  by
Faye Whyte
[IB]
[KS]
I needed a little beach bag
for my bikini-loving daughter. Something big enough
for a bathing suit, sunscreen and a kid-sized towel.
Something durable and washable and small enough that
she could throw it over her shoulder without dragging
it on the ground.
I hauled out the Reader's
Digest Complete Guide to Needlework that my
grandmother gave us for Christmas over 20 years
ago, and started looking for stitch patterns
that would give cotton yarn some nice body and
texture. I found three: herringbone, basketweave
and mesh.
 The
Itsybitsy bag is knit in one piece, from upper lip
to the base, then cast on the wraparound strap and
knit it together with the bottom, then back to the
top. Short row shaping made the bag sides wider than
the handle of the strap. The seams help the bag keep
its shape.
The itsybitsy bag needed
a larger sibling, for those whole-family swim
days. Whereas itsybitsy keeps it shape well,
Kitchen sink has a more relaxed shape.
The Kitchensink bag is knit
in one piece, starting with a rectangular base with
rounded corners, knit on two needles. Stitches are
picked up around the base and the sides are knit on
circular needles in the round. The strap is worked
from the top of the bag, and attached via Kitchener
stitch or 3-needle bind-off -- no seams!
Both Itsybitsy and
Kitchen sink were knit from one large ball of
cotton. Both stretch to hold amazing amounts
of stuff.
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model: Rhonda
George
photos: Faye Whyte
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Itsybitsy [IB]
Kitchen sink [KS] |
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IB:
Bag Height: 7.5 inches
Bag Width: 8.5 inches
Bag Depth: 2 inches
Strap Length: 16 inches
KS:
Bag Height: 10 inches
Bag Width: 14 inches
Bag Depth: 4 inches
Handle Length: approx. 28 inches
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Bernat Handicrafter Cotton [100% cotton; 608
yd/556 m per 340 g
skein]; color: Meadow [one skein is enough
to make both bags].
1 set US #9/5.5 mm straight needles
1 24 inch US #9/5.5 mm circular needle
Tapestry Needle
Stitch marker
Stitch holders
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15 sts/21 rows = 4 inches in stockinette
stitch
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[Knitty's list of standard abbreviations can be found here]
IB:
Herringbone Pattern (Worked over any number
of sts)
Row 1 [WS]: P2tog, but only let the first of
the 2 sts drop off the left needle, [p2tog (the second
of the sts from the previous p2tog and the next st
on the needle), but only let the first of the 2 sts
drop off the left needle] until 1 sts remains on left
needle, p1.
Row 2 [RS]: K2tog tbl, but only let the first
of the 2 sts drop off the left needle, [k2tog tbl
(the second of the sts from the previous k2tog tbl
and the next st on the needle), but only let the first
of the 2 sts drop off the left needle] until 1 st
remains on left needle, k1.
Mesh Pattern (Worked
over an odd number of sts)
Row 1
[RS]: K2, [YO, insert tip of right needle through
first st as if to purl, pick up front loop of
second st and k (this will pull the second st
through the first st), slide both loops
off left needle] to last stitch, k1.
Row 2 [WS]: P all sts.
NOTE: the mesh stitch is un-froggable --
it must be teased apart.
Basketweave
Pattern (Worked over an even number of sts)
Row 1 [WS]: P1, [p into second st on left needle,
p into first st on left needle, slide both stitches
off needle together] to last st, p1.
Row 2 [RS]: [K into back of second st on left
needle, k into back of first st on left needle, slide
both stitches off needle together] to end.
KS:
Herringbone Pattern (Worked over any number
of sts)
K2tog tbl, but only let the first of the 2 sts drop
off the left needle, [k2tog tbl (the second of the
sts from the previous k2tog tbl and the next st on
the needle), but only let the first of the 2 sts drop
off the left needle] until 1 sts remains on left needle,
k1.
Mesh Pattern (Worked
in the round over an even number of sts)
Round 1: [YO, insert tip of right needle through
first st as if to purl, pick up front loop of second
st and k (this will pull the second st through the
first st), slide both loops off left needle] to last
stitch.
Round 2: K all sts.
Basketweave Pattern
(Worked back and forth over and even number of sts):
Row 1 [WS]: P1, [p into second st on left needle,
p into first st on left needle, slide both stitches
off needle together] to last st, p1.
Row 2 [RS]: [K into back of second st on left
needle, k into back of first st on left needle, slide
both stitches off needle together] to end.
Basketweave Pattern in
the Round (Worked
in the round over an even number of sts)
Round 1: K1, [k into
front of second st on left needle, k into front of
first st on left needle, slide both stitches off needle
together] to last st, k1.
Round 2: [K into back
of second st on left needle, k into back of first
st on left needle, slide both stitches off needle
together] to end.
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 IB:
CO 51 sts. (Tip: Crochet CO gives a nice-looking
finished edge.)
