Inspired by handwoven basket design, our Basket Bag knitting pattern combines enduring practicality with minimalist beauty. Knit it in Blackbird Linen to celebrate the earthy resilience of linen yarn and to create a bag that’s grounded in strength and graceful in hand.

Basket Bag | Purl Soho

You’ll knit your Basket Bag in the round, holding Blackbird Linen double to create a dense, durable fabric. You start with the base and shape it with increases at each corner. Slip-stitch columns extend from those corners in clean vertical lines, while a single round of purls creates a ridge separating the base from the body… All details that contribute to the illusion of a structured basket.

Basket Bag | Purl Soho

Along the top edge, you’ll use just one strand of Blackbird Linen to work a tidy attached I-cord, working un-attached I-cords for the handles as you go. The handles are comfortable to hold in your hand or on your arm, with thicker handles for the large bag and slimmer ones for the small.

Basket Bag | Purl Soho

A DK-weight yarn made from 100% French linen, Blackbird Linen embodies both hardworking strength and understated beauty. It knits up into a fabric that’s sturdy and lustrous, with a fluid drape that only improves with use. It’s the perfect match for a bag that’s handcrafted to last a lifetime… Elegant and effortlessly strong.

Basket Bag | Purl Soho

The Basket Bag looks especially striking in dark, moody hues like the Ink Blue and Galapagos Teal we chose. And there are 15 more colors of Blackbird Linen to explore, from basket-y neutrals to rich, expressive tones inspired by the treasures of the natural world. Choose your favorite and pick up 2 skeins for the small bag or 4 for the large!

Basket Bag | Purl Soho

Cast on for your own Basket Bag, a quiet beauty that’s made to hold whatever your day brings!

Yarn lovers, if you adore the yarn used in this project, you’ll love exploring all of our other yarn collections! Discover over 45 thoughtfully designed yarns in nearly every natural fiber and in every spectacular color you can imagine. Only available here at Purl Soho’s online yarn store, where every skein is created with care and your creativity in mind!

Basket Bag | Purl Soho

Pattern designed and written by Purl Soho designer, Hiromi Glover. See even more of Hiromi’s work on her Instagram!

Share your progress and connect with the community by tagging your pics with #PurlSoho. We can’t wait to see what you make!

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Materials

Basket Bag | Purl Soho
  • 2 (4) skeins of Purl Soho’s Blackbird Linen, 100% French linen yarn. Each skein of this light worsted/dk-weight yarn is 175 yards/ 100 grams; approximately 330 (570) total yards required. We used Ink Blue for one sample and Galapagos Teal for the other.
  • US 6 (4 mm), 16-inch circular knitting needles
  • US 6, 24- or 32-inch circular knitting needles, depending on size you are making
  • A set of US 5 (3.75mm) double pointed needles, for I-cord
  • Removable stitch markers, including one unique
  • A crochet hook and scrap yarn for Provisional Cast On

GAUGE

20 stitches and 26 rounds = 4 inches in stockinette stitch with yarn doubled, using larger needles

SIZES

Small (Large)

  • Finished Circumference: 24 (32¾) inches
  • Finished Height: 6 (8) inches, excluding bottom
  • Base of Bag: 10¼ inches long x 4½ inches wide (14¼ inches long x 6½ inches wide)
  • Handle Total Length: 10 (13) inches
  • Handle Drop: Approximately 5 (6.5) inches

SAMPLE: The Ink Blue bag is the Small size, and the Galapagos Teal bag is the Large size.

NOTES

CONSTRUCTION

You will make this bag by first knitting the Base in the round, increasing stitches every other round, then continue with the Body, knitting evenly in the round. You will work attached I-cords along parts of the top edge, making detached I-cords along the way for the Handles, and to finish, you will seam the bottom of the Base with a whipstitch.

YARN DOUBLED

You will knit all of this bag, except the Handles, with the yarn doubled, working with two strands held together. To do this, we recommend pulling one strand from two balls to avoid the yarn getting tangled.  

SLIP STITCHES

Slip all slipped stitches purlwise with yarn in back.  

PATTERN

BASE

With yarn held double (see Notes) and leaving a foot-long tail, cast 64 (84) stitches onto shorter circular needles using a basic Long Tail Cast On.

Place a unique stitch marker and join for working in the round, being careful not to twist the stitches.

