What's that stitch - basket stitch

Welcome to another week of what's that stitch?  This weeks stitch is basket stitch.  Wait are these not the same? Basket stitch creates a woven look where as basket weave creates a checkerboard like pattern.  Here is a quick guide how to do basket stitch, how to make your own rectangle like the one above and get a few project ideas using basket stitch.  I've also included a freebie - our hand stitch cards. 

[Image description for image above: A wooden table with a basket stitch square on top of it at the top is a white rectangle with the words "what's that stitch?". Underneath is a sage green rectangle and two white stripes with the words "basket stitch" and at the bottom the words "cozy woodland cottage knits . blogspot. com". End of image description.]

[Start of image description: At the top is a wooden table with a knitted basket stitch square. In the middle is a sage green rectangle with a red boarder inside is the words "what's that stitch? by Cozy Woodland Cottage Knits". At the bottom is a close up of the basket stitch. End of image description.]

What is basket stitch?

Basket stitch creates an interesting woven texture which has a 6 stitch repeat and is knitted over 12 rows.  It also only uses knit and purl stitches which is perfect for you beginners. The texture looks like a woven piece of knitting, with the stocking stitch woven through the garter stitch, below is a close up of the texture. 

[Start of image description: A close up of a knitted basket weave stitch knitted with orange varigated yarn. End of image description.]

How do you do basket weave?

To do diagonal rib you only need to know how to:

• Knit
• Purl

Knitting abbreviations and meanings

K - Knit
P - Purl

Free printable knitting abbreviations sheet


To do basket stitch cast on multiples of 6.

Row 1: Knit
Row 2: Purl
Row 3: *K1, P4, K1*
Row 4: *P1, K4, P1*
Row 5: *K1, P4, K1*
Row 6: *P1, K4, P1*
Row 7: Knit
Row 8: Purl
Row 9: *P2, K2, P2*
Row 10: *K2, P2, K2*
Row 11: *P2, K2, P2*
Row 12: *K2, P2, K2*

Free printable handy stitch cards

I made you a free printable basket stitch handy stitch card for you, you could keep this in your knitting bag/basket, punch a hole and put them on a key ring or you could get a piece of string and tie it onto the card. You can choose a card with the sage green or white background, each card has the diagonal rib stitch pattern on the back of the card, Download your free printable basket stitch card here . Please note the link goes to the same card and you can choose which one to print out. 

[Start of image description: A  handy stitch card which is a a sage green rectangle with a photo of a basket stitch square at the top underneath is two white stripes and a white rectangle with the words "What's that stitch?". Below it is the words "basket stitch" and "cozy woodland cottage knits. blogspot .com. End of image description.]

[Start of image description: A  handy stitch card which is a a white rectangle with a photo of a basket stitch square at the top underneath is two brown stripes and a brown rectangle with the words "What's that stitch?". Below it is the words "basket stitch" and "cozy woodland cottage knits. blogspot .com. End of image description.]

What can you make using basket stitch?

Basket stitch looks great on quite a few projects but my favourite is on baskets/containers, blankets with a matching cushion, scarves or a cardigan.  

How to make your own rectangle

You will need:

• 5mm straight knitting needles
• Scissors
• Tape measure
• Yarn needle
• Row counter, pen or piece of paper to keep track of your rows
• If you are unsure of what these are please see knitting kit essentials
  If you don't use mm needles you can use knitting needle conversion chart
  

Gauge:

Knitted in diagonal rib
10cm x 10cm or 3.9inches x 3.9inches - please note these are both the same
29 rows x 13 stitches

Pattern:

Cast on 30 stitches?
Row 1: Knit
Row 2: Purl
Row 3: *K1, P4, K1*
Row 4: *P1, K4, P1*
Row 5: *K1, P4, K1*
Row 6: *P1, K4, P1*
Row 7: Knit
Row 8: Purl
Row 9: *P2, K2, P2*
Row 10: *K2, P2, K2*
Row 11: *P2, K2, P2*
Row 12:*K2, P2, K2*
Repeat all 12 rows another 3 times (4 times in total)
Row 49: Knit
Row 50: Purl
Row 51: *K1, P4, K1*
Row 52: *P1, K4, P1*
Row 53: *K1, P4, K1*
Row 54: *P1, K4, P1*
Cast off

Finished rectangle should measure 21.5 cm (width) x 16.5cm (length) or 8 1/2 inches (width) x 6 1/2 inches (length) - please note these are the same size.

Related posts

More stitches similar to this one

What's that stitch? Basket weave - A stitch with a checkerboard pattern. 

What's that stitch? Garter check stitch - A stitch with a rectangle checkerboard pattern.

What's that stitch? Tile stitch - A stitch with squares in between knit rows.

Resources 

What's that stitch? - Page of photos and links to all posts in the what's that stitch series.
Knitting abbreviations - Free printable knitting abbreviations cheat sheet in downloadable pdf file.

Free printable knitting sheets - Free printable handy knitting sheets all in downloadable pdf files.

Thank you for visiting Cozy Woodland Cottage Knits!

Have fun learning how to do basket stitch and making a project using this stitch. Don't forget to download your free printable basket stitch cards. Check our stitch library What's that stitch? for more stitch pattern posts like this one.