Add a bit of Arizona sunshine to your spring routine with this new clutch design that features stranded colorwork cacti and cute embroidered flowers. This is the perfect pattern for anyone hoping to practice their stranded colorwork skills. Plus, the double layers of fabric allow for extra stability, so your bag won’t sag or stretch when in use.
Skill Level: Intermediate
Size: 9” width x 7” height.
Gauge: 28 sts and 24 rows = 4” [10 cm] in stranded pattern.
Materials
Yarn: Stylecraft Special Double Knit (100% Acrylic; 322 yards [294 meters]/100 grams): 1114 Sunshine (MC, 1 ball), 1005 Cream (CC, 1 ball).
Needles: US 4 (3.5 mm) circular needles or dpns.
Notions: Markers, tapestry needle, 6 snaps, sewing needle, sewing thread, several 1-yard / [1 meter] lengths of bright fingering weight yarn.
Special Stitches
Lazy Daisy Stitch
Bring the tapestry needle up, with one of the lengths of bright fingering weight yarn, through the inside of your fabric and then poke down again in the same spot, leaving a small yarn loop poking up through the fabric. Bring your needle back up through the fabric making sure to bring your needle up through the loop at the desired length of the flower petal, bring needle down though the fabric on the outside of the loop and gently pull your thread tight. You will have secured the loop to your fabric. Rotate fabric a quarter and repeat, continuing in the same manner until you have 4 petals. Cut yarn and weave in ends.
Pattern Notes
The clutch is worked as one long tube. The top end is Kitchener stitched closed and the other sides are seamed shut to create the bag’s shape.
Pattern
Section 1
With MC, CO 122 sts, join for working in the rnd, taking care not to twist sts.
Rnd 1: Joining CC, work Rnd 1 of Chart A 5 times, pm, p1 with MC, pm, work Rnd 1 of Chart A 5 times, pm, p1 with MC.
Rnd 2: Work next rnd of Chart A 5 times, sm, p1 with MC, sm, work next rnd of Chart A 5 times, sm, p1 with MC.
Cont as established until Chart A has been worked 3 times, then work Rnds 1-3 once more.
Section 2
Rnds 1-3: Work Rnds 14-16 of Chart B 5 times, sm, p1 with MC, sm, work Rnds 14-16 of Chart B 5 times, sm, p1 with MC.
Rnd 4: Work Rnd 1 of Chart B 5 times, sm, p1 with MC, sm, work Rnd 1 of Chart B 5 times, sm, p1 with MC.
Rnd 5: Work next rnd of Chart B 5 times, sm, p1 with MC, sm, work next rnd of Chart B 5 times, sm, p1 with MC.
Cont as established until Chart B has been worked 3 times.
Section 3
Rnd 1: Work Rnd 1 of Chart C 5 times, sm, p1 with MC, sm, work Rnd 1 of Chart C 5 times, sm, p1 with MC.
Rnd 2: Work next rnd of Chart C 5 times, sm, p1 with MC, sm, work next rnd of Chart D 5 times, sm, p1 with MC.
Cont as established until Chart C and D each have been worked once.
Remove m and Kitchener stitch closed.
Assembly
Lightly steam rectangle into shape, ensuring that the purled columns at the side of the rectangle are aligned vertically. Be very careful not to steam to vigorously as this may kill the acrylic!
Embroider on Lazy Daisy Stitch flowers using 1-yard lengths of fingering yarn and tapestry needle. Weave in any ends.
Fold clutch into shape so that all the cacti are upright. Fold between Sections 1, 2, and 3.
With the front of the Clutch facing, on the left side, pick up 102 sts on the outside of the purl columns (on the back of the clutch), beginning at the start of Section 1 (the cast on edge), towards the end of section 2. Kitchener stitch together. On the right side of Clutch, pick up 102 sts on the outside of the purl columns (on the back of the clutch), starting from the end of section 2 and working towards the beginning of section 1 (the cast on edge). Kitchener stitch together.