What does every good knitter need? Yarn, good light, yarn, friends and relatives who value hand-knitted gifts, yarn, storage space, yarn, needles, yarn… What does every good Discworld Assassin need? Aristocratic birth, good contacts, climbing ability, ruthlessness, black clothing of the highest quality, plenty of concealed weapons… Ah! Assassins carry thin pointy objects around with them at all times, so do knitters. Bingo.

This pointy stick case was created for the Ankh Morpork Knitter’s Guild swap in 2009. I entered as an Alchemist, my swap partner as an Assassin. If you choose to keep anything other than knitting needles in it, that is entirely your affair and I shall not be held liable for the consequences.

The case has a linen stitch body and faux-smocked border, creating a densely textured fabric. The design on the flap is the alchemical symbol for Night – this pattern is charted.

The pattern can be easily adapted for different yarn and a wider or narrower case, although a different charted pattern may need to be substituted if you are changing stitch numbers. As long as you cast on an odd number of stitches initially, you will be able to work the faux-smocking by increasing 1 stitch as you finish the linen stitch section.

You will need:

• Black DK yarn (any, as long as it’s a matt black – Assassins don’t want to carry anything shiny that might give them away)

• 3mm circular needle & 2.5mm dpns (for cast-on & setup)

• 3.5mm circular needle

• Cable needle (optional)

• 1m black ribbon, width 1.5 inches

• Embroidery needle

• Pins

• Black thread