This hanging organizer stacks three small round baskets on a single cream strap. The baskets are butter yellow with offset rows of fan shells. Each one has a cream rim of small scallops that sit right above the shells.
The look is light, tidy, and a little vintage. It’s ideal for spare toilet rolls in a bathroom, but it also works in a nursery, craft corner, or entryway.
The pattern uses US crochet terms. Each basket measures 5.75 in (14.6 cm) across and 4.5 in (11.4 cm) tall. The finished organizer hangs about 25 in (63.5 cm) from the top of the ring to the bottom of the lowest basket.
Construction is modular. You crochet three flat base discs, three shell-stitch wall tubes, and one long strap. Each wall is joined to its base with a round of single crochet. Then you add the cream rim and sew the baskets to the strap loop, which hangs from a wooden ring.
Finished Size and Construction
- Finished size (one basket): 5.75 in (14.6 cm) across x 4.5 in (11.4 cm) tall
- Hanging length: about 25 in (63.5 cm), ring included
- Skill level: Advanced beginner
- Terminology: US crochet terms
- Yarn weight: Worsted (Medium #4) cotton
- Hook: 5.0 mm (US H-8)
- Number of pieces: 7 crocheted pieces (3 bases, 3 walls, 1 strap) plus a wooden ring
- Layout: 3 baskets in one vertical column (1 across x 3 down)
- Piece size: base 5.75 in (14.6 cm) across; wall 18 in (45.7 cm) around
- Size before border: wall 3.5 in (8.9 cm) tall
- Border depth: cream rim adds 0.75 in (1.9 cm)
Materials
Choose a smooth worsted-weight cotton. Cotton holds its shape, shows the shells clearly, and handles bathroom humidity well. Acrylic works too, but the baskets will be softer.
- Butter yellow: 100 g, about 170 m (bases, walls, base joins)
- Cream: 50 g, about 85 m (rims and strap)
These quantities include a margin of roughly 40 percent.
Tools:
– 5.0 mm (US H-8) hook
– Wooden ring, 2.75 in (7.0 cm) outer diameter
– Tapestry needle
– 6 locking stitch markers
– Scissors and measuring tape
– Pins and a spray bottle
Abbreviations (US Terms)
- ch – chain
- sl st – slip stitch
- sc – single crochet
- dc – double crochet
- inc – 2 sc in the same stitch
- MR – magic ring
- sk – skip
- st(s) – stitch(es)
- rnd(s) – round(s)
Shell: 5 dc in the same stitch.
Half shell: ch 3 (counts as 1 dc), 2 dc in the same stitch (3 sts).
Gauge and Checkpoints
Gauge: 16 sc and 16 rows = 4 in (10.2 cm). One shell round is about 0.6 in (1.5 cm) tall.
Make one full basket before you start the others. It is your real gauge swatch.
Checkpoints:
– Base Rnd 6 (36 sts): about 3 in (7.6 cm) across
– Base Rnd 12 (72 sts): 5.75 in (14.6 cm) across, flat
– Wall Rnd 3: about 1.1 in (2.8 cm) tall
– Wall Rnd 7: 3.5 in (8.9 cm) tall, 18 in (45.7 cm) around
– Wall with rim: 4.25 in (10.8 cm); with the base join, 4.5 in (11.4 cm)
Too big? Go down to a 4.5 mm hook. Too small? Go up to a 5.5 mm hook. If the base ruffles, go down a hook size. If it cups, go up one. Don’t change the stitch counts, because the base and the wall must both have exactly 72 sts to join.
Base Disc (Yellow)
Work in continuous spiral rounds. Mark the first stitch of each round.
Rnd 1: 6 sc in MR. (6)
Rnd 2: Inc in each st around. (12)
Rnd 3: Sc 1, inc 6 times. (18)
Rnd 4: Sc 2, inc 6 times. (24)
Rnd 5: Sc 3, inc 6 times. (30)
Rnd 6: Sc 4, inc 6 times. (36)
Checkpoint: about 3 in (7.6 cm) across.
