Hello fellow crafters! Today I will be showing you my very first super basic machine knit pattern which is a diaper clutch – basically a small bag to hold a few nappies (for us Brits) and a packet of baby wipes. As part of my new collection (launched in March 2019) I created a batch of baby essentials and accessories and this bag is one of those pieces.
I got my first knitting machine for Christmas 2018 and I am absolutely in love with it! It has made those bigger projects quicker and the smaller projects go by in a flash. Don’t get me wrong I still love to knit by hand but this is just another tool in my ever increasing stash box.
This pattern is designed for a standard knitting machine with a 4.5 mm bed. Forgive me if you are an experienced machine knitter and the pattern configuration is different to how it is usually presented, I’ve just written out the pattern that makes to a complete beginner (me) who made need a little more instruction. 😊
I’m using a KnitMaster 323 model which is very similar to Brother and Silver Reed machines.
Materials Needed:
- 4ply yarn or your favorite light DK weight yarn
- Snap fastner
- Notions: scissors, pins and tapestry needle
Pattern Instructions:
Gauge is not particularly important here so if you need to adjust your tension to get a better fabric on your machine then please feel free to do so.
Brake tension: 3
Carriage tension: 7
Start by bringing out 70 needles (L35, R35) with your carriage on the right and do a close edge cast on – I used the e-wrap. Hang your cast on comb. Make sure your row counter is set to 000.
Knit until fabric measures approximately 14” or you have 180 rows. Now it is time to cast off which you can do from either side of the carriage so make sure you are in your favoured position before doing so – an extra row wont hurt if you prefer casting off from the left.
To cast off I prefer to do the crochet cast off behind the gate posts. I have left a video here by June Clark that demonstrates various cast on and cast off techniques – it’s very informative and worth the watch.
Now that your fabric is off the needles it’s time to grab your sewing needle and pins to begin the construction of the bag.
Fold the top 2.5” down and pin in place to form the inner flap of the clutch.
Fold the bottom (approximately) 5” so that the outer flap overlaps the inner flap slightly. Sew sides together for both flaps ensuring that you catch the overlap so that you’re sewing through three layers at the joining.
The snap fastner will be sewn in the middle of each flap (approximately 5.25” in from each edge) if you are just using one so that they meet neatly when closing. If you are using multiple snap fastners then just space them evenly.
So there you have if, one fully formed and easy to knit clutch bag. I have found that the edges tend to roll but if you intend to use it as a diaper/baby wipes bag it’s perfect as it allows you to easily grab the bag and open with one hand.
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