Project introduction
This is a pattern overview, not a complete tutorial. The Some Bunny Loves You Easter Basket by Tonya Bush of Nana’s Crafty Home is a free crochet project that works up quickly in bulky yarn, making it a great last minute Easter make for kids. A fluffy faux fur pom pom tail gives the basket its bunny charm, and it is just the right size for egg hunts or for filling with candies as a child’s Easter gift. The full row by row instructions live with the designer: see the Original designer’s pattern and instructions for every round and row.
The designer’s original sample was crocheted in Caron Chunky Cakes in the Sherbert Swirl colorway, a self striping super bulky weight 6 yarn that does the colorwork for you and keeps the project moving fast. The designer also mentions a lone cake of Caron Sprinkles Cake found in her stash, loved for its tweedy look, but notes that yarn is now discontinued and points back to Caron Chunky Cakes as the reliable choice. You can also work the basket in any yarn weight you have on hand, with lighter yarns producing a smaller basket.
A complete video tutorial accompanies the pattern, which helps if the textured stitches are new to you. For the video, the designer used Red Heart With Love, a medium worsted weight number 4 yarn, and that version measures about 6 inches by 6 inches, a handy size for little hands. You can find it on YouTube, and a separate stitch tutorial covers the front post and back post stitches, so you can watch the video you can find it on YouTube when you reach the textured rounds.
The basket gets its texture from alternating front post and back post double crochet stitches. The bunny face and bottom are crocheted directly onto the top of the basket, and a short strap lets kids carry it during egg hunts while helping the panels stay upright instead of flopping forward. The designer’s original finished the face with three small black buttons for the eyes and nose; she also suggests safety eyes and a safety nose, which are the safer pick for toddlers, or simple embroidery if neither is on hand.
If panels still feel floppy, plastic canvas cut to size and sewn to the back adds stability.
The pattern is free to read in its web version, while the designer also offers an ad free printable PDF for a small fee, so you can choose the format that suits you. If you enjoy seasonal makes, the same designer offers other free Easter projects, including a gingham bunny cuddler, a flower Easter basket, and a bunny egg cozy. Related reading on this site: Easy Easter Bunny Worry Worm Crochet Pattern: Overview: Pattern Overview and Reindeer Basket Crochet Pattern By Elisa’s Crochet: Pattern Overview.
Crochet Bunny Basket free crochet Construction Overview
This overview is written in US crochet terminology and describes how the pieces fit together; it is not a row by row tutorial, so follow the original designer link for exact rounds and stitch placement. The basket body is worked in rounds from the bottom up, while the bunny face, the bottom panel, and the strap are each worked in turned rows and then joined to the body. Knowing this structure helps you read the full pattern with confidence before you pick up your hook.
Before you begin, gather the full supplies list exactly as the original pattern specifies. Both yarn options are 100 percent acrylic super bulky weight 6, and the checklist below covers every tool, fastener, and finishing supply, including the hook, markers, eyes, nose, and pom pom.
- Caron Sprinkle Cakes, Weight 6 Super Chunky (100 percent acrylic), 9.8 oz / 297 yds, colorway Birthday Cake
- OR Caron Chunky Cakes, Weight 6 Super Chunky (100 percent acrylic), 9.8 oz / 297 yds, any colorway
- Size L (8 mm) crochet hook
- Stitch markers
- Two 12 mm safety eyes
- One safety nose
- Faux fur pom pom
- Tapestry needle
- Scissors
The finished basket measures approximately 8 inches tall and 8 inches round when worked in the suggested super bulky yarn. For gauge, the designer notes that the first 4 rounds should measure 6 inches across. If you switch to a lighter yarn, expect a smaller finished basket, so check the base diameter as you go.
The basket begins at the center of the base, starting either from a short chain or a magic circle, and grows outward with double crochet increases. A round worked through the back loop only then creates the clean turn from the base into the sides. The sides are built with repeating rounds that alternate front post and back post double crochet stitches, which produces the basket’s ribbed texture, and the body is finished with a round of single crochet along the top edge.
The bunny face and the bottom panel are crocheted directly onto the top edge of the basket, each starting at a marked point and shaped with single crochet rows and decreases that narrow the panel toward the top. A neat single crochet edging is worked around the face, across the basket rim, and around the bottom panel to tie everything together. The strap is a short double crochet band, and two small ears are made separately so they can be sewn onto the face later.
Assembly brings the character to life: the ears are sewn to the bunny face, the two 12 mm safety eyes and the safety nose are attached to the face, the strap is sewn to the wrong side of the face between the ears and spaced evenly across the bottom panel, and the faux fur pom pom is sewn to the bunny bottom as the tail. The designer’s original sample used three small black buttons for the features instead, and embroidery is another option.
Weave in all loose ends at the end, and use the original pattern link above for the exact row by row steps.
- ch(s) = chain(s)
- MC = magic circle
- dc = double crochet
- sl st = slip stitch
- BLO = back loop only
- FPdc = front post double crochet
- BPdc = back post double crochet
- sc2tog = single crochet 2 stitches together
- RS = right side
- WS = wrong side
- sc = single crochet
- st(s) = stitch(es)