Rnd 7: Sc 5, inc 6 times. (42)
Rnd 8: Sc 6, inc 6 times. (48)
Rnd 9: Sc 7, inc 6 times. (54)
Rnd 10: Sc 8, inc 6 times. (60)
Rnd 11: Sc 9, inc 6 times. (66)
Rnd 12: Sc 10, inc 6 times. (72)
Sl st in the next st to smooth the step. Fasten off. Checkpoint: 5.75 in (14.6 cm) across.
Basket Wall (Yellow)
Work the wall in joined rounds without turning. Shell rounds A and B alternate, so each new shell sits above a single crochet from the round below. That offset creates the staggered fan texture.
Rnd 1: Ch 72 and sl st to the first ch to form a ring. Make sure the chain isn’t twisted. Ch 1, sc in each ch around, sl st to the first sc. (72)
Rnd 2: Ch 1, sc in each st around, sl st to the first sc. (72)
These two rounds form a firm 0.5 in (1.3 cm) band.
Rnd 3 (Shell Rnd A): Ch 1, sc in the first st, sk 2, shell in the next st, sk 2, sc in the next st. Repeat from * 10 more times. Sk 2, shell in the next st, sk 2, sl st to the first sc. (12 sc + 60 dc = 72 sts)
Rnd 4 (Shell Rnd B): Half shell in the joining sc. Sc in the center (3rd) dc of the next shell, shell in the next sc. Repeat from * 10 more times. Sc in the center dc of the last shell, 2 dc in the first sc, sl st to the top of the ch-3. (3 + 12 sc + 55 dc + 2 = 72 sts)
Rnd 5 (Shell Rnd A): Ch 1, sc in the top of the ch-3, sk 2, shell in the next sc, sk 2, sc in the center dc of the next shell. Repeat from * 10 more times. Sk 2, shell in the last sc, sk 2, sl st to the first sc. (72)
Rnd 6: Repeat Rnd 4. (72)
Rnd 7: Repeat Rnd 5. (72)
Fasten off. Checkpoint: 3.5 in (8.9 cm) tall, 18 in (45.7 cm) around.
Strap (Cream)
The strap is worked lengthwise in rows and then closed into a loop.
Row 1: Ch 209, sc in the 2nd ch from the hook and in each ch across. (208)
Rows 2–3: Ch 1, turn, sc in each st across. (208)
Lay the strap flat without twisting it. Bring the short ends together and sl st them together through both layers (3 sts). Fasten off.
Checkpoint: 0.75 in (1.9 cm) wide, 52 in (132.1 cm) around, so each leg is 26 in (66.0 cm).
Make All Pieces
- Yellow: 3 base discs, 3 walls
- Cream: 1 strap, plus 3 rims (worked onto the walls)
Layout (1 x 3):
[ring]
/ \
| [Basket 3] | top
| |
| [Basket 2] | middle
| |
| [Basket 1] | bottom
\__________/ strap seam under Basket 1
Joining
Base to wall: Hold a base under the wall’s Rnd 1 edge, wrong sides together. Join yellow through both layers. Ch 1, then work 1 sc through each base st and its matching wall st: 72 sc, a strict 1:1 match. Sl st to the first sc and fasten off. Because both pieces have 72 sts, you don’t need to ease or skip any stitches.
Keep this round firm but not tight. If it pulls, the bottom edge puckers. If it’s loose, the basket flares. Checkpoint: the basket stands upright at 5.75 in (14.6 cm) across.
Strap to baskets: Work the border (next section) on all three baskets first. Then lay the strap loop flat with the seam at the bottom center. Place markers on each leg, measuring from the seam:
- 2.9 in (7.4 cm): Basket 1 base edge
- 7.4 in (18.8 cm): Basket 1 rim
- 8.9 in (22.6 cm): Basket 2 base edge
- 13.4 in (34.0 cm): Basket 2 rim
- 14.9 in (37.8 cm): Basket 3 base edge
- 19.4 in (49.3 cm): Basket 3 rim
That leaves 6.6 in (16.8 cm) per leg above the top basket, with 1.5 in (3.8 cm) gaps between tiers.
