Basket Weave Tote
by Emily Stumpf
Difficulty [easy]
Nautical is very vogue right now but it is a style I have always loved. I have grown up by the water and on boats and have always been drawn to the colors and textures of the yachting world. For this purse I tried to capture the thick texture of fisherman sweaters and then softened it with a fun ribbon.
FINISHED MEASUREMENTS
12 inches tall and 12 inches wide.
MATERIALS
Yarn: Bare Peruvian Highland Wool Worsted Yarn; 100% Peruvian Highland Wool; Worsted Weight; 220 yards/100 gram hank [2 skeins.]
Needles: Body of purse: Straight and two double pointed Size 6 (4.0mm).
Notions: 1 yd navy poke-a-dot ribbon, ½ yd navy cotton fabric, 4 brass 7/16 inch grommets, two 2½ inch by 14½ inch heavy interfacing, navy sewing thread, tapestry needle.
GAUGE
Gauge: 24 sts and 28 rows in basket weave stitch.
PATTERN NOTES
Basket weave pattern: (multiple of 12 sts + 2)
Row 1: (RS) *K2, p2; rep from * to last 2 sts, k2.
Row 2 and all WS rows: Knit the knit sts and purl the purl sts as they appear.
Row 3: *P2, k2, p6, k2; rep from * to last 2 sts, p2.
Row 5: *P2, k10; rep from * to last 2 sts, p2.
Row 7: K6 *p2, k10; rep from * to last 8 sts, end p2, k6.
Row 9: P4, *k2, p2, k2, p6; rep from * to last 10 sts, end k2, p2, k2, p4.
Row 11: K6, *p2, k10; rep from * to last 8 sts, end p2, k6.
Row 12: Knit the knits and purl the purls. Repeat Rows 1½12 for pattern.
PATTERN
Pattern Item [front & back]
With straight needles, CO 86 sts. Work first row of Basket weave pattern. Continue to work in pattern and repeat 12 rows 4 times more (5 in all). BO in pattern.
Repeat for back.
Handles
Make six 25½ inch I-chords. To make the I-chord, take a double pointed needle and CO 3 sts. Knit across the 3 sts then slide the sts to the opposite end of the needle without turning the needle and knit across the sts. Repeat until chord is 25½ inches long. Take three chords, weave in the ends and then thread through one grommet (back to front) and tie a knot. Braid the chords making sure not to do it to tight as to stretch the chord (handles should be about 22½ inches long when braided.) Put opposite ends through grommet (back to front) and tie a knot. Repeat on other side of bag with remaining three chords.
FINISHING
Sew side seams of bag RS facing. Fold the bottom corners into a triangle (so that the side seam and bottom seam are aligned with each other) and sew 1½ inches in from the corner to make a rectangular bottom.
For the lining, cut a piece that is 14½ inches wide and 16½ inches tall. Sew the side seams and bottom (RS together) with ½ inch seam allowance. Fold the bottom corners into a triangle (so that the side seam and bottom seam are aligned with each other) and sew 1½ inchs in from the corner to make a rectangular bottom. Turn lining wrong side out and put into the knitted bag (so that the right side of the lining is on the wrong side of the bag and pin to hold in place. Iron the heavy interfacing a half-inch down from the top on the wrong side of the lining. Fold over that ½ inch at the top of the lining then fold the top over 2½ inches down and pin the ½ inch folded edge to the top of the knitted bag and sew it down. NOTE: If using a sewing machine be sure to adjust the tension of the stitches because the knitted fabric is extremely stretchy and you will end up with a pucker. Cut a piece of ribbon ½ inch longer than the circumference of the top of the bag. Next pin the ribbon over the seam where the blue fabric is sewn to the top of the knitted bag starting a few inches from the left front (this is where the bow is going to go). Sew down by running a seam along the top and bottom of the ribbon. With remaining ribbon tie a bow and sew down over the ribbon seem.
Place grommets between 3 and 3½ inches from seam edge (see back of grommet box for directions on how to mount them.)