Pattern instructions are not clear on knitting the linen stitch. You need to pull the yarn to the front of the fabric when slipping the stitches. I had a false start where I just knit as written, then realized it looked nothing like the photo. I have knit linen stitch before, I should have put more thought into it, but I was on vacation and just sat down and knit. Once I ripped out and started over, it was fine.

I carried the yarn up the sides as mentioned in the pattern - that worked well.

When I knit the i-cord, I did not cut the yarn as instructed. As I was at the opening of the bag (garter stitch area) I picked up stitches down the side, joining as I went. Then I knit the attached i-cord back up to the top. I knit 36 inches of i-cord for the strap, then knit the i-cord by picking up a stitch at a time. This allowed me to continue joining down that side and not cut the yarn again. I didn’t want the knotted strap as written in the pattern.

Finished size 5 ½ by 7 inches. Perfect for cell phone, credit card and ID. My daughter loves this and has requested one.