This year in the month of May, we are having a family outing. For the children that will also be there, I am making little bags that they can wear around their neck. I'm planning to put a pencil and a little blocknote in them.
The pattern is quite easy and the little bags are very versatile. They can be used for a variety of things, such as a cell phone, i-pod, photo camera, keys, marbles or a deck of cards.
I used 3 mm double pointed needles, because that geve me a nice fabric with my cotton yarn. I used the long-tail cast on, but on two dpn's. One stitch ont the back needle, one stitch on the front needle, and so on until I had 18 stitches on each needle, 36 stitches in total.
Using dpn's I knitted 30 rows of stockinette stitch in the round. After about 7 rows, I let the cast on end come to the outside in between the stitches, so I know where my rows start. Then 7 rows of K1, P1 ribbing. Then a bind off row, but I left the first stitch and the last two stitches of my row on the needle.
With these 3 stitches I continued, making about 55 cm (or the lenth you desire) of I-cord. Cut the yarn, use the end to attach the I-cord to the bag.
The I-cord will make a loop with which you can wear the bag around your neck. Weave in ends, and a little bag is finished.
This bag is started at the middle of the round base and worked upwards. After the increases were finished, I worked stockinette stitch in the round over 96 stitches. That was enough for 3 pattern repeats of the damask pattern.
The bag was felted in the washing machine at 40 degrees Celcius. While drying, I put felt tip markers in the holes, so they would stay open nicely. The holes are very circular now!
