Wednesday, June 22, 2016

Kids' Teensy Treasures Bag

Kids' Teensy Treasures Bag
Kids' Teensy Treasures Bag
pictured in size medium

I came up with the idea for this bag for a very simple reason: you can find this style EVERYWHERE in Switzerland. Seriously, what I remember (perhaps incorrectly) as a passing fad in the United States took deep roots in Swiss soil, much like the "Parental Advisory" branded clothing and hats that, while virtually extinct stateside, still roam the Swiss countryside like long-hunted wolves. Wait! What am I talking about? Oh yeah - the bag! They're everywhere here, and they're all the same size: adult. Which gave me the oh-so-clever idea to create a variety of kid sizes, since kids, without question, freakin' love bags. Oh, and if you love the look of this too, you're in luck, since the extra-large size is basically just adult. :)

Sizes: Small (Medium; Large; Extra-Large) (approximate finished dimensions: 6" wide by 7.5" tall [8" x 9.5"; 10" x 11.5", 12" x 13.5"])

Yarn: Patons Grace (100% Mercerized Cotton; 136 yards [125 meters]/50 grams); #62628 Fiesta - 2 skeins (2 skeins; 3 skeins; 3 - 4 skeins)

A closer view of the grommet
hole thingamabob. I know, I'm a poet.
Needles: Straight needles in size US 4, one 16" circular needle in size US 5, double pointed needles (dpns) in size US 5 for making i-cords, cable needle (cn)

Notions: Tapestry needle, 3 stitch markers

Gauge: 24 stitches = 4 inches in stockinette

So let's get this started! To begin this bag, then, we'll start by knitting the two drawstring-holding portions at the top separately and back-and-forth before joining them in the round (so the purled strips at the top that your straps lace through). With that in mind, and using your size US 4 needles, cast on 36 (48; 60; 72) stitches loosely. Then work the following rows:

Row 1 (right side): slip 1 stitch, purl until end of row

Row 2: slip 1 stitch, knit until end of row

Knit rows 1 & 2 five times and then knit row 1 once more (all sizes). Then, clip yarn tail and transfer work to your size US 5 circular needle to resume later. Again, using your size US 4 needles, cast on 36 (48; 60; 72) stitches loosely and work rows 1 & 2 five times and row 1 once more, although this time, when you finish, don't clip the tail. Transfer the work you've just finished to your size 5 needle, next to your other piece, making sure that the right sides (purl sides) are both oriented correctly, and that the piece you've just finished, with the running yarn connected, is lined up on the right-hand needle of your circulars so that you can continue work in the round. At that point, join in round, place row marker, and then knit one row around. Then we'll knit one transition/marker placement row, as follows. Since it's different for the different sizes, I have listed each size's row separately for ease.

Transition/Marker Placement Row (small): [(k2, m1r) twice, k2, p2, k20, place marker, p2, (k2, m1r) twice, k2] twice (80 stitches)
 
Transition/Marker Placement Row (medium): [(k2, m1r) twice, k2, p2, k32, place marker, p2, (k2, m1r) twice, k2] twice (104 stitches)

Transition/Marker Placement Row (large): [(k2, m1r) twice, k2, p2, k44, place marker, p2, (k2, m1r) twice, k2] twice (128 stitches)

Transition/Marker Placement Row (extra-large): [(k2, m1r) twice, k2, p2, k56, place marker, p2, (k2, m1r) twice, k2] twice (152 stitches) 

Knit this transition/marker placement row, and then we'll begin our main pattern, as follows. You will need the following notation, although bear in mind that you can always cable without the cable needle, if you'd prefer:

back cross (bc): slip next two stitches to cn and hold in back; k2; k2 from cn

front cross (fc): slip next two stitches to cn and hold in front; k2; k2 from cn 

Anyway, once you've got that down, we'll continue like so for all sizes:

