Knit Bag

You'll want to take your knitting projects with you everywhere, and for that you'll need a useful bag. This one has a smooth wool-felt interior (so needles won't poke through) and a soft and flexible woolen exterior.

Martha Stewart Editors

Updated on July 12, 2019

wool-bag-mld107268_vert — Photo: CHRISTOPHER BAKER

It's made from two stockinette rectangles (one for front, the other for back), one long stockinette rectangle for the gusset, and two leather strap handles sewn on. Adjusting sizes lets you create all kinds of totes and containers. With scraps, follow a similar process to make a case for eyeglasses.

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What You'll Need

Materials

Size 15 needles
3 skeins bulky yarn (Pictured: Bulky yarn, in Bobcat, $12.80 per skein, by Blue Sky Alpacas, yarn.com)
1 yard wool fabric or felt
Sewing supplies
Embroidery floss
Two 1-by-14-inch leather strips (Pictured: Natural leather trim (#81498), 1-inch wide, $15 per yard, mjtrim.com)

Instructions

Cast on 22 stitches (10 inches). Knit in stockinette (knit 1 row, purl 1 row) for 41 rows (12 inches). Cast off. Repeat for second piece.
Cast on 8 stitches (4 inches). Knit in stockinette for 110 rows (34 inches). Cast off. Weave in ends.
Cut wool fabric equal to your knit pieces in size, adding 1/2-inch seam allowance around all sides: two pieces at 11 by 13 inches and one piece at 4 by 35 inches.
Sew long, narrow knit piece to 1 large knit piece, starting at top, down 1 side, across the bottom, and up the other side. In the same manner, sew second large piece to narrow piece.
Sew fabric pieces together as described in step 4.
With wrong sides facing, slide fabric bag into knit bag. Fold under 1/2 inch of fabric bag at top, and hand-stitch to open edge of knit bag.
Using embroidery floss, stitch each leather strip to 1 side of the bag 2 1/2 inches from top and 3 1/2 inches in from sides. Go over each stitch twice to strengthen. Pull thread inside, knot well, and cut.

Originally appeared: MARTHA STEWART