Backpack, backpack

Posted by Breeze on Saturday, January 19, 2008 at 1:43 pm
Category: Breeze

The whole fam ran out to the yarn store the other night to pick up a few things, and with all my new knitting stuff, I’ve taken a break from my sock (over the six inch mark now) to whip up a backpack for Tulip. She wants something like Dora’s purple bag, and while it is purple, I’m knitting it and making some adjustments. For example, I’m still in love with simple cables, and I like how they allow a bit of flex but nip the flex in at the cable, so I’m adding them to the front of my design. I’m also incorporating a small heart on the bottom of the bag, just a little “I love you” for my girl. She’s all about hearts right now, and she inevitably announces that “hearts mean love” whenever she spots one. I’m making up the pattern as I go, so I can put it up for the world to share. I can’t stand finish work, so I’m designing a bag that requires as little of it as possible. I think I’m going to manage to only sew up the sides and sew on the straps, which is pretty good considering.

I’ll add a picture as soon as I finish. I’m getting there. I’ve already got the back and bottom, and I’m busy cabling up the front right now. Again, I’m posting this not because I think I’m a brilliant knitting pattern designer but in case I need to duplicate this for my own purposes, but hey, go ahead and make it if you’d like. I’d be happy to share.

Materials:

#7knitting needles
#7 double point needles
worsted weight yarn of your choice
tapestry needle

Gauge: 11 stitches=2 inches

Directions:

C0 36 stitches.
K in SS for 8 inches finishing on a wrong side row.
P the next right side row. This row marks the switch from the back piece to the bottom piece.
K in SS for 1.25 inches, and on the next right side row k 12, p 1, k to end. (This is Tulip’s hidden heart. You can skip it and just knit until you reach 2 inches and start the decreases instead. I’ll mark where they begin with an *.)
Next row: P until the stitch before the heart’s first stitch. k 3, p to end.
Next row: K to the heart stitches, p 3, k to end.
Next row: P to the stitch before the heart’s stitches, k 5, p to en d.
Next row: K to the stitch before the heart’s stitches, p 7, k to end.
Next row: P to the stitch before the heart’s stitches, k 9, p to end.
Next row: * K 2, slp, psso, (if you are not adding the heart, skip to the next *) K to the heart stitches, p 9, k to the last 4 stitches k2tog, k to end. Continue decreasing on right side rows until you have 28 stitches remaining.
Next row: P to heart, k 9, p to end. (*If no heart, p entire row.)
Next row: (Decrease row!) K to heart, p 4, k 1, p 4, k to end.
Next row: P to heart, p1, k2, p 3, k 2, and p to end. You have finished the heard. Contiue to decrease until you have 28 stitches as mentioned above.
P a k row to turn the corner from the bottom of your bag to the front. At the end of the purl row, pick up 20 stitches along the side with a dpn.
Turn work and p the 48 stitches on your needles, switching to dpns as you go.
Pick up 20 stitches along the other side with a third dpn. Now you have 68 stitches on 3 dpn.
K 8, p 1, *k 4, p1 to end to set the 4×1 rib pattern.
Follow the rib pattern for 5 rows, then cable all but the columns on each side.
Continue following the rib and cabling on every 6th row until the front piece is 8 inches. BO.
Seam the sides of the front to the sides of the back.
Pick up stitches along the top of the back piece.
Row one of back piece: k 5, p to last 5, k 5.
Row two of pack piece: p 5, k to last 5, p 5.
Repeat rows 22 and 23 until you have 3 inches, add your favorite button hole.
After button hole, start decreases on right side rows by p 5, k 2, slp, psso, k to last 9 stitches, k2tog, k 2, p 5.
B0 when work reaches 5 inches.
Sew button to front of bag in appropriate place. #7 dpns, two should be 6 inches long and 2 should be 12 inches long.
Attach long i-cords to back of bag near the top and to the sides of the back piece and short i-cords to back of bag near the bottom and to the sides of back piece.
Weave in all the strays, but there shouldn’t be too many.