Row 1: (k8, p2, knit until you reach marker, slip marker, p2, k8) twice

Row 2: (fc, bc, p2, knit until you reach marker, slip marker, p2, fc, bc) twice

Rows 3 - 5: (k8, p2, knit until you reach marker, slip marker, p2, k8) twice

Row 6: (bc, fc, p2, knit until you reach marker, slip marker, p2, bc, fc) twice 

Rows 7 & 8: (k8, p2, knit until you reach marker, slip marker, p2, k8) twice

Knit in pattern until piece measures roughly 6" (8"; 10"; 12") from bottom of purled section and you've just finished row 6 of the pattern. Then we'll work a few finish rows, as follows:

Finish Row 1: [k2, k2tog, (yo) twice, ssk, k2, p2, knit until you reach marker, slip marker, p2, k2, k2tog, (yo) twice, ssk, k2] twice

Finish Row 2: (k8, p2, knit until you reach marker, slip marker, p2, k8) twice, working a (k1, p1) in each double yo

Finish Row 3: (k8, p2, knit until you reach marker, slip marker, p2, k8) twice

Finish Row 4: (fc, bc, p2, knit until you reach marker, slip marker, p2, fc, bc) twice

Finish Rows 5 - 7: (k8, p2, knit until you reach marker, slip marker, p2, k8) twice

Knit finish rows 1 - 7. Then, you can either seam the bottom of the bag by turning it inside out, dividing your stitches in half (these divides should, of course, line up with the ends of the purled sections above), and using a three needle bind off (this is what I did), or you can divide the stitches in half and then graft, or you can simply bind off regularly and seam. In any case, now's the time to bind off and seam the bottom of the bag. Once that's done, finish the purled drawstring-holding sections at the top by whip-stitching the cast-on edge in place (I whip-stitched them to the purls on the wrong-side of the transition row), and then, if desired, whip-stitch around the double yo holes at the bottom of the bag to reinforce them. I whip-stitched both sides of mine together for extra security, but of course if you whip-stitch them separately or simply leave them be you'll be able to hide the strap knots inside of the bag, if you'd like. Whatever you choose to do, once you've done it, tuck in ends and block.

Which brings us to the straps. To make them, use your size US 5 dpns to make two 4-stitch i-cords that are 32" (40"; 48"; 56") long apiece. Tuck in ends and block, if desired. After that's done, you can lace your bag up like you see demonstrated below. And FINALLY, knot ends of i-cords and hand to nearest child.
Kids' Teensy Treasures Bag
Please don't make fun of my picture.
You have no idea how long it took me to
make this, guys!
Kids' Teensy Treasures Bag
Kids' Teensy Treasures Bag
Kids' Teensy Treasures Bag
Kids' Teensy Treasures Bag
Kids' Teensy Treasures Bag

30 comments:

  1. Gretchen, I wouldn't dare make fun of your picture .. I doubt that I could do as well! lol. Thank you, for such a lovely little treasure bag .. can hardly wait to make it. :)

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    1. Thank you! I've been trying to teach myself Adobe Illustrator but it's slow going so this is about the limit of my abilities at this point. But I'm glad it's appreciated! :)

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  2. Actually, your picture is perfect as a visual explanation and without it, I may have had issues putting it all together! Well done, and thank you!

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    1. Oh good! I started trying to figure out how to put it into words and quickly gave up. Actually, now that I think about it, the illustration, although somewhat painful, was probably quicker! :)

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  3. Oh my gosh, this is so cute and cool! I don't have a "kid" but I want to knit one for myself. Do you think if I wanted it larger than the XL I could just add cast on stitches (say 100 instead of 72) and knit the length longer?

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    1. Hi there!

      I measured the adult-sized bags we've bought in the stores with this design (they're made out of like tent material? I dunno.) and they're about 12" wide, which is the finished dimension of the extra-large. Of course you can make it bigger and longer than that too, but you may want to just take the measurement of your lower back and use that to figure out the size to aim for! :) And please, let me know if you need more help!

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  4. Very cool model, too! Love the fountain in the background.

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  5. You keep coming up with the coolest things; thanks so much for sharing them.

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    1. Glad you like it! I had fun experimenting with this one! :)

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  6. Love this! I envision all my grands having one because they are such a handing thing to have...and I'll make one for my great-grand to grow in to. 😍 Thank you so much!

