This little knitting project is perfect for anyone who has not done much knitting and likes quick gratification!
And never mind knit one purl one, this is just knitting in a circle – it couldn’t be simpler.
I found this pattern a couple of years ago and got so hooked that I literally turned out about a dozen handbags in the space of a couple of months.
The images shown are of a couple of early ones I made – my best ones were given to friends and family as gifts.
>> You can get the circular needles from any wool shop or John Lewis.
You can literally make this bag in an afternoon depending upon how quickly you knit and how big you want your bag to be. I have also included some examples of handles you can buy – most of which I bought online.
This really is the simplest little bag to make and the beauty of it is that with the wonderful yarns and handles you can buy, you can produce so many different versions. It is also good if you have lots of small quantities of wool left over from other things you might have knitted.
For the summer, you could knit it in cotton – literally anything goes!
THE PATTERN:
SIZE: Approx 13.5″ x 10″ (before the handles are attached)
MATERIALS: I have used any wool I like – cotton, mohair, merino wool, chenille (see image), but the pattern recommends:
- Noro Gemstones (57% rayon, 17% acrylic, 21% nylon, 5% cashmere; 50g/65 yards)6 skeins
- # 8 Needles: 1 x 6mm 24″ circular needle
- 1 pair of handles
- Some lining fabric (or I used felt) 20″ x 14″
- Sewing needle and darning needle and thread
- (Decorative button, seed pod or bobble if desired)
GAUGE: 12 stitches and 18 rows should ideally measure 4″
INSTRUCTIONS: Cast on 80 stitches. Knit 1 row. Then bring the ends of the circular needle together in front of you (make sure that none of your stitches is twisted round the needle – the bottom of each stitch should be facing down) and join the ends to make a circle, and then just continue knitting in the round (no purl) until the length of the knitting drop is approximately 10″ or however deep you would like your bag to be, then simply cast off all the stitches.
You will then have what looks like a big wool tube (or a lovely knitted armband for Fatima Whitbread).
Turn the tube inside out, then thread a darning needle with the wool and using back stitch, sew the bottom of the bag closed (or you may prefer to use running stitch – up to you!)
Then turn back to the right side.
LINING: Cut a piece of felt to approximately 20″ x 14″ (think of making a felt bag to fit inside the knitted bag).
Fold it in half and hand or machine-sew the sides.
Push the lining down into the knitted bag. (At this point I normally fold the lining at the top over about 1/4″ for a nice finished edge)
Hand-sew the opening of the lining bag to the opening of the knitted bag.
HANDLES: Lastly, thread a darning needle with wool and attach the handles by sewing small loops around each handle and the first row of the bag’s edge.
That’s it! (I have occasionally added the odd little seed pod or toggle or button (see image) and experimented with adding a popper to make the bag safe at the top).
The handles you buy will very much determine the look and feel of the bag – just remember that if you buy handles with a long flat edge (see images) you need to allow some room at the sides to open the bag.
Do experiment with different wools and handles for a completely different look. These little bags look beautiful when wrapped in coloured tissue paper for a personal gift on Mother’s day, birthdays or Christmas.
>> For other great knitting ideas – try Stitch N’ Bitch by Debbie Stoller