Beg with a WS row, work 4 rows in Herringbone
Pattern.
P 1 row.
Beg with Row 2 of patt, work 3 rows of Herringbone
Patt.
P
1 row.
Work 2 row repeat of Mesh Pattern 12 times.
K 1 row.
Work 3 rows Herringbone Pattern.
K 2 rows, knitting second row onto circular
needle.
Work
Bottom & Strap
At beg of next row,
CO 171 sts. 222 sts in total.
Work 2 rows in Basketweave
Pattern.
Shape
sides
*Work 50 sts in Basketweave
Pattern, w&t.
Work to end in patt.
Work across all sts
in patt.
Repeat from * once
more.
BO 171 sts, work
in patt as set to end. 51 sts rem.
K 2 rows.
Work 3 rows Herringbone
Pattern.
K 1 row, then p 1
row.
Work 2 row repeat
of Mesh Pattern 12 times.
Beg with Row 2 of
patt, work 3 rows of Herringbone Patt.
P1 row.
Beg with Row 2 of
patt, work 4 rows of Herringbone Patt.
CO all sts.
 KS
Using waste yarn and
provisional cast-on, CO 76 sts.
Row 1 [RS]: K all sts.
Row 2 [WS]: Inc 1 in first st,
work Row 1 of Basketweave Pattern to last
st, inc 1 in last st.
Row 3 [RS]: Work Row 2 of Basketweave
Pattern.
Row 4 [WS]: Inc 1 in first st, p1, work Row
1 of basketweave st to last 2 sts, p1, inc
1 in last st. 80 sts.
Work 8 rows in Basketweave Pattern as set.
Decrease 1 st each end of next (RS) row, working
in patt.
Work 1 row even in patt.
Repeat these 2 rows once more.
Using circular needle, k all sts on needle,
then pick up and k 20 sts from shaped end
of bag, remove provisional CO and k the resulting
76 live sts onto the needle, pick up and k
20 sts from rem shaped end of bag. 192 sts.
Place marker and cont in the round.
P 1 round.
Work 2 rounds of Basketweave Pattern in the
Round.
K 1 round.
Next Round: K3, work Herringbone
Pattern for 70 sts, k6, work Herringbone pattern
for 14 sts, k6, work Herringbone Pattern for
70 sts, k6, work Herringbone pattern for 14
sts, k3.
K 1 round.
Remove marker, k3 sts, replace marker. This
point will now be the beginning of the round.
Next Round: [Work Round 1 of Mesh Pattern
for 70 sts, work Round 1 of Basketweave Pattern
in the Round for 6 sts, work Round 1 of Mesh
Pattern for 14 sts, work Round 1 of Basketweave
Pattern in the Round for 6 sts]twice.
Next Round: [Work Round 2 of Mesh Pattern
for 70 sts, work Round 2 of Basketweave Pattern
in the Round for 6 sts, work Round 2 of Mesh
Pattern for 14 sts, work Round 2 of Basketweave
Pattern in the Round for 6 sts]twice.
Repeat these 2 rows 19 times more.
 Work
1 round of Herringbone Pattern.
K 1 round
Work 2 rounds of Basketweave Pattern in the
Round.
Switch to Herringbone Pattern.
BO 70 sts in patt, work 26 in patt and place
on holder, BO 70 sts in patt, work 26 sts
in patt.
*Switch to Basketweave Pattern, beg with Row
1.
Work 8 sts in patt, BO 10 sts, work rem 8
sts in patt. Attach a new end of yarn and
work both 8-st sections at the same time.
Work 14 more rows in Basketweave Pattern,
ending with a WS row.
Next Row [RS]: K2tog, k5, k2tog (one
st from each section), k5, k2tog. 13 sts rem.
Next Row [WS]: K6, k2tog,k5.** Place
rem 12 sts on stitch holder.
Replace 26 held sts on needle, and repeat
from * to **
Next Row [RS]: Sl 1, work Row 2 of
Basketweave Pattern for 10 sts, k1.
Next Row [WS]: Sl 1, work Row 1 of
Basketweave Pattern for 10 sts, k1.
Repeat last 2 rows until handle is 16 inches
long (or longer, if desired).
Attach end of handle to held sts using Kitchener
st or 3 needle bind-off.
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IB:
Sew the loose end of
the handle to the base of the bag, opposite
point where the other end of the handle meets
the base of the bag.
Sew the sides of the bag
to the edges of the handle. The wider (short-rowed)
sections of the handle should extend approx. 1 inch
above the sides of the bag.
Weave in ends.
KS:
Weave in ends.
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 Faye
lives in rural Ontario, Canada with three cats, a
dog, a guinea pig, two daughters and a very patient
man.
She began knitting at age five. Her first completed
project was a pink square with a perfectly round hole
in the middle
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| Pattern & images
© 2005 Faye Whyte. Contact Faye |
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