Knitting Pattern: Lifeline Pocket Purse

I'm a mom and for 17 years my family called my purse the "Big Bag of Everything". I was like Mary Poppins. If you needed a tissue, it was in my purse. Need a pen? In my purse. Bandage, ibuprofen, reusable shopping bag, nail file, eye drops, lip balm. They were all in my purse and there was still ample room to hold everyone else's stuff, too.

Now that the nest is empty, I can finally downsize my "Big Bag of Everything" to a much more convenient "Little Bag of Necessities". It is so nice to carry just what I need instead of what the whole world needs.

With that in mind I designed this pattern to hold just the basics when you are on the go. It's approximately 4 3/8 inches wide x 6 ½ inches deep.

Many thanks to Endless Leather for providing the fantastic silk cord and jewelry findings to complete this purse. Also, thanks to my Facebook followers for helping me name this pattern.

Materials

1 skein finger/sock weight yarn
US 2 (2.75 mm) dpns or short circular needles
taoestry needle
1 - ¾ inch button
needle and thread
1-2 m of 4 mm diameter silk cord (shown in truffle)
2 - 17mm stainless steel circle clasps
2 - 4 mm stainless steel end cups
2 - 8 mm stainless steel jump rings
2 small sets of pliers
G-S Hypo Cement

Abbreviations

CO - cast on
k - knit
p - purl
RS - right side
WS - wrong side
ssk - slip two stitches individually knitwise, then knit the two stitches together through the back loops
k2tog - knit 2 stitches together

Shingle Stitch Chart

Directions

Bag

The bag is worked in the round with the right side facing.

CO 80 across 4 dpns or short circular needles leaving a long (approx. 24 inch) tail.

Work the Shingle Stitch in rounds, following the chart, until the piece measures 6 ½ inches from the cast on edge, ending after either Rnd 6 or Rnd 12.

Bind off 40 sts.

Flap

The flap of the purse is worked flat over 30 rows following the stitch chart. Make sure to read your work as you decrease the sides of the flap to maintain the pattern.

Rows 1-4: Work piece even maintaining the charted stitch pattern. (40 sts)
Row 5: Ssk, work pattern as charted to last 2 sts, k2tog. (38 sts)
Rows 6-9: Work piece even maintaining the charted stitch pattern. (38 sts)
Row 10: Ssk, work pattern as charted to last 2 sts, k2tog. (36 sts)
