Has anyone knitted this tote bag?

#1

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If you are familiar with this pattern I would like to ask you a question. Either l’m missing something or the pattern isn’t clear. Thanks!

#2

What is the name of the pattern?
You can quote a few rows or directions that are confusing if you’d like. Don’t post a large portion of the pattern however due to copyright.

#3

It’s the “Frida Bag”, free on Ravelry. I’ve knitted the base and 10 rows st st in the round. Now it says “ Joining row: Use one dpn to pick up the horizontal strand from the back of the CO row. Place this st on the left hand needle and knit 2 st together. Repeat this pick up and K2tog for the entire round.” I don’t know any other meaning for CO except cast on which doesn’t make sense in this context. The finished result will be a kind of bound edging around the bottom much like piping in sewing. I guess I’ll be joining the stitches on the needle with a loop of yarn on the wrong side causing the ten rows I just knit to fold over forming the bound edge look. Also there are 180 stitches on my needles now per the pattern but the chart only has 90 stitches across so I have to assume the back is just knit solid in the main color. Nothing is ever said about the back. It’s all very vague. I think the pattern is translated from the French which may explain it. Hope you can help. Thanks!

#4

Yes, CO is cast on in this case. You’re right that you’ll be making a tuck or welt at the bottom of the bag.
Here’s a video that may help:

The first photo on the Ravelry page shows the top slightly folded over. The chart is repeated on the back rather than leaving the back a solid color. That way you don’t have to carry long floats all the way across the back of the bag.
https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/fridas-bag

#5

Wow the video helps a lot! Thank you. I’d like to ask another question, since you know way more than I do about this. If I wanted to leave the back solid could I break off the CC and then pick it up again 90 stitches later or would that make a big mess? I was considering a solid back with a patch pocket. Also, I was thinking I would like to knit my initials in the “Frida” space but I’ve never improvised like that. I have a habit of wanting to change a pattern to my own liking and sometimes I get in trouble. Any help would be much appreciated.

#6

Part of the fun of patterns is to change them to what you’d like!
If you cut the CC you’d have 2 ends for every row. Yikes!
Because of the intarsia, you would either have to knit the bag flat and seam it or use a short row technique for intarsia in the round.
And of course, there’s a video:

#7

Well the tuck stitch is coming along nicely. It’s laborious but not hard now that I understand it. That’s so often true with knitting. I’ve decided to improvise the abstract pattern across the back instead of repeating the face. And also try to substitute my initials for Frida. I think it’ll be fun. Thank you so much for clarifying things and helping me decide how I want to make these changes and what’s do-able!!

#8

Hope you post a photo of the finished project. It sounds intriguing.

#9

You know I might do that. I’ve never attempted a project like this before and I’m excited about it. I’m being very careful because I’m making some changes to the chart. So far I’ve knitted as far as the bottom lip. Thanks!