Simple striped bag

This is the project I give to beginning knitters -- people who have never knitted before.

This project takes about 1/2 skein of “worsted weight” knitting yarn (the normal weight for sweaters), and a 16-inch circular needle, size 5, 6, or 7 (depending on how tightly you knit). Stitch gauge is not crucial for this project. If you want to do stripes, all you'll need for those is a few 2- to 5-yard pieces of different colored yarns of the same size.

You may use double-pointed needles instead of a circular needle, of course -- but I find circular needles are easier for beginning knitters.

Cast on 60 stitches. Join them into a round, being careful not to twist the row of stitches when you join it.

Knit plain (knit every stitch — no need to purl) until you think it’s long enough (8 inches is a good length) and bind off.

Stripes

If you want to try a small adventure and introduce some variety, take a few yards of yarn in a color you like, the same thickness as your basic yarn, and at some point just start knitting your new stitches with that yarn instead. When you get around to your starting point again (1, or 2, or more rounds later) drop the new color and pick up your old yarn, being careful not to pull too tight and pucker the knitting. Repeat stripes at whatever interludes you like.

Finishing

When finished, flatten the cylinder of knitting and overcast the two sides to­gether at the bottom with a large needle and a strand of the same yarn (going once through each front & back stitch).

Braid, weave, or twist a carrying strap from leftover yarn (or any other yarn you like). Sew it neatly onto the top of the bag at two opposite points.

Cut or make two drawstrings — they work better if they are not wool. Shoe­laces, smooth cotton string, and braided cotton embroidery thread work well. Thread both drawstrings in and out between the stitches in the third row from the top of the bag. Knot the two ends of each drawstring together. Pull one drawstring from each side to close the bag.

Decoration: Simple bags like this often show up in medieval paintings with three to five tassels along the bottom. These can be made out of leftover yarn.

Simple color-patterned pouch

Working color patterns in knitting is not as hard as it looks. This project uses the same size yarn and needles as the striped pouch: in this case, about 40 yards of the color you use the most, and 10 to 20 yards each of three or more other colors.
Cast on 60 stitches (for either of the first two charts) or 72 sts (for the third chart) with your main color, and join to form a round.

Use any of the charts provided here, or patterns of your choice. If you’re feeling adventurous, the HistoricKnit mailing list on Yahoo! has several folders of patterns in its Files section. You can use the chart’s colors or pick your own. If you use white or cream-colored yarn, it can either be wool, or cotton yarn such as “Sugar’n’Cream”.



Knit about an inch plain with the main color, then follow the chart, starting at the bottom.



The key to successful color knitting is not to pull the yarn too tight when you are changing colors. The “floats” or strands of the yarn you’re not using should lie a little loosely along the back of the knitting. If you need to, you can tighten up stitches that are too loose, but you can’t loosen them if they’re too tight.



After the last row of your chart, continue in your main color for another half inch or so.

OPTIONAL: If you want to add eyelets for the drawstrings (which are a modern concept), knit one round of (K3, YO, K2tog) here.

Knit 2 more rounds plain and bind off. Darn in any loose ends of color on the inside of the pouch (if you haven’t done it as you go).

Finishing

When finished, flatten the cylinder of knitting and overcast the two sides to­gether at the bottom with a large needle and a strand of the same yarn (going once through each front & back stitch).

Braid, weave, or twist a carrying strap from leftover yarn (or any other yarn you like). Sew it neatly onto the top of the bag at two opposite points. You can also make a longer cord and attach it down the sides of the bag, as shown for the "hearts" pouch.

Cut or make two drawstrings — they work better if they are not wool. Shoe­laces, smooth cotton string, and braided cotton embroidery thread work well. Thread both drawstrings in and out between the stitches in the third row from the top of the bag, or through the eyelets if you made those. Knot the two ends of each drawstring together. Pull one drawstring from each side to close the bag.

Decoration: Simple bags like this often show up in medieval paintings with three to five tassels along the bottom. These can be made out of leftover yarn.

Charts

(click for larger versions)

Pre-literate stockings

You can also view and download a PDF of these instructions, with pictures, here.

I created these instructions for a beginning stocking-knitter's workshop. These stockings are similar to the coarser, less aristocratic knitted stockings that were made in great quantities in northern Europe in the 16th century. They use a 16th-century type of heel that I think is easier to understand than more modern types of heels, which tend to ask you to do peculiar things with your knitting like stop in the middle of a row, turn around and go back the other way :) With this earlier type of heel, it's a lot easier to see how the stocking turns a 90-degree corner between the vertical leg and the horizontal foot parts.

First, I'll give you a very brief set of instructions for knitting a plain stocking — perhaps such instructions as might be passed down to you in a pre-literate society. Below will be more detailed instructions, for those of us who have not been knitting stockings since we were six years old.

Brief instructions

Cast on 60 stitches. Knit plain to the center of the calf muscle, about a handspan down from the knee. Decrease 2 at center back every 6th round until there are 48 stitches. Work plain to the top of the heel. Work a heel flap on 29 stitches until it is as long as it is wide. Fold in half and sew the heel seam. Pick up stitches around the opening to make a complete round. Decrease 1 at each side of the instep every 2nd round until there are 48 stitches again. Work plain to the ball of the foot. Decrease 2 stitches every 3rd round 3 times, every 2nd round twice, then every round until there are 10 or fewer stitches left. Draw thread through remaining stitches, pull tight, and finish off.

