I designed this messenger bag for the Endangered and Extinct Species Swap in the Geek & Nerd Swap Group on ravelry. I hope that one day I will find the time to make one for myself ;).

Please be aware that these are the notes I took while making that prototype bag rather than a tested pattern. If you find obvious mistakes or need clarification, please feel free to contact me.

The embroidered design on this bag is based on an Archaeopteryx Fossil (the Berlin specimen). Archaeopteryx is thought to have been a transitional genus between feathered dinosaurs and modern birds. They lived around 150 million years ago in the Late Jurassic period.

You will knit this bag in three separate parts and seam them later: the front, the back and flap, and the bottom, sides and straps. The bag is mostly worked in stocking stitch. Additional skills needed are provisional cast-on, decreases (ssk, k2tog, centred double decrease), icord, duplicate stitch (embroidery).

The bag will seem huge before felting, but it will shrink considerably. The bag I made was big enough to hold an A4 folder after felting.

Yarn:
You will need about 420 m (460 yds) of your chosen main colour and 275 m (300 yds) of your contrast colour.

Additional tools:
Crochet Hook (optional)
Darning needle