Breton Baskets crochet pattern.

Breton Baskets Pattern

Baskets Base

All baskets start with MC apart from wave motif basket, which starts with your preferred CC.

Make 3ch and join to make a ring.

Rnd 1: 1dc in ring, pm (move up ea rnd), 5dc in ring. 6dc O

Rnd 2: 2dc in ea st to end. 12dc O

Rnd 3: *2dc in next st, 1dc; rep from * to end. 18dc O

Rnd 4: 1wc, *2wc in next st, 2wc; rep from * to 2 sts from end, 2wc in next st, 1wc. 24wc O

Rnd 5: *2wc in next st, 3wc; rep from * to end. 30wc O

Rnd 6: 2wc, *2wc in next st, 4wc; rep from * to 3 sts from end, 2wc in next st, 2wc. 36wc O

Rnd 7: *2wc in next st, 5wc; rep from * to end. 42wc O

Rnd 8: 3wc, *2wc in next st, 6wc; rep from * to 4 sts from end, 2wc in next st, 3wc. 48wc O

Rnd 9: *2wc in next st, 7wc; rep from * to end. 54wc O

Rnd 10: 4wc, *2wc in next st, 8wc; rep from * to 5 sts from end, 2wc in next st, 4wc. 60wc O

Rnd 11: *2wc in next st, 9wc; rep from * to end. 66wc O

Rnd 12: 5wc, *2wc in next st, 10wc; rep from * to 6 sts from end, 2wc in next st, 5wc. 72wc O

Rnd 13: *2wc in next st, 11wc; rep from * to end. 78wc O

Rnd 14: 6wc, *2wc in next st, 12wc; rep from * to 7 sts from end, 2wc in next st, 6wc. 84wc O

Rnd 15: *2wc in next st, 13wc; rep from * to end. 90wc O

Sizes 2 & 3 only

Rnd 16: 7wc, *2wc in next st, 14wc; rep from * to 8 sts from end, 2wc in next st, 7wc. 96wc O

Size 3 only

Rnd 17: *2wc in next st, 15wc; rep from * to end. 102wc O

Rnd 18: 8wc, *2wc in next st, 16wc; rep from * to 9 sts from end, 2wc in next st, 8wc. 108wc O

Basket Charts

Six colourwork charts for Breton Baskets crochet pattern.

Small Basket Side

Rnds 1-3: wc to end. 90wc O O O

Rnd 4: 4wc, *wc2tog, 7wc; rep from * to 5 sts from end, wc2tog, 3wc. 80wc O

Rnd 5: wc to end. O

Rnds 6-19: work from preferred motif from Basket Charts. Anchor, wave and chain charts are worked using tapestry crochet technique (see note) to carry and trap down the unused yarn through the rounds. At end of chart, cut CC leaving a 10cm/ 4” tail and continue with MC only. O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

Rnd 20: 3wc, *wc2tog, 6wc; rep from * to 5 sts from end, wc2tog, 3wc. 70wc O

Rnd 21: wc to end. O

Rnd 22: *wc2tog, 5wc; rep from * to end. 60wc O

Rnd 23: wc to end. O

Rnd 24: 2wc, *wc2tog, 4wc; rep from * to 4 sts from end, wc2tog, 2wc. 50wc O

Rnd 25: wc to end. O

Rnd 26: *wc2tog, 3wc; rep from * to end. 40wc O

Rnd 27: wc to end. Change to CC on final yrh of final st of rnd, cut MC leaving a 10cm/ 4” tail. O

Rnd 28: Remove pm, ss to end, 1ss in first st of rnd, cut yarn and fasten off. PM what was first st of Rnd 27 as a guide for attaching the hanging ring. O

Four Breton crocheted Baskets. One small, two medium and one large on a pebbled beach.

