Half and Half

This project is a tribute to the knitters who love the idea of mitered squares, but are such control freaks that the idea of just assembling various colours and see what happens only happen to make them twitch madly. This is a very tidy mitered squares project for these crazy people.

(Yes, I’m one of them. Hush.)

The project in itself is fairly simple, requires no seaming whatsoever, but it does incorporate a lot of picking up stitches and a bit of stranded knitting for the strap.

And yes, it is exactly, down to the last detail half dark, half light coloured, and makes me think of the icecream tubs that come with half peanutbutter and half chocolate icecream. Except, you know, for the fact that icecream is rarely purple…

Size
Sides: 11 x 12 inches before felting, 9.5 x 8.25 inches after.
Bottom: 14 x 6 inches before felting, 5.5 x 9.5 inches after.
Strap: 53 x 3.5 inches before felting, 44 x 2 inches after.

The bottom is a bit wider to give you a better foundation for picking up stitches, but the sides quickly taper into an even 12 inches wide.

Material
Roughly 350 yards of each colour. The yarns I used are worsted weight, but probably not available in the U.S.

For green:
[CC1] Drops Alaska [100% wool; 82 yd/75 m per 50g skein]; color: Dark green, 52; 4 skeins
[CC2] Drops Alaska [100% wool; 82 yd/75 m per 50g skein]; color: Sage green, 39; 4 skeins

Three skeins are just barely enough if you work the bag without i-cord edging and a flap (don’t ask me how I know this).

For purple:
[CC1] Tuva [100% wool; 60 yd/55 m per 50g skein]; color: Purple, 1941; 5 skeins
[CC2] Tuva [100% wool; 60 yd/55 m per 50g skein]; color: Lavender, 1943; 5 skeins

1 47 inch US #10.5/6.5mm circular needle
1 set(s) US #10.5/6.5mm double-point needles (optional)
2 buttons, circumference 0.75 inch (optional)

Gauge
15 sts/20 rows = 4 inches in stockinette stitch

My swatch was 6 inches wide and 3.25 inches tall before felting, and 4.25 inches wide and 2.5 inches tall after felting. Thus it shrinks 70% width wise, 77% height wise. Your mileage may vary.

Stitch pattern
This pattern incorporates traditional mitered squares, but is worked completely in the round. The original pattern for the mitered square was written by Sarah Bradberry and can be found here.

Directions, strap, gusset and bottom
CO 10 sts with CC1, and then, directly after, another 10 with CC2, preferably using a provinsal. Be sure to twist the strands as you knit the first/last stitch of each colour, so you don’t end up with two separate strips of colour. Work garter stitch, knitting every row until you have a total
of 24 garter ridges on the right side of work. Note that the very first row you knit is a wrong side row.

Switch to stockinette stitch, knitting RS and purling WS of work for a total of 11 inches.

The strap needs to be skinnier than the gusset, so here comes the decreases. You are also switching back to garter stitch.

1 (RS): K1, ssk, k to last 3, k2tog, k1.
2 (RS): K all.

Repeat these two rows until you have a total of 12 sts. Work garter stitch until you have 53 inches from the first garter ridge of the strap and are just about ready to throw yourself off a cliff from boredom. End with a WS row. We now need to increase for the other side of the gusset, which we do as follows:

1 (RS): K1, kfb, k to last 2 sts, kfb, k1
2 (WS): K all.

Repeat these two rows until you have a total of 20 sts. Work stockinette stitch for a total of 11 inches.

Switch to garter stitch, knitting every row until you have 24 garter stitch ridges, just as when you started. Be sure to end with a WS row.

Turn work inside out and do a three needle bind off, purling this row. If you do a knitted cast off you will end up with a rather unsightly gap between the garter ridges.

Directions, sides
Place your work with the side worked in CC1 facing up. Starting at the middle of the bottom, right where you did your three needle bind off, pick up and knit 24 sts with CC1. Turn the corner and pick up 48 sts all the way up the gusset. This will be a bit tricky, because you will have less garter ridges than you need stitches, but it can be done!

