Island of Misfit Patterns

by Dee

I designed “Charm” to help introduce new techniques to scarf knitters to expand their knitting capabilities. You will be using circular knitting, a provisional cast on, three needle bind off and shaped decreases.
Materials:

• One skein Nashua Wooly Stripes (heavy worsted/chunky weight yarn 88 yards) or one skein of Noro Kureyon (heavy worsted 110 yards)
• A pair of US 10 - 16” length circular knitting needles
• One set of double pointed needles size US 10
• 2 stitch markers
• Safety pin
• Crochet hook size G or H
• One yard waste yarn for provisional cast on
• 2 bangle-style bracelets for handles

Directions:

Using the crochet hook make a single crochet chain of 61-65 stitches (sts)

With the circular needle pick up knit 60 bumps in the chain making sure to leave a 1 yard tail, place marker, also mark the first stitch with a safety pin and then join in the round being careful not to twist the sts.

On the next round knit 30 sts and place the second marker, and continue to knit until the piece measures 8 ½ inches binding off the last 8 stitches of the row.

Remove the stitch marker at the beginning and bind off another 8 sts. (16 total)

Knit 14 sts and bind off 16 sts then knit the remaining 14 sts, turn work.

You will now be working back and forth on one handle at a time but before beginning divide the remaining yarn in half and cut it reserving half for the second handle.

1. Purl across and turn work
2. Work a SSK (Slip, Slip, Knit the slipped sts together) decrease then knit across to the last two sts and K2tog (Knit 2 sts together), turn work.

Repeat these two rows until 8 sts remain then continue to knit the right side rows and purl the wrong side rows until you are almost out of yarn then bind off all stitches.

Join the reserved strand of yarn to the wrong side of the remaining stitches on the needle for the second handle and purl across. Work row 2 as written above and continue in the same manner as the first handle.

Turn bag inside out and remove the waste yarn and place the first 30 sts beginning with the stitch marked by the safety pin onto one dpn, and the remaining 30 onto a second dpn. Using the third dpn and the 1 yarn tail you will work a 3 needle bind off for the bottom portion of the bag. To do this you will need to knit the first stitch from the front needle and the first stitch from the back needle together at the same time, do this one again with the next two stitches and then bind off the first stitch. Continue in this manner until all stitches are bound off.

Still leaving the bag inside out and using what little yarn you have left fold the bag bottom so the 3 needle bind off seam faces up and sew across each end about 1 inch in on the seam forming a small triangle at each end. This will help give the shape to the bottom of the bag.

Now you are ready to felt your “Charm”. Pop the purse into a mesh laundry bag and set your washer to hot water and small load size. Add a couple of pairs of blue jeans or large towels and a touch of detergent such as Tide to the tub and run the washer through a full cycle. Remove and block your purse.

NOTE: If you are using Noro’s Kureyon you will probably need to repeat the wash sequence a few times to achieve a desirable result.

When the purse is completely dry, sew the straps down with the bracelets in place using a needle and regular sewing thread.

Enjoy and make another one because these are so fast and so cute!

ONE LAST WORD: You will be using nearly every single bit of the Nashua Yarn, so if you are a very loose knitter you may want to purchase a second skein as “insurance”.

ABOUT THE DESIGNER
Deanna prefers that you call her Dee. She knits too much, cleans too little, blogs a bit and lives in Chicagoland with her husband, two teenage sons and two adorable westies. She is organizing the second and now annual Heartland Knitting Retreat this December 2006 details at www.kneatles.com