My great niece Auri (the daughter of my niece Sarah who inspired my Sarah Bishop shawl, and the granddaughter of my sister Pamela of my Pamela’s Cottage shawl) was born just as the first hints of Spring began to brighten and warm our chilly New England winter. With her light blonde hair and fair complexion, Auri reminds me of the sun and Springtime, full of growth and energy! When I saw Auri recently during a family celebration, she was running around and around in circles chasing gleefully after her siblings and cousins. Thus she is the inspiration for this little round bag pattern, knit in the colors of early Spring and just the right size for carrying a little girl’s most treasured objects. It’s also the perfect bag to use for tossing in your wallet, keys and phone as you head out for an errand or casual outing.

The entire bag uses only 3 simple stitches, but incorporates some interesting techniques, including felting and the creation of the Baltic braid with two colors. It is finished with a three needle bind-off that joins the two sides of the bag, and the handle is a knitted I-cord using two different colored strands held together. I describe these techniques in the pattern instructions, and there are videos demonstrating the 3 needle bind-off and the I-cord on www.knittinghelp.com.

This bag was knit to have a 9 1/2” diameter before felting and an 8 ½” diameter after felting. It is made with 5 different colorways of Istex Lett-Lopi that I purchased on a trip to Iceland, and I felted it to produce a thickened fabric with a considerable “halo” and a bit of stitch definition. This bag can be a great stash basher, but it is important to use a type of yarn that felts well and to use the same type of yarn for all of your colors. Some other yarns recommended for felting are Cascade 220, Knit Picks Wool of the Andes, Paton’s Classic Merino, and Brown Sheep Lamb’s Pride. You may want to do some experimenting with some different swatches and compare the felting results. You can also vary the size of your bag according to how much you felt and the yarn weight and needle size you choose.

I hope that you enjoy knitting this little bag for one of the special people in your life, whether they be young, old, or yourself! And if you have any questions about the pattern, please email me directly here on Ravelry