The inspiration for this purse was to find a way to carry more than just my hip pocket could carry without the pains of carrying a purse over the shoulder. After seeing a picture of different kinds of purses, I decided upon a purse I could wear at the hip with a strap to go around my waist which would leave me almost completely free movement.

Pattern includes all knitting directions, construction directions, notes, tips, and reference pictures.

The purse is worked by creating the front, back, and sides of the large main pocket first by picking up stitches along the bottom rectangle, but leaving the seams undone. The middle pocket, small pocket, flap, and the closing straps are all worked as separate pieces. Construction begins with the small outer pocket before moving on to the middle pocket and finally the large pocket. After several tried and failed attempts as the strap which goes around the waist, I decided a fabric strap was necessary. Therefore, whether sewing by hand or my machine, basic sewing skills are needed.

Large Pocket measures 9in wide, 10in high, 1½in deep

Skills Required/Techniques Used:

1. Picking up stitches
2. Intermediate stitches: ssk,kfb
3. I-Cord stitch
4. Inserting eyelets
5. Basic crochet knowledge
6. Basic sewing knowledge

Materials/Notions:
o I Love This Yarn, 70oz, 100%, #4 weight, black
o Omega Hilaza Rústica Eclat or Size 10 crochet thread
o Size 7/4.5mm knitting needles
o size 2/2.75mm knitting needles
o Size F/5, 3.75mm crochet hook
o Size 1/2.75mm crochet hook
o Safety pins, scrap yarn, stitch holders, tapestry needles
o One all-purpose zipper – 7in
o One all-purpose zipper – 12in
o One strap adjuster – for 1in straps
o Four swivel snap hooks – 1/2in
o Two D-Rings – 1in
o One buckle – 1/2in wide by 1in long (see material note)
o Three Eyelets – 5/32in or 4mm (see material note)
o Two grommets – 3/8in (see material note)
o Fabric: Strip that is 2in wide and 30in long (see material note)
o Sewing needle and thread or sewing machine.
o Fabric pins
o Iron and ironing board

Material Note: For the eyelets, I purchased a 2-in1 eyelet and snap flier which came with the eyelets. For the grommets, I purchased a 3/8in grommet tool kit from Menards. This is basically a metal bar that you close the two pieces of the grommet by pounding on it with a hammer. For the buckle, I was unsatisfied with the limited choices of buckles that were available to me, so instead, I bought a Faux Leather Buckle (in the sewing department and meant to just be sewn on a project with buckle/strap all ready to go) which came with two buckles. I simply just cut one of the buckles off. The faux leather will make a good backing for future snaps or other possibilities. For the Fabric, I used leftovers I had from a fat quarter. I didn’t pick any specific kind of fabric except for a color/design that would look best with the colors I had picked for the purse.