Maine Harbor Bag

My two loves- knitting (duh) and nautical- combined in one project. Using the international maritime signal flag alphabet, the front of the bag says “KNIT” and the back says “PURL.”

Skills Needed: Long tail cast on, working from a colorwork chart, intarsia, casting on to the end of a row with either backwards loop or cable cast on, applied i-cord bind off (instructions are given), seaming, sewing a straight seam with a sewing machine, sewing in a zipper (instructions are given in the pattern), hand stitching with needle and thread.

Construction: The flags are worked using the intarsia method. Front and back are worked separately, then seamed at the sides and bottom. The top edges of each piece are finished with applied i-cord for a tidy finish. To prevent needles from poking through the knitted fabric, the bag is lined with cotton fabric, and closes with a zipper to keep all your notions inside. Instructions are given for making the fabric lining and sewing in the zipper.