Double Trouble Knot Bag Pattern

The Double Trouble Knot Bag is a knitted Japanese knot bag worked with two strands of yarn held double, resulting in a sturdy, durable fabric and creates a beautiful marled effect. The Japanese knot bag is a practical, everyday accessory that has been cleverly designed to have one long strap and one short strap. To close the bag, simply thread the long strap through the short one, and you can then wear it on your wrist. The Double Trouble Knot Bag pattern is beginner friendly and is easily customisable to suit your preferences.

This pattern has been designed specially for my brand new yarn range Springy, available exclusively at Spotlight stores in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and Malaysia.

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Pattern Info

Skill Level: Confident beginner

Materials: 

• 3 balls of Jaime Creates, Springy in Colour A

• 3 balls of Jaime Creates, Springy in Colour B

• 6-6.5 mm needles 

• Stitch holder

• Tapestry needle

• Scissors

• Measuring tape

Gauge: 14 sts x 23 rows = 10cm x 10cm in stockinette stitch on *6-6.5 mm needles with 2 strands held together.

*The gauge is intentionally very tight so as to ensure the fabric won’t be too stretchy and will maintain its shape/structure when used. Matching gauge (especially stitch gauge) is essential to ensuring your bag’s measurements are correct, so making a gauge swatch is strongly recommended. My sample was knit very tightly on 6.5 mm needles, however some testers struggled to meet gauge and needed to size down to 6 mm.

Finished Measurements: 

Width: 28 cm

Length: 20 cm

Short strap length: 10 cm (folded)

Long strap length: 16 cm (folded)

Strap width: 10 cm

Lengths of both the bag and straps can easily be adjusted to suit your personal preference. 

Abbreviations:

Approx. - Approximately 

BO - Bind off

CO - Cast on

K - Knit

P - Purl

RS - Right side

Sl - Slip

Sts - Stitches

WS - Wrong side

Techniques:

• Casting on and binding off

• Knit stitch and purl stitch

• Picking up stitches

• Vertical and horizontal mattress stitch

Construction:

The bag is worked flat in panels which are then seamed together. You will start by working the first panel. You will then pick up stitches along the cast on edge of the first panel to work the second panel followed by the straps. You will then use the vertical mattress stitch to join the sides of the panels and horizontal mattress stitch to attach the straps to the edge of the first panel. 

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Let's begin!

Panel 1

Using 6-6.5 mm needles and Colours A and B held together, CO 40 sts using your preferred cast on method.

Work 45 rows in stockinette stitch, or until your piece measures 20 cm. Your last row should be a WS row. If you would like your bag to be longer/shorter, work more/less rows to reach your preferred length, and note down how many rows you worked. 

BO all sts.

Panel 2

Attach yarn on RS and pick up 40 sts alongside the CO edge. 

Starting with a WS (purl) row, work 45 rows in stockinette stitch, or until piece measures 20 cm from where you picked up stitches. Make sure you work the same number of rows as you did for panel 1. 

Do not bind off.

Straps

Set up row (RS): Sl1 knit-wise, k13, BO 12 sts, k14.

You will now work across only the last 14 sts to create the short strap. Place the remaining 14 sts on hold as you will come back to them later. 

Repeat the following rows 22 times (for a total of 44 rows), or until your strap measures 20 cm (or to your desired length):

Row 1 (WS): Sl1 purl-wise, p13.

Row 2 (RS): Sl1 knit-wise, k13.

BO all sts. Leave a 20 cm tail to use later for seaming.

Join yarn on the WS to the remaining 14 sts which will become the long strap.

Repeat rows 1 and 2 37 times (for a total of 74 rows), or until your strap measures 32 cm (or to your desired length).

BO all sts. Leave a 20 cm tail to use for seaming.

Seaming

Using a tapestry needle and 2 strands held together, join the side seams of the bag using the vertical mattress stitch.

Then, use the horizontal mattress stitch to seam the straps to the bind off edge of panel 1.

Finishing

Weave in all loose ends.

Congratulations! You’re all done!