Traeth

By Amy Pickard

I love all those knitted and crocheted market shopping bags I've seen around, but I wanted something that will still leave my hands free. The drop stitch pattern and the cotton yarn means the bag has some give and will stretch to accommodate your shopping or your beach essentials. The webbing straps won’t stretch out of shape, even with all your summer market purchases on board, and also add a nice contrast to the yarn. As for the name? Traeth is Welsh for beach.

Photographs: Amy Pickard

Size
Base diameter: 21cm/8½ inches
Bag height (with yarn-overs stretched out, and bag empty): 45cm/18 inches

Requirements
Yarn: 2 balls Patons 100% Cotton DK (100% cotton, 210m/100g) in colour: Lilac (2701). Note: as approx 50g of the second ball was used, approx. 300m of yarn was used in total.
Needles: 4mm/US7 and 4.5mm/US6 circular or double pointed depending on style preferred for circular knitting
Notions: Approx. 2m of 25mm wide Herringbone nylon webbing, 1m of 3mm cord, 10mm barrel cordlock, blunt needle,
stitch markers, sharp sewing needle and thread to match webbing or yarn, dressmaker's pins

Tension
20 sts and 26 rows = 10cm/4inches in stocking stitch using larger needle
14 rows in drop stitch pattern = 7cm/2.75 inches

Pattern Notes
The bag is knit in the round from base to hem. I chose the kfb increase for the base because it is one of the easiest increases to do and I liked the way it looked in this design. If you have another increase you prefer, feel free to substitute that.

Drop stitch pattern (worked in the round):
Rounds 1-6: k around
Round 7: p around
Round 8: dble yo around
Round 9: * p through one loop of dble yo from previous round, dropping extra loop off needle, repeat from * to end of round
Round 10: k around
Rounds 11-14: repeat rnds 7 to10

Rep. these 14 rnds for pattern

Abbreviations
dble yo: double yarn over – insert needle into stitch as usual, wrapping yarn around needle twice. Pull both loops through stitch and complete stitch as usual.

The standard list of Inside Loop abbreviations can be found here.

Instructions
Base:
Using larger needle(s), cast on 8sts, leaving a tail of approximately 10cm/4 inches, and arrange so there are 4sts on each needle (2sts per needle, if using dpns). Being careful not to twist the cast on , join into the round and place moveable marker to denote beginning of round.

Round 1: kfb 8 times (16 sts)
Round 2: knit around
Round 3: kfb, k1, rep from * to end of round (24 sts)
Round 4: k around
Round 5: kfb, k2, rep from * to end of rnd (32 sts)
Round 6: k around
Round 7: kfb, K3, rep from * to end of rnd (40 sts)
Round 8: k around

Continue as established, increasing 8sts every other rnd and working one more st between increases until there are 128sts in total (14sts between increases and 30 rnds from cast on edge), changing from dpns to a circular needle, if required.

Next round: p, placing marker (contrasting yarn or similar) to denote beg of rnd. Leave marker in place.

Beginning with rnd 1 of drop stitch pattern, work 5 reps and then work rnds 1-6 again (120 rnds in total). Place another marker, as at base of bag.

Hem:
Rounds 1-4: k
Round 5: eyelet rnd – k7, k2tog, yo, *k14, k2tog, yo, rep from * 7 times, k7 (8 eyelets created)
Rounds 6-9: k
Rounds 10: picot turning rnd – k2tog, yo around.

Change to smaller needles and knit 10 rnds.
Cut yarn, leaving a 100cm/40 inch tail. Keep stitches on needles.

Finishing
Preparing the webbing:
To determine strap length, measure the recipient of the backpack from centre neck, around the arms and to the centre back, keeping tape measure loose (you want to be able to get your arms through the straps). Alternatively, measure another backpack's straps and use that length. Note: this straps will not be adjustable, so you may want to double check that you have the correct length first, by pinning the webbing in place before cutting or sewing.

Double the measurement and add 10cm/4 inches. Cut length of webbing.

Drawstring hem:
Starting at the left hand front eyelet, thread the cord into the first hole and out through the second. Continue threading the cord in this manner until you reach the front again. Thread both ends through the cordlock and tie an overhand knot to secure the ends together.

Fold over hem at picot edge and pin in place if desired.
Using the yarn tail, thread yarn through first live st on needle and pick up a corresponding purl bump from inside the bag. Being careful to keep cord within hem, continue sewing the live stitches to the bag in this manner. Fasten off thread.

Straps:
Fold webbing in half lengthways, and create a pyramid shape in webbing as shown.
Pin to centre top of bag (through double thickness of hem, avoiding the cord) and using a sharp sewing needle and matching thread, sew straps onto top of bag. Note: I created a channel for the cord under the webbing by sewing above and below the cord, allowing it to move.
Ensuring the webbing remains untwisted, fold over 5cm/2 inches at each end, pin and sew to centre back of bag where yarn marker was placed. For added stability, you may want to sew a small piece of the webbing inside the bag, on the opposite side of the straps.
Using cast on tail, thread yarn through cast on loops twice and pull tight. Fasten off. Weave in ends and cut yarn tails. Block if desired.

About the Designer
Amy is a qualified scientist and a wholly unqualified knitter who took to the sticks in early 2002. Something of a geek, she enjoys science fiction, maths and cricket (in more or less that order). Visit her blog.

Contact Amy