With 72 sts on your needle, CO 48 sts using a cable cast on or similar. Follow this up with picking up and knitting another 48 sts down the second side of the gusset, careful not to twist the stitches. Turn the last corner and pick up and knit another 24 sts. You should now be back where you started, and have 192 sts on your needles.

1: K21, ssk, k2tog, k2tog, (k42, ssk, k2tog, k2tog) x 3, k21 (180 sts)
2: K all.
3: K20, ssk, ssk, k2tog, (k39, ssk, ssk, k2tog) x 3, k19 (168 sts).
4: K all.
5: K18, ssk, k2tog, k2tog, (k36, ssk, k2tog, k2tog) x 3, k18 (156 sts)
6: K all.
7: K17, ssk, ssk, k2tog, (k33, ssk, ssk, k2tog) x 3, k16 (144 sts).
8: K all.
9: Change color. K15, ssk, k2tog, k2tog, (k30, ssk, ssk, k2tog) x 3, k15 (132 sts).
10: K all.
11: K14, ssk, ssk, k2tog, (k27, ssk, ssk, k2tog) x 3, k13 (120 sts).
12: K all.
13: K12, ssk, k2tog, k2tog, (k24, ssk, k2tog, k2tog) x 3, k12 (108 sts).
14: K all.
15: Change color. K11, ssk, ssk, k2tog, (k21, ssk, ssk, k2tog) x 3, k10 (96 sts).
16: K all.
17: K9, ssk, k2tog, k2tog, (k18, ssk, k2tog, k2tog) x 3, k9 (84 sts).
18: K all.
19: K8, ssk, ssk, k2tog, (k15, ssk, ssk, k2tog) x 3, k7 (72 sts).
20: K all.
21: Change color. K6, ssk, k2tog, k2tog, (k12, ssk, k2tog, k2tog) x 3, k6 (60 sts).
22: K all.
23: K5, ssk, ssk, k2tog, (k9, ssk, ssk, k2tog) x 3, k4 (48 sts)
24: K all.
25: K3, ssk, k2tog, k2tog, (k6, ssk, k2tog, k2tog) x 3, k3 (36 sts).
26: K all.
27: Change color. K2, ssk, ssk, k2tog, (k3, ssk, ssk, k2tog), k1 (24 sts).
28: K all.
29: Ssk, k2tog, k2tog, repeat to end (12 sts).
30: K all.
31: K2tog, repeat to end (6 sts).
32: K2tog, repeat to end (3 sts).

Pull yarn through remaining stitches and fasten securely. Weave in ends. Repeat this sequence for the other side of work. When you are done you will have a finished bag without having to do any seaming whatsoever.

Directions, flap (optional)
CO 18 sts. Work 10 rows of garter stitch, knitting every row. On the next row:

1 (RS): K7, BO 4, k to end.
2 (WS): k7, CO 4 sts, k to end.

Work garter stitch for another 12 rows. Switch to CC2, and work garter stitch for another 12 rows. Then work the following rows to finish the flap:

1 (RS): K7, BO 3, k to end.
2 (WS): k7, CO 3 sts, k7

Work another 10 rows of garter stitch, knitting every row. BO.

Finishing
I like to work applied i-cord along the edge of my bags before felting them. It gives them a sturdier edge, and makes for a neat finish. Weave in your ends if you haven’t already, and get ready to do some felting!

I put my bag and my flap in two separate zippered pillow cases, and washed them at the same time at 40*C, which I believe is the “low” setting on American washers. Afterwards, pull it out, stuff the bag full of books or similar for weight (wrap them in plastic first!) and make sure to poke out the corners before it dries. Sew the buttons onto the bag and check the button holes; are they too small, cut a tiny bit out with a small pair of scissors.

(And them comment to this entry with a link to your version, I’d love to see it!)