Note: This pattern is no longer in print. An updated version entitled “Whorl’d Tree v2” is available in the new revision of my original book. For more info, visit Extreme Double-Knitting: Revised Edition.

From the pattern:

I’ve been wanting to do something with whorl patterns on it for a while. The challenge of a 3-color whorl (on a background of a fourth color) in a 4-direction matrix appealed to me. After some swatching, it became clear that any 4-color double-knit fabric would become both thick and inflexible. I could deal with the thickness by going down in yarn and needle sizes, but the flexibility issue was not going to be easy to solve. So I thought about items where the inflexible fabric was an asset, and settled on a bag. I toyed with various designs before deciding on a bottom-up oblong shoulder bag. This also gave me a chance to use the gorgeous but inflexible decorative bind-off where people would actually see it, along the outer rim of the bag and the long edge of the flap.

I see the design as a sort of stylized impression of a forest from inside: the brown of the roots, the green of the canopy, all tied together with the blue of the water that keeps it all alive.