Medium Basket Side

Rnds 1-3: wc to end. 96wc O O O

Rnd 4: 7wc, *wc2tog, 14wc; rep from * to 9 sts from end, wc2tog, 7wc. 90wc O

Rnd 5: wc to end. O

Rnds 6-19: work from preferred motif from Basket Charts. Anchor, wave and chain charts are worked using tapestry crochet technique (see note) to carry and trap down the unused yarn through the rounds. At end of chart, cut CC leaving a 10cm/ 4” tail and continue with MC only. O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

Rnd 20: *wc2tog, 7wc; rep from * to end. 80wc O

Rnds 21-22: wc to end. O O

Rnd 23: 3wc, *wc2tog, 6wc; rep from * to 5 sts from end, wc2tog, 3wc. 70wc O

Rnds 24-25: wc to end. O O

Rnd 26: *wc2tog, 5wc; rep from * to end. 60wc O

Rnds 27-28: wc to end. O O

Rnd 29: 2wc, *wc2tog, 4wc; rep from * to 4 sts from end, wc2tog, 2wc. 50wc O

Rnds 30-31: wc to end. Change to CC on final yrh of final st of Rnd 31, cut MC leaving a 10cm/ 4” tail.

O O

Rnd 32: Remove pm, ss to end, 1ss in first st of rnd, cut yarn and fasten off. PM what was first st of Rnd 31 as a guide for attaching the hanging ring. O

Large Basket Side

Rnds 1-3: wc to end. 108wc O O O

Rnd 4: 6wc, [wc2tog, 12wc] 2 times, [wc2tog, 11wc] 4 times, wc2tog, 12wc, wc2tog, 6wc. 100wc O

Rnd 5: wc to end. O

Rnds 6-19: work from preferred motif from Basket Charts. Anchor, wave and chain charts are worked using tapestry crochet technique (see note) to carry and trap down the unused yarn through the rounds. At end of chart, cut CC leaving a 10cm/ 4” tail and continue with MC only. O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

Rnd 20: 4wc, *wc2tog, 8wc; rep from * to 6 sts from end, wc2tog, 4wc. 90wc O

Rnds 21-23: wc to end. O O O

Rnd 24: *wc2tog, 7wc; rep from * to end. 80wc O

Rnds 25-27: wc to end. O O O

Rnd 28: 3wc, *wc2tog, 6wc; rep from * to 5 sts from end, wc2tog, 3wc. 70wc O

Rnds 29-31: wc to end. O O O

Rnd 32: *wc2tog, 5wc; rep from * to end. 60wc O

Rnds 33-35: wc to end. Change to CC on final yrh of final st of Rnd 35, cut MC leaving a 10cm/ 4” tail. O O O

Rnd 36: Remove pm, ss to end, 1ss in first st of rnd, cut yarn and fasten off. PM what was first st of Rnd 35 as a guide for attaching the hanging ring. O

Four Breton crocheted Baskets. One small, two medium and one large hanging up in a green house porch.

Hanging Rings

Step 1 – With CC slip knot on hook, make 15 (19, 23) dc into the small (medium, large) sized hanging ring, turn. See Supporting Images 3-5 above.

Step 2 – 1dc, *sk 1 st, 1dc; rep from * to end, turn (see Supporting Image 6 above). 8 (10, 12) dc

Step 3 – With RS of basket facing and hanging ring on outside of basket (see Supporting Image 7 below), line up the first stitch of the hanging ring with the stitch 4 (5, 6) sts to the right of the pm on the basket. Place hook through FLO of first hanging ring st and BLO of corresponding basket st, ss together. Continue to ss in rem 7 (9, 11) sts to join the two pieces together (see Supporting Image 7 below). Cut yarn and fasten off. Neatly weave in all ends.

Spritz the finished basket with water and stuff with tissue paper or tea towels to create an even, dumpy shaped basket. Hang up and use!

Supporting image for making Breton Baskets crochet pattern.

More Patterns Crocheted With Waistcoat Stitch

Hands wearing crocheted mittens. One green pair and one pink and purple. All with crocheted colourwork wave patterns.
Brixham Mittens Crochet Pattern
Waistcoat Stitch Crocheted Cowl with flower and wave motifs. Made in soft green, dark brown and raspberry pink wool.
Free Crochet Pattern – Winter Blooms Cowl

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