Set-Up Round: K29 (39), place marker (pm), k3, pm, k29 (39), pm, knit to end of round. [4 total stitch markers]

Round 1: [K1, yarn over (yo), knit to next marker, yo, slip marker (sm)] 4 times. [8 stitches increased]

NOTE: Be careful not to let stitch markers slide underneath yarn overs and move out of place as you work Round 2.

Round 2: Knit to end of round, knitting yarn overs through the back loop (tbl) and slipping markers as you come to them.

Repeat Rounds 1 and 2 six (9) more times, changing to longer circular needles when necessary, and ending with Round 2. [120 (164) total stitches: 43 (59) stitches each for front and back, 17 (23) stitches for each side]

BODY

Set-Up Round: [Slip 1 (see Notes), purl to next marker, sm] 4 times.

Round 1: Knit to end of round, slipping markers as you come to them.

Round 2: [Slip 1, knit to next marker, sm] 4 times.

Repeat Rounds 1 and 2 until piece measures 6 (8) inches from Set-Up Round, ending with Round 2.

Bind off all stitches knitwise, removing markers. (If this edge curls up a little, don’t worry, it will block out perfectly flat.)

HANDLES

NOTE: For help with this technique, please visit our Attached I-Cord Tutorial. Just note that the instructions for this bag differ slightly from our tutorial. For the Large size, you’ll cast on 6 stitches, and for both sizes, you’ll insert your needle into just the front leg of each bound-off stitch (see photo below).

PLACE MARKERS

With right side facing you, find the slipped stitch columns at each end of one long side of the bag. Place a unique removable stitch marker in the bound-off stitch 11 (14) stitches to the right of the left-hand slipped stitch column; skip 20 (30) stitches to the right and place a removable stitch marker 11 (14) stitches to the left of the right-hand slipped stitch column. Repeat for opposite long side of bag, placing 2 more non-unique markers.

CAST ON FOR ATTACHED I-CORD

Using scrap yarn and a Provisional Cast On, cast 4(6) stitches onto a double pointed needle.

Basket Bag | Purl Soho

With a single strand of the main yarn, begin with the uniquely marked stitch and work a 4 (6)-stitch Attached I-Cord into the front leg of each bound-off stitch to next marked stitch, removing markers as you come to them. The photo above shows where in the bound-off stitch to insert your needle.

WORK FIRST HANDLE

NOTE: For more information on how to work these Handles, please visit our I-Cord Tutorial. Just note that our tutorial demonstrates a 3-stitch I-cord, but the Handle of the Small bag is a 4-stitch I-cord and the Large bag is a 6-stitch I-cord.

Work a 4 (6)-stitch I-cord until Handle measures 10 (13) inches.

CONTINUE ATTACHED I-CORD EDGE

Re-join at next marked bound-off stitch, and work Attached I-Cord into front leg of each bound-off stitch to next marked stitch, removing markers as you come to them.

WORK SECOND HANDLE

Work as for First Handle.

COMPLETE ATTACHED I-CORD EDGE

Carefully remove scrap yarn from the Handle’s Provisional Cast On, slipping stitches onto a double pointed needle as you go. With needles parallel and wrong sides together, use Kitchener Stitch to graft ends of Attached I-Cord.

FINISHING

SEAM BASE

Basket Bag | Purl Soho

Thread both strands of cast-on tail onto a tapestry needle, and with right sides of Base facing you, whipstitch cast-on edges together, working into the garter bumps just under the cast-on edge (on the wrong side of the fabric).

WEAVE IN + BLOCK

Weave in all ends and gently wet block.

Basket Bag | Purl Soho
Basket Bag | Purl Soho

LEARN ABOUT BLACKBIRD LINEN + ALL OUR BEAUTIFUL YARNS

Earthy Blackbird Linen is a super special 100% French linen yarn that brings an understated elegance and hard-working character to this project. A light worsted/DK-weight yarn, it is long-lasting and machine-washable with a wonderful way of softening with wash and wear. Choose from 17 rich, gem-like colors, and discover the unparalleled pleasure of knitting with linen!

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Looking for more inspiration? Explore all of our knitting patterns (including tons of free knitting patterns) and knitting tutorials, buy one of our many knitting kits and yarn bundles, and shop for beautiful yarn. We have over 35 gorgeous natural fiber yarns in 100’s of magnificent colors, designed to bring integrity, beauty, and joy to your next knitting project and only available at Purl Soho!