On each basket, mark wall sts 19 and 55 in Rnd 2. They sit directly opposite each other, keeping the wall seam at the back. Center the strap over each marked column. Whipstitch both long edges of the strap to the wall, from the base join up to the cream sc round, and leave the scallops free. Tack the bottom crossing to the center of Basket 1’s base with a few stitches.
Pass the top of the loop through the ring. Whipstitch the two legs together for 1 in (2.5 cm) just below the ring.
Border
The border is the cream scalloped rim, worked on each wall’s Rnd 7.
Border gauge: each scallop is 6 sts, or 1.5 in (3.8 cm). That makes 12 scallops = 18 in (45.7 cm) around. Each quarter of the rim (front, back, left, right) is 18 sts, which is 3 scallops.
Rnd 8 (conversion round): Join cream in the first sc of Rnd 7. Ch 1, sc in each st around, sl st to the first sc. That’s 72 sts worked 1 per existing stitch, plus 0 added, for 72 sc (18 per quarter).
Rnd 9 (scallops): Ch 1, sc in the first st, sk 2, shell in the next st, sk 2, sc in the next st. Repeat from * 10 more times. Sk 2, shell in the next st, sk 2, sl st to the first sc. (12 sc + 60 dc = 72 sts, 3 scallops per quarter) Fasten off.
Why the math works: 72 divides evenly by the 6-stitch repeat. Rnd 7 is an A round, so its shells sit on sts 4, 10, 16, and so on. Rnd 9 places its shells on those same sts, so every scallop lands right above a yellow shell. The rim adds 0.75 in (1.9 cm), which brings the wall to 4.25 in (10.8 cm).
Final Blocking
- Weave in all ends along the stitches of matching color.
- Lightly mist each basket until it’s damp but not wet.
- Stuff each basket snugly with a toilet roll or a folded towel.
- Pin the scallops so they point evenly upward and outward.
- Check that each basket is 5.75 in (14.6 cm) across and 4.5 in (11.4 cm) tall.
- Lay the strap flat, smooth it to 0.75 in (1.9 cm) wide, and let everything dry fully.
Final Quality-Control Checklist
- Each base has 72 sts and lies flat.
- Each wall has 12 shells per round in all five shell rounds.
- The base join has 72 sc with no puckering.
- Each rim has 12 scallops, each centered over a shell.
- The strap is untwisted, with the seam under the bottom basket.
- The tier gaps all measure 1.5 in (3.8 cm).
- Hanging length is about 25 in (63.5 cm).
Troubleshooting
- Shells lean or drift: You missed the center dc. Count 2 dc on each side of every sc you place.
- Wall count is off: Recount the shell round. You should have 12 sc + 60 dc.
- Base ruffles: Your tension is loose. Go down a hook size.
- Basket leans when hung: The strap columns aren’t opposite each other. Reposition them at sts 19 and 55.
- Gaps are uneven: Re-measure the markers from the seam before sewing.
Care
Hand wash in cool water, press out the water in a towel, and dry flat over a toilet roll so the baskets keep their shape. Don’t tumble dry.
Final Notes
The measurement chain is short and reliable. A 72-stitch base measures 5.75 in (14.6 cm), and it matches a 72-stitch wall that is 18 in (45.7 cm) around. Five shell rounds bring the wall to 3.5 in (8.9 cm), and the cream rim adds 0.75 in (1.9 cm). A 52 in (132.1 cm) strap loop then carries three 4.5 in (11.4 cm) baskets with 1.5 in (3.8 cm) gaps, for about 25 in (63.5 cm) of hanging storage.
Happy crocheting!