I'm so pleased to be able to release my Day at the Beach bag pattern as an individual pdf download now! It was originally designed for Knit Now magazine's issue 143 and they allow designers to publish their patterns independently a few months after the issue so that you don't have that annoying experience of finding a pattern you want to make and not being able to get a copy of it as it's out of print. I know there have been a few patterns I had that experience with so I wanted to make sure it's available to you as soon as possible and The 16th October is the day!
Taking its colour scheme from a seaside holiday view of blue sea, white foam and bright orange buoys, along with a a cheerful wave design and detachable lifebuoy tassel, it's a really summery knit and I've added an extra colourway suggestion and new version of the tassel to the new version of the pattern in case you feel that the bag's summery look isn't quite right for your part of the world.
The wave design is created using a technique called slip stitch colourwork, in which only one colour is used for each row, so it's an ideal make for anyone who likes colourful knitted designs but isn't comfortable managing multiple colour yarns in the same row. The tassel was really fun to make and is designed to be detachable so you can fasten it in different ways according to your preference. It can be attached by a metal loop and thread or made separately as a keyring. You could even make a few extras for gifts or decorations.
The magazine sample was created in Rico Creative Cotton Aran in shades 80, 37 and 74, which was a new yarn to me and had a lovely soft texture to work with. I'll definitely look for that again. The bag has a sturdy base with removable stiffening, so it can carry plenty whilst staying in shape and still be washed easily. It also has a soft, thick shoulder strap that doesn't dig in. Can you tell I'm someone who tends to overfill her handbag!
This festive version was made in a slightly heavier aran cotton yarn so would result in a bigger bag. I was surprised at the difference it made so I would suggest that if you substitute a different yarn for the one in the pattern, you measure up for the stiffening after making up the bag. It wants to be 1cm smaller than the finished base to allow for the bulk of the seams inside.
The pattern is available from my Ravelry store and there will be an introductory discount for the rest of October. You can get a 20% discount code from my Instagram or an even bigger discount code by signing up to my newsletter before the end of October (please allow up to 24 hrs for that to come through as I have to send the newsletter manually for anyone who signs up mid month and will usually do that once a day).
Do let me know if you make the bag. I'm always thrilled when I see that someone has used one of my patterns!