More detailed instructions

These instructions produce a slightly longer than knee-length stocking like the diagram (to enlarge: 1 square = 1 inch). This fits an average-sized woman’s foot and leg. If you are not average, you may need to experiment with fewer or more stitches, shorter or longer length. The instructions will often tell you to “stop and try on your sock,” and you can do so either by trying the stocking on your own foot, or if the diagram is the right size for you, by flattening your knitted piece and laying it on top of the diagram.

What’s important is that your stockings fit YOU. Don’t be afraid to rip out a couple of inches and re-do them if necessary: once you get the right measurements, write them down, and you can use them to make as many socks as you like in the future.

Note that these stockings should extend an inch or two above the knee. They have no ribbing, so they are held up with tied garters, held by a turned-down cuff. These approximate a coarse period stocking for roughly the late 13th through the 17th century.

Have courage, and begin!

Materials

500-550 yards wool yarn, ordinary worsted weight (about 10–12 wraps per inch)

A set of 4 or 5 double pointed needles, U.S. size 5, 6 or 7 — whatever gets you a knitted gauge of 5+1/2 stitches per inch.

Instructions for the leg

Beginning at the top of the leg, cast on 60 stitches and join into a circle. Knit plain (i.e. every stitch is a knit stitch).

Knit around plain for about one inch. Stop and try your sock on to see whether this fits over the widest part of your calf comfortably. It should feel a little stretchy but not at all tight. If it’s too tight, try the same thing but with 64 stitches, or experiment till you have the right number. If it’s loose or baggy, try fewer stitches.

(If you are not pre-literate, doing a bit of math may help here: measure around the widest part of your calf, subtract one inch, and multiply by your stitch gauge to get an approximate number. Math can help with getting the right size for other parts of the sock, too. Don’t forget to write down what you did so you can duplicate it later.)

Knit plain for a total of 9 inches. (Putting a marker about every inch helps you track your progress, especially if you feel it’s taking forever to get there.) Try the sock on: this should bring you to about the point where your calf starts to narrow. Adjust length if needed, mark the center back of your sock, and begin the decreases as follows:

Decrease round: Knit 2 together with the two stitches before your marker. Knit 1 (the marked stitch). With the next two stitches, work a SKP decrease (slip 1, knit 1, pass slipped stitch over, or whatever your favorite method is for this).

Knit 5 rounds plain.

Repeat this, decreasing on every 6th round, until you have 48 stitches. Try the sock on and see if this fits your lower leg and ankle correctly.

If so, continue knitting plain until you reach the top of your heel. (To find the right spot, point your toe, and locate the crease at the back of your ankle.)

Re-arrange the stitches on your needles: take the 14 stitches before the marker, the marked stitch itself, and the 14 stitches after your center back marker and put all these on one needle (29 sts in all). Take a blunt needle and thread and run it through all the remaining 19 stitches for the instep. Tie the thread ends together and remove the knitting needles from these 19 stitches so you can work the heel flap on the others.

Instructions for heel

Knit back and forth on the 29 stitches to make a flat piece (knit across, purl back). Work until the heel flap is as long as it is wide — about 35 rows. It’s helpful, but not necessary, to slip the first stitch of each row and purl the last stitch (in both directions).



When it’s long enough, slip half the stitches onto another needle and fold the flap in half vertically (wrong sides together) so the two needles are parallel.



Weave or sew these two rows of stitches together for the seam on the bottom of the heel (it helps to start from the closed end). You can also bind off pairs of stitches together as shown here -- one from the front needle, one from the back.



The start of this seam at the open end is your new “center back” stitch, so mark it (it’s actually the bottom of the foot, now). Put the 19 instep stitches back on your needles and remove the thread holding them. Pick up stitches around the heel (about one new stitch for every two rows of the heel flap) to make a complete round. Mark the first and last instep stitches.



Knit one round plain. On the next round, starting at the center back marker, K until you are one stitch before the first instep marker and K2 together. Knit plain across the instep until you reach the second instep marker and SKP (Sl 1, K 1, psso).

Repeat, decreasing every other round, until you are back at 48 stitches total.



Try it on to be sure this is the right diameter for your foot.

Knit plain for the foot until the sock reaches to the ball of your foot, then begin
the toe decreases.

Instructions for toe

Mark the 12th stitch before and the 12th stitch after the center back stitch. This is where you’ll do the toe decreases.

Decrease round: Knit 2 together with the two stitches before your marker. Knit 1. With the next two stitches, work a SKP decrease (slip 1, knit 1, pass slipped stitch over, or whatever your favorite method is for this).

Knit 2 rounds plain. (44 sts)

Decrease as before, then knit 2 rounds plain. (40 sts)

Decrease as before, then knit 2 rounds plain. (36 sts)

Decrease as before, then knit 1 round plain. (32 sts)

Decrease as before, then knit 1 round plain. (28 sts)

Decrease every round for five rounds (24, 20, 16, 12 and 8 sts).

Cut the end of the yarn, leaving a foot or so, and thread it through these 8 stitches. Pull tight and fasten off.

Copyright 2008 by Chris Laning

This pattern may be freely distributed for nonprofit educational purposes as long as this copyright notice is included. The author would be pleased to hear that it is being used. For details of this Creative Commons license see: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/

Introduction

I've created this blog as a place to "park" knitting patterns I've created -- some patterns are for items of historical interest, others purely modern. Anyone is welcome to link to these instructions. If you print, copy or share them in any other way, please include my copyright notice. These patterns may be reproduced freely for nonprofit educational purposes provided no money is charged beyond the cost of reproduction and the copyright notice is included.

If you want to chat or find out what else I've been knitting, you can also find me on Ravelry.