The Andrea Bag Pattern

This is a pattern I put together late fall of 2005. Enjoy!

My sister Andrea saw a similar bag I'd knit and loved it, and she begged me to make her one just like it. Except the original was knit from crappy cheap acrylic and was too stretchy unlined to use, and I hate lining things, so I decided that close would have to do and came up with this felted version. The result is so much better than I thought it would be that I may just have to make another for myself! It is knit from the top down with a mitered bottom.

Materials
MC = 1 Skein Manos del Uruguay, 100% Wool, 138 yards/100g, Black (Colour #8)
CC = 1 Skein Manos del Uruguay, 100% Wool, 138 yards/100g, Bramble (Colour #114)

Editing to add some suggestions for alternative yarns that might work. Please note that I haven't tried these personally but I have seen successful versions from other knitters in some of these:

Malabrigo Worsted
Istex Alafoss Lopi (I did use this one and it worked beautifully)
Lion Brand Wool
Cascade 220
Paton's Classic Merino
Ella Rae Classic
Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride
Bernat Natural Felting Wool
Paton's Soy Wool Stripes
Araucania Nature Wool
Berroco Ultra Alpaca




Tools
9mm/US13 Circular Needles, 24" length or shorter, and DPNs or the ability to magic loop for bottom mitering (or size needed to achieve gauge)
Stitch Markers
Tapestry Needle
Sewing Needle and Black Thread.

Gauge
10.5 Stitches & 14 Rows per 4" square

Directions
Cast on 98 Stitches MC

Join to knit in the round and knit 6 rounds MC. Be sure not to twist when joining. Place a stitch marker to indicate where the beginning of the round is.

Attach CC, and repeat chart A (a note on charts -- they are knit from right to left, beginning at the bottom row) around the body of the bag. Repeat full Chart A once more, then knit rows 1 - 14 from chart.

Using only MC, knit 3 rounds even.

Begin decreases for mitered bottom:
Knit 21 stitches, place marker, knit 28 stitches, place marker, knit 21 stitches, place marker, knit 28 stitches.

*K2tog, knit to 2 st before next marker, ssk, slip marker* repeat until only 1 st remains between the markers on the short sides.

Graft the remaining stitches using Kitchener stitch or use a 3-needle bind-off to finish the bottom.


Handles
Cast on 6 stitches black and knit flat in garter stitch about 2.5", switch to CC for about 8", and back to MC for another 2.5". Make 2. They are felted separately and sewn on afterwards.

(I had hardly any yarn left by this so I divided the remaining yarn evenly so I had 2 equal lengths of multi-coloured yarn and 4 lengths of black and just knit until I ran out of each)


Before felting --> After felting.
Felting
Place the body and the two handles in a zippered pillowcase or pillowcase that was safety-pinned shut (to prevent having your washer fill with fluff), then throw it in the washer with a couple of towels and some detergent and wash it on hot/cold on the longest cycle time possible.

I blocked mine on some pink Styrofoam (the fine-grained kind used for insulation) cut into blocks of the right size. You could probably also use something like a shoe-box or a book (well wrapped in plastic-bags). Attach the handles to either side using sewing needle and black thread once the body is dry.

Chart A

Special thanks to everyone from the knitting community on Livejournal who helped me to work out the kinks in the pattern and test knit some lovely bags, and of course to my sister Andrea for inspiring it in the first place.

This pattern is free, and can be shared or adapted with attribution to: Not An Artist, 2005
If anyone knits one, I'd love to see a picture and add it to the gallery, please leave a comment!