Trapillo Basket Pattern with Square Base

RAG BASKET PATTERN

Rag baskets are practical, quick, and very decorative projects. This pattern will teach you how to weave a square-bottomed basket, ideal for organizing your bathroom, storing your sewing, toys, or sofa throws. A staple that never goes out of style!

Materials for this pattern

• 2 balls of trapillo (grey and white in the example)
• Crochet hook no. 10–12 mm
• Wool needle for finishing

Final measures

• Base: approx. 20 × 20 cm
• Height: 15 cm

Step-by-step pattern

The Base

Round 1.- In gray yarn, we knit 3 chain stitches (A) and close them with a slip stitch, to form a circle (B).
We chain a height and make 8 single crochet stitches, inserting the needle into the center of the hole (C) we made (not into the chain stitches). Remember to place the marker on your first stitch. After working the 8 stitches, we join with a slip stitch to the first stitch, closing the circle (D).

Row 2.- We chain and increase 8 times, or 16 stitches. Each increase consists of knitting two stitches into the gap of the same stitch from the previous row. We close the row with a slip stitch in the first stitch.

Round 3 – We make a chain stitch and knit this sequence throughout the round:
1 single crochet, 1 increase. We should have a total of 24 stitches at the end of the row. We close with a slip stitch in the first stitch.

Round 4.- We make a chain stitch. On this round, we'll begin the square shape. This involves making 3 stitches together in each corner (in the same space as the stitch from the previous round). We knit:
Corner (3 in 1), 5 sc, Corner (3 in 1), 5 sc, Corner (3 in 1), 5 sc, Corner (3 in 1), 5 sc, close the round with a slip stitch. (Total 32 stitches).

Round 5.- We make 1 chain stitch and knit:
[Corner (3in1), 7 single crochet] and we repeat the sequence three more times.
We close with a slip stitch. A total of 40 stitches.

Round 6. – We make 1 chain stitch and knit:
[Corner (3in1), 9 single crochet] and we repeat the sequence three more times.
We close with a slip stitch.
Total 48 points.

Turn

We've finished our base, so we're not going to increase any further. All our next rows will have 48 stitches. Let's turn the stitch so the work begins to rise upward.

Row 7.- Chain a rising stitch and work 48 single crochet stitches, inserting the needle only into the back loop of the stitch from the previous row. Close with a slip stitch, changing to white (close the slip stitch by picking up the new color loop).

Laterals
Round 8.- In white, chain 1 and crochet 48 single crochet stitches. Close the round with a slip stitch.

Rounds 9, 10, 11 and 12.- We repeat the steps of round 8.

Row 13 – We chain 1 in height and now we're going to work in tapestry: we're going to carry the yarn of both colors at the same time. When we work in one color, we hide the yarn of the other color in the back of the stitch. We work 1 white stitch, 1 gray stitch, and so on around the row. To change color, we cast off the stitch with the next color. We close the row with a slip stitch.

Round 14 – Chain 1 and work 48 single crochets in tapestry, alternating as in the previous round, but starting with the gray: 1 gray stitch, 1 white stitch… Close the round with a slip stitch. I can cut the white yarn now.

Round 15.- In grey, chain 1 and crochet 48 single crochet stitches. Close with a slip stitch.

Round 16.- In grey, we knit 48 slip stitches.

We finish the threads by sewing them between the stitches so that they are not visible.

💡 Tips

• You can vary the size of the base by increasing the number of turns with corners in the same pattern.
• Make the basket taller by repeating more plain rows on the sides.
• The tapestry technique allows you to play with colorful drawings and stripes.