Sometimes when you are “doodling” with yarn and supplies, the resulting fabric just tells you what it wants to be. (And sometimes it fights with you which is a whole different blog post! )
I introduce to you the Leather and Denim Crossbody Bag. It has sort of an upcycled jeans quality about it which I love, and it’s the perfect size to stash a few necessities while you go about your day.
I knew I wanted a textured stitch to play against the heathered colors of the yarn, and the swatch just told me it wanted to be a bag. I pondered quite a bit about the strap – it’s something I would normally have crocheted but I know some knitters don’t love projects that require crochet, and to be honest I didn’t relish the idea of a yard of Icord. I know some knitters love to do it, and I love how it looks, but I am not a fan of actually making it.
Lo and behold I had a spool of Realeather Craft Lace in the perfect color just hanging out in my stash, so I did a quick finger chain (if I call it that can you pretend you don’t have to crochet if that would bother you?) and the whole thing just fell together.
If I wanted to put something heavy like my phone in there I think I would put in a fabric lining but for just a few essentials it’s fine without.
This post is part of the Holiday Stashbusting Knit Along sponsored by KAL Corner. Click on over to read more about that and enter for some cool prizes!
Finished Size:
6 ½” wide x 7 ½” tall excluding strap
Materials:
King Cole Forest Recycled Aran (CYCA 4, Medium; 35% wool/20% acrylic/20% polyamide/25% viscose; 100g; 328 yds) in #1915 Balvain Woods. I used well under half a skein
You can purchase King Cole Forest, as well as other King Cole yarns, at your local yarn store or via Lovecrafts
Knitting needles size US 6/4.0mm or size needed to obtain gauge
Approx 5 yds Realeather Suede Lace 1/8” in Cadet Blue
Gauge:
16 sts x 28 rows = 4”/10cm in pattern stitch
Abbreviations:
K – knit
P- purl
Sl – slip
St – stitch
Notes:
Sl first st of every row purlwise
Bag:
Cast on 29 sts.
Knit 6 rows for garter stitch border
Pattern stitch:
Row 1 (WS): Sl1, k2, *p3, k2. Rep from * across to last st k1.
Row 2 (RS): Sl1, p2, *k3, p2. Rep from * across to last st, p1.
Rows 3 – 4: Rep Rows 1 – 2.
Row 5: Sl1, p3, *k1, p4. Rep from * across.
Row 6: Sl1, k3, *p1, k4. Rep from * across.
Rows 7 – 8: Rep Rows 5 – 6.
Rep Rows 1 – 8 for pattern until work measures 19” ending with a Row 4 or 8.
Knit 5 more rows for garter stitch border. Bind off knitwise.
Finishing:
With WS together fold up one short edge of work approximately 7 ½”, matching patterns along the sides for neater seams.
Sew up each side seam using a whip stitch.
With the Craft Lace make a slip knot. Finger chain by drawing up a loop of Lace loosely from the spool through the loop you have and letting the original loop drop. Continue to finger chain until strap measures 45” or desired length. To finish the strap, cut the Lace a few inches past your last loop, pull the cut end through the last loop, and give it a tug to finish it off.
Sew one side of the strap to each side seam.
Weave in all ends.
Turn RS out.
