Zed-Ay Parcel String Basket

ETA: I fudged this from a yarn store example at Fishhook (Vishoek) Wools, which the proprietress had made from an Afrikaans knitting book which was never published in English. It's come to my attention that parcel string moss stich baskets also appear in Erika Knight's book, Simple Knits for Easy Living, which is now out in paperback.

Yarn: 100% Cotton Parcel String from the hardware store - I used a 3-ply that's pretty thick (3.3 wraps per cm or 8.5 wraps per inch) but you can use thinner and double it or just recalculate gauge. 100 g per ball.

Needles: US 10.5 straight needles

Yardage: 5 balls and counting - yardage is not labelled on my parcel string! About 20 yds per ball. This turned out to be some rather expensive parcel string. For reference, one ball is about a handfull.

Gauge:
1.95rows/cm = 5 rows per inch in moss stitch.
1.1 st/cm = 2.8 stitches per inch in moss stitch.

Moss stitch (p1, k1, p1, k1, ..., p1) every row (do not slip stitches on end of rows; work every stitch)

BASKET SIDES AND BASE
C/o 51 stitches using moderately unstretchy cast on, I used long-tailed cast on.
Work 19 rows in Moss Stitch
Make corner: Work 2 rows in stockinette. (Knit 1 row, Perl 1 row) The knit side will be the inside of your basket.
Work 45 rows in Moss Stitch
Repeat Make Corner
Work 19 rows in Moss Stitch
With inside of basket facing, b/o knitwise. Break yarn, leaving 6-in tail.

BASKET ENDS (do this twice)
With inside of basket facing, pick up and knit a stitch from the corner rows and pick up every garter bump, then last stitch from the corner rows (25 stitches). Perl bumps on the new stitches are on outside of basket, this forms the end corners.

R1: Bring yarn to front. With left needle, pick up first perl bump from adjacent basket side. Yarn is between first and second stitch on left hand needle. P2tog, work in moss stitch to last st. Holding yarn as if to knit, slip last stitch to right needle, bring yarn to front. With left needle, pick up first perl bump from other basket side, slip the stitch back from right to left needle (again working yarn is between stitches), p2tog.

The strange working yarn switching routine will make a nice cross on the corner of the basket, but it is not structurally necessary.

R2: Work back in moss stitch, tugging on working yarn after first stitch to tighten up that corner..
Repeat (R1, R2) 8 times. Repeat R1, picking up absolutely top corner of adjacent basket side. (picked up stitches +17 rows)
With inside of basket facing, carry 6-in tail with working yarn and b/o all stitches knitwise, loosely (saves a weaving).