Project bags are great! I like to jam a lot of stuff into my knitting bag wherever I go, so without them all I’d find whenever I went to do a project would be a tangled mess of yarn. That’s how I originally envisioned this pattern, as a project bag. It’s great for other uses as well. Being reversible and having a bold motif, it’s very decorative and being double-knit it doesn’t need a liner to hold most objects.

The bag is mostly knit in the round except for the first few rows so an I-cord can be added to close the bag. Double-knitting creates two separate layers when there’s no color change and the edges are naturally open unless forced closed with a yarn twisting technique. This pattern takes advantage of these properties by using a keyhole-like technique to capture the I-cord. The bag is finished off with a special 3 Needle Bind Off technique that creates a reversible seam that looks the same no matter which color you choose to display.

MATERIALS

• MC - 1 skein of Debbie Bliss cashmerino dk (DK weight, 55% Merino wool, 33% Microfibre, 12% Cashmere; 120 yds/50 g) in 18002/White
• CC - 1 skein of Debbie Bliss cashmerino dk (DK weight, 55% Merino wool, 33% Microfibre, 12% Cashmere; 120 yds/50 g) in 18036/Purple
• 1 set US size 7 (4.5mm) 16” circular needles, or size required for gauge
• 1 US size 7 (4.5mm) straight needle for 3 needle bind off
• Circular stitch holders or a second set of circular needles (any size)
• Yarn for use as an i-cord

MEASUREMENTS

8” tall and 17” around

NOTES

This pattern starts out double-knit flat with no color changes and without twisting the yarns at the end so that the two sides remain unconnected except by the cast on. The knit and purl stitches are then separated onto the circular needles and a stitch holder, and an I-cord is placed between the two layers. The stitches are returned back to the needles, and the whole project is continued in the round until the bind off.

The bind off stitches are separated like the previous separation. The knit stitches are then bound off separately using a 3 Needle Bind Off. The whole garment is flipped inside out and the remaining stitches are bound off using a 3 Needle Bind Off as well. This allows the bag to be completely reversible.