Barbara’s Bag Pattern

BARBARA’S BAG

Bernat Mosaic – one 100 gram ball (3.5oz), 209yds/191m

or other medium (4) or worsted weight yarn

The bag will take the whole skein. If you make it bigger, you’ll need a second skein.

A couple of yards of a contrast yarn in the same weight (waste yarn) for provisional cast on.

US #8 / 5mm circular needle, 16 inches long

Having a spare thinner needle handy makes it easier to knit up the provisionally cast on stitches.

5mm (USH8) crochet hook for provisional cast on

2 stitch holders or length of contrast yarn.

1 large button (mine is 3cm across, or 1 1/8 inches)

4 stitch markers, three of one colour and one of a different colour (I used one yellow and three red.) I love the little rings that come with electric toothbrush heads – they are just the right size, smooth and come in lots of colours, but little loops of contrasting yarn will work.)

Gauge: in garter stitch (all knit) 4 sts to 1 inch. You can knit the base of the bag as your swatch and if 24 sts and 16 garter ridges make a rectangle measuring 6 by 3 ¾ inches, then you’re set.

Final measurements: base 6 x 3 ¾ inches, depth 7 ½ inches, strap about 24 inches. When empty and flattened, 9 ½ inches wide and deep

Abbreviations:

K            knit

P             purl

St(s)       stitch(es)

Kfb          increase by knitting into the front and back of the stitch

P2tog     decrease by purling two together

Rnd         round

RS           right side (public side)

WS         wrong side (inside)

Instructions:

Use the provisional cast on of your choice to cast on 24 stitches with waste yarn. I did this by crocheting a chain a little longer than 24 chains long, then picking up stitches by inserting my needle through the loops on the underside of the chain and pulling the yarn through until I had 24 stitches on the needle.

Knit back and forth (garter st) for 3 ¾ inches (16 ridges or 32 rows).

Knit one more row. Do not turn work. Place a marker on your right needle for the first corner (1^st of 3 colour markers). Pick up a stitch by knitting into the bump at the end of each ridge down the left side of your rectangle (16 times). Place 2^nd marker, the same colour as the first. Carefully “unzip” your provisional cast on, placing your 24 live stitches onto the opposite needle tip or spare thinner needle. Knit across them and place the 3^rd marker of the same colour.  Pick up 16 sts along the fourth edge of the rectangle and place the last marker, a different colour from the rest to signify the end of the round.

You now have a total of 80 sts.

Knit one round.

Next rnd: K1, Kfb, K to 2 sts before first marker, Kfb, K1, slip marker, K to next marker, slip marker, K1, Kfb, K to 2sts before next marker, Kfb, K1, slip marker, K to end of rnd. (84 sts)

Continue knitting in rounds until the bag measures 6 ½ inches from the start of the stockinette/stocking stitch section.

Next rnd: P1, P2tog, P to last 3 sts before marker, P2tog, P1, slip marker, P to next marker, slip marker, P1, P2tog, P to last 3 sts before next marker, P2tog, Pl, slip marker, P to end of rnd. (80 sts)

Knit one round.

Purl one round.

Knit one round.

Purl one round. You now have three garter ridges around the top of the bag.

While working the next section, you’ll remove the stitch markers as you come to them.

Bind off 24 sts between first two markers (this is the front edge of the bag). K the 16 sts of the side of the bag. Place those 16 sts on a stitch holder or spare piece of yarn.

Bind off 2 sts, K 20 sts and place those 20 sts on a stitch holder for the flap. Bind off two more sts, K remaining sts.

You now have 16 sts on your needle on which you will knit back and forth in garter stitch (all knit) until the strap measures 24 inches slightly stretched. It’ll stretch when in use. Finish with a right side row. Don’t bind off. Graft the sts on the needle to the 16 held on the stitch holder. I had to Google how to graft garter stitch – it’s easy to find. (Ditto provisional cast ons.)

Place the 20 sts on the stitch holder back on your needle. You’ll be starting with a wrong side row.

WS rows: K3, P14, K3

RS rows: Knit

Repeat last two rows until the flap measures 5 inches long, ending with a WS row.

Make buttonhole:

1^st row: K8, bind off 4 sts, K to end.

2^nd row: K3, P5, make 4 backwards loops on your right needle to cast on 4 new sts, P5, K3

Work next 4 rows in garter st and bind off.

Sew on button. When deciding placement, put something in the bag. I stuffed in a couple of balls of yarn to allow for it to close when full.

Weave in ends.