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    1. Yay! So glad you like it!!! Let me know if you have any questions... :)

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  7. I am a home visit nurse, and I think this might be perfect for stashing my equipment in, if I don't need much. If it works out, I will make some for my co-workers too. Thank you so much for your patterns. You are so talented!

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    1. That's a great idea!!! Glad to hear you like the pattern. :) And let me know if you have any questions!

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  8. Thankyou very much for this very cute pattern! I have a question...Could you please if possible say the needle sizes in mms as I am in the UK ××

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    1. Glad you like the pattern! :) And for this particular one a US 4 is equivalent to a 3.5 mm and a US 5 is equivalent to a 3.75 mm. Here's a link to a handy conversion chart for future reference: http://bestyarns.com/knitting-needle-conversion-chart/

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    2. Thankyou very much - I look forward to knitting this bag & will probably keep my knitting in it!! If that makes any sense at all...×

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    3. That makes perfect sense! Let me know if you have any other questions!!! :)

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  9. I'm making an XL for my sister and I'm a novice knitter and a tad confused.
    I've knitted the top strips for the holders, but I don't understand how to transfer the second set onto the round correctly.

    And then when it's transferred and I join it in the round should they be looped somehow?

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    1. Hi there!

      I'm glad to hear that you're starting on this project as a novice - that's how you learn, after all!

      Anyway, first off - don't worry about orientation too much. If you need to, you can just clip your yarn tail and begin at whichever end of whichever top part is in the right place at the right time (if that makes any sense). The only thing that really matters is that the purl side of the fabric is on the right side of your knitting. If you're really concerned with doing it *exactly* right, however, all I'm trying to describe in my language in the pattern is that, if possible, you'll want your running yarn (the part still attached to the ball) to be coming from the last stitch on your lefthand needle, so that if you work the next stitch on your righthand needle, it will join naturally. That's what all my notes about orientation are for.

      As far as joining in the round in itself is concerned, here is a video: https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&video_id=q1OcF4eFOUA

      As you'll see, there are multiple ways to do it, but it's also not crucial that you do ANYTHING to join your two parts. You could simply start knitting, doing nothing at the space between your two separate pieces other than work the stitches as if they were already attached, and everything would still turn out fine in the long run, your bag just wouldn't be *quite* as securely joined at the two ends (but once you run your icord straps through it that will hardly make a difference).

      Anyway, hope that helps and let me know if you have any more questions! :)

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  10. Love this pattern! I just got to the finish rows and I'm having some trouble understanding the instructions. After doing finish row 1 I have 8 stitches on my needle before the 2 purl stitches. The instructions for finish row 2 say to k8, but also say to work a (k1, p1) in each double yo. What exactly does that mean? Shouldn't I knit the two yarnovers instead? Please help my understanding here :)

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    1. Hi there! For the first 8 stitches (before the p2) you should k3, (k1, p1) in double yo, k3 - so knit all the knit stitches, (k1, p1) in the double yo. That will maintain your stitch count (and you do one purl because you can't knit twice in a double yo - it just falls apart!).

      Let me know if you have any other questions! :)

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    2. Thanks so much for your quick reply! I guess I didn't consider why k2 wouldn't work in a double yo but now I see what you mean!

      Now, to choose a bind-off method... I'm unfamiliar with the three-needle bind off but it looks like it adds a nice clean seam. Have you finished one of these by grafting the bottom before?

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    3. I haven't grafted one, but of course that would work! I think it's really just a matter of personal preference at this point. :)

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  11. Just finished my 2nd tiny backpack for grandsons who will be one and two this month. As I was working on the last i-cord I had a horrible thought . . . choking hazard???? Any feedback from anyone appreciated!

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    1. Hi there!

      I think lots of kids' toys include strings (I remember a pull-along caterpillar from my son's toddlerhood especially), and the i-cord is stretchier than most. You can always recommend that they play with the bags under supervision though! :)

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  12. Thanks! Don't want to upset my daughter in law in any way (the daughter can deal with it!) . These are soooo cute and I put each one's initial on the back - can't wait for the upcoming combined bday party . . .

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    1. I can understand. :) And sounds fun - I hope they enjoy their gifts!!!

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