Pouch Pattern
My pouch was designed to hold a deck of tarot cards, but this simple drawstring bag could obviously be put to other uses -- such as protecting a techno gadget: iPod, cell phone, or PDA. It could also be jazzed up with an interesting stitch or color pattern -- just keep in mind that this project is knit from the top to the bottom in the round.
Yarn - Whatever your heart desires. However, I suggest that you stick to a smaller gauge yarn if your pouch will be relatively small. The amount will be determined by the size of your bag. If you run out mid-bag, just switch to another yarn and consider it a design feature. You will also need a length of smooth, contrast-color, scrap yarn for the provisional cast-on. [Pictured pouches were each knit with less than one skein of Lion Brand Microspun.]
Needles - Circular or double-point needles (depending on the size of your bag and your preferred method of knitting in the round) which produce a pleasing fabric with your yarn. Start with the needle size suggested on the ball band, and adjust as necessary. [I used a set of US size 4 (3.5 mm) double-point needles.] Extra circular or double-point needle at most the same size or (preferably) a smaller size for closing the drawstring casing. If you are only using one circular needle, you will also need an extra needle in the same size or slightly larger for the 3-needle bind-off.
Notions - Crochet hook appropriate to your yarn. One close to the same millimeter size as your knitting needles will be fine. This is for the provisional cast-on and making the drawstrings. If you use other methods of casting-on and cord-making, then it's not necessary. [I used a US size E (3.5 mm) hook.] Tapestry needle.
Gauge - Determined by your choice of yarn and needles. You will need to know your stitch gauge in order to figure out how many stitches to cast on. If your pouch will also be your swatch, then take an educated guess and be prepared to frog. [My gauge was 6 stitches and 9 rounds per inch.]
Finished Size - Based on the size of the item you intend to carry in your pouch. [My pouches are about 4 inches wide and 7 inches long (measured flat) in order to hold decks of cards which are 8 inches around and a little less than 5 inches in height.]
Measure the girth of the item you wish to carry in the pouch. Multiply this measurement by your stitch gauge. If this is an odd number, add one. Cast on that amount of stitches using a provisional cast-on. [For example, 8 inches x 6 stitches per inch = 48 stitches to cast on.]
Join for knitting in the round. Place marker half-way between the beginning and end of your round. Knit 9 rounds. On next round, YO, k2tog, knit to marker, remove marker, YO, k2tog, knit to end of round. Knit 2 more rounds.
Gently pull out scrap yarn from cast-on round as you slip the live stitches onto an extra needle. Fold this new round of stitches up to inside of work so that they are behind your current round. Knit these two rounds together by inserting the right-hand needle into one stitch on the front needle and one stitch on the back needle and knitting them together. (See Marnie MacLean's tutorial for pictures and more details on this technique.)
Knit to length needed. You can check this in progress at any time. Just slip the item you wish to enclose into your tube, hold your needles together at the bottom, and see if you have enough material to gather the pouch closed at the top.
To finish, reach down through center of tube and pull top of pouch up through the middle turning work inside-out. Slip first half of round to one needle and second half of round to another needle (or slip each half to either end of a circular needle). Work a 3-needle bind-off to seam up the bottom of your pouch. (Scroll to the bottom of the page on bind-offs at KnittingHelp.com for written instruction and a video on this technique.) Weave in ends and turn pouch right-side out.
Use crochet hook to make two identical chain-stitch drawstrings. Each should at least be slightly longer than the circumference of your bag. Make them much longer if you want to use them as purse straps. Attach one end of one drawstring to a tapestry needle and insert it into casing through eyelet made by the yarn-over. Then thread it all the way back around and out the same eyelet. Knot ends together and trim even. Do the same thing with the other drawstring through the opposite eyelet.
Pattern © 2005 Laura K. Miller
More photos (click thumbnails to enlarge):
