I know these jute twine vases are old news but I finally made one and I think it turned out pretty cute. I used an old bottle (of the olive oil variety - don't worry, I cleaned it really well) and just hot glued my twine all around the bottle.
Easy and cheap! I gave it as part of a gift so I might just have to make another one to keep... and yes, those are dowels in the vase. It had to hold something (for photographing purposes) and all I had were dowels.