The Madame Self Bag
Wisdom Yarns Poems, color #585, 4 skeins (436 yds)
Size 9 needles, or size needed to get gauge
Darning needle
Magnetic snap
One pretty button (mine is 1.25")
Hot glue gun
Gauge before felting: 14 st over 4” in garter stitch
I emphatically suggest knitting a swatch, measuring gauge, and then felting it to make sure you like the way it felts up. Also, Poems has sort of a reputation for having several knots which often disrupt the striping sequence. If you’re the persnickety sort, this is something to watch for. I think (while it’s still sort of a pain) that it adds character and didn’t worry about it.
Note that the measurements given on my sad, little schematic are approximate. It’s a lot easier in this case to just increase and decrease to the correct stitch count, as the size doesn’t need to be exact.
The bag is knit starting with the strap…
Cast on 10 s., knit every row for approx. 25” or 150 rows.
Begin increases*:
Row 1) Kfb, k to last st, kfb
Row 2) K
*I stuck a stitch marker through the fabric on the side facing me when it was time to increase or decrease, as a visual cue.
Repeat these two rows until there are 64 st, ending with Row 2.
Begin decreases:
Row 1) K2Tog, K to last 2 sts, K2Tog
Row 2) K
Repeat these two rows until there are 20 sts, ending with Row 2.
Increase:
Row 1) Kfb, k to last st, kfb
Row 2) K
Repeat these two rows until there are 64 st, ending with Row 2.
Add the button flap (I added a short row to give the flap a bit of a flare):
With the working yarn, CO 15 sts, and knit 8 rows even. Next row: knit 16 st, wrap stitch & turnª. K back to end of row. Knit 8 rows even. Cast off 15 sts.
ªTo wrap and turn: yarn forward as if to purl, slip next stitch purlwise, yarn back as if to knit, return slipped stitch to left needle, turn work.
Decrease:
Begin decreases:
Row 1) K2Tog, K to last 2 sts, K2Tog
Row 2) K
Repeat these two rows until there are 20 sts, ending with Row 2.
Increase:
Row 1) Kfb, k to last st, kfb
Row 2) K
Repeat these two rows until there are 64 st, ending with Row 2.
Decrease:
Begin decreases:
Row 1) K2Tog, K to last 2 sts, K2Tog
Row 2) K
Repeat these two rows until there are 10 sts, ending with Row 2. Bind off, leaving a tail long enough to seam the end of the strap (2-3 feet).
(sorry about my chicken scratch- along the right side, the measurements read 8.5", 7", 7", 3", 7", 7", 8.5")
Finishing:
Pick the side you want to be the outside. With right (outside) sides facing, whipstitch together edges A to A, B to B, and so forth, ending with attaching the strap end (E to E) with the yarn tail, being careful to make sure the strap isn’t twisted. Weave in ends on the inside. Felt the bag. I did it by hand at first, then when that proved to be rather tedious, put it in the machine. I then dried it in the drier to further shrink it. Watch it closely through the felting process to make sure it’s not felting in some renegade fashion.
Once dry, it’s time to add the snap and button! I followed the package directions on my magnetic snap to attach it the bag, using an Exacto knife to cut small holes where needed. Wind a bit of leftover yarn through the holes in the button**; this may require some creativity. My darning needle wouldn’t fit all the way through the little holes, so I used it to sort of smash the yarn through so I could pull it through the other side. It occurs to me now that a sewing needle threader might do the trick. Once the yarn is wound through the holes a few times, knot it on the back. Warm up your glue gun, and apply a glob of glue to the ugly side of the magnetic snap on the purse flap then quickly stick on the button. If necessary, add more glue to secure the button to the bag. Loudly proclaim, “I made it Madame Self!”
**The goal is not only to make it look like the button is sewn on, but also to fill up the holes a bit so that hot glue doesn’t ooze through or so people can’t see right through to the metal snap behind it. So you may need to wrap the yarn several times to accomplish this.
Use this pattern however you want, wherever you want; just don’t plagiarize!
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