Thank you, everyone, for your positive comments about my jute basket pattern! I’ve received a few questions and comments I thought might benefit everyone who is interested in this pattern, so…

2-ply versus 3-ply jute

Vera has made not one but two of these already. I admire her ability to jump right on a project and get it done! She used 3-ply instead of 2-ply. Either ply is fine. I specified 2-ply simply so the basket would work out to the finished measurements I listed in the pattern and so the jute could be worked easily with the hook size indicated. Myself, I think I might need a bigger hook to work with the 3-ply.

Jute rough on the hands?

Stacie wanted to know if the jute was rough on my hands. I would say a little bit, but I do have a very relaxed hold on my yarn. For those that hold their yarn very tightly, jute could definitely be hard on your hands.

Not joining rounds?

Leisel wanted clarification about not joining on rounds 7 through 10. This method of crocheting in the round is often called spiral crochet, because you go around and around without joining. You can spiral on flat round pieces or cylindrical pieces. It gives a neater appearance becasuse there is no seam that will show.

On the rounds where it is indicated to not join, simply sc into the 1st sc of the last round the same as if you had done a join. Because there is no join, it is difficult to see where one row begins and the other ends; that is why I specified to use a stitch marker to keep your place.

Joining to even out the round of beads

On a related note, the reason for joining on Round 11 is because this is in preparation for Round 12 where the beads will be added. When you crochet in a spiral, the beginning and end of a round do not meet up evenly with each other. But you want Round 12, where the beads are added, to meet up evenly so that the beads meet evenly.