Simple Knits: Bags: 12 Fun-to-Make Bags for All Occasions

By Claire Crompton

Stitch up fashionable and fabulous bags with patterns from the established designer and bestselling author of The Knitter’s Bible.
 
Featuring strong designs across a range of styles for the new-to-knitting market, all the projects included are either Beginner, Easy or Intermediate skill level, and the majority are Easy. As well as patterns and project instructions, you will also find an explanation of the abbreviations used, a knitting needle conversion chart, a skill level key, a standard yarn weight chart, knitting techniques and making-up techniques.
 
Projects include:
· Fake Fur Handbag
· Drawstring Bag
· Patchwork Shoulder Bag
· Chunky Button Backpack
· The Convertible Bag
· Cow-Print Shopping Tote
· Summer Flower Bag
· Frilly Handbag
· Simple Shoulder Bag
· Posy Purse
· Bead Trim Evening Bag
· Rose Corsage Pinstripe

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: Dec 3, 2012
• ISBN: 9781446359907

Claire Crompton

Claire Crompton has worked as a pattern cutter, sample garment maker, and a hand-knitting designer and pattern writer. She has also worked as a cross stitch designer for a large needlecraft company, developing skills in charting and writing embroidery instructions for kits and booklets. Claire is now a workshop tutor and author of several books on cross stitch and knitting, including the bestsellingKnitter's Bible series.

Book preview

Fake Fur Handbag

A stylish little bag that is so easy to knit made from lush eyelash yarn.

Skill Level- Beginner

You Will Need

Yarn

•  2 x 1³⁄4oz (50g) balls of bulky-weight (chunky) eyelash yarn (44yd/40m per ball) in brown/black

•  Oddment of black light-weight (DK) yarn for sewing up and attaching handles

Knitting Needles

•  One pair size 10¹⁄2 (7mm)

Other Materials

•  Pair of black plastic handles 6in (15cm) wide at base

•  Lining fabric 20in x 12in (51cm x 30.5cm)

Finished Measurements

8in x 9in (20.5cm x 23cm)

Gauge

12¹⁄2 sts and 17 rows to 4in (10cm) measured over st st using size 10¹⁄2 (7mm) needles

Knit Notes

Fake-fur yarns are a great way to use minimum effort for maximum impact. The bag itself is very simple in its construction: just knit two pieces of fabric and sew them together.

Knit Your Bag

FRONT AND BACK (MAKE 2 THE SAME)

Cast on 24 sts.

Work in st st (1 row k, 1 row p), starting with a k row, until front measures 8¹⁄2in (21.5cm) from beg, ending with a k row.

Knit 3 rows.

Bind off purlwise.

Finish Your Bag

Make a simple lining for an unshaped bag (see Bag-Making Techniques).

Using light-weight (DK) yarn, join the side and base seams.

Sew the handles in position, making sure they are central, by working several stitches through holes in the handle and then through the top edge of the bag.

With WS together, slip the lining into the bag and slipstitch into place below the bound-off edge.

Drawstring Bag

A pretty but robust little carrier for your essentials that is so simple to make.

Skill Level- Easy

You Will Need

Yarn

•  1 x 1³⁄4oz (50g) ball of bulky-weight (chunky) textured wool-mix yarn (120yd/110m per ball) in shades of green (A)

•  1 x ⁷⁄8oz (25g) ball of light-weight (DK) mohair (104yd/95m per ball) in purple (B)

•  Oddment of DK yarn for sewing up and twisted cord

Knitting Needles

•  One pair size 8 (5mm)

•  One pair size 3 (3.25mm)

Finished Measurements

6in x 8in (15cm x 20.5cm) (excluding tassel)

Gauge

16 sts and 26 rows to 4in (10cm) measured over st st (1 row k, 1 row p) using size 8 (5mm) needles and A

Knit Notes

This bag is worked in simple stockinette stitch. A cord is threaded through a row of eyelets, made with a yo and k2tog. The base is shaped to a point using ssk.

Knit Your Bag

Using size 8 (5mm) needles and A, cast on 58 sts and knit 4 rows.

P 1 row.

Eyelet Row RS K4, (yo, k2tog, k5) 7 times, yo, k2tog, k3.

Cont in st st, starting with a p row until bag measures 6in (15cm) from beg, ending with a p row.

SHAPE BASE

Using A throughout, cont as follows:

Row 1 K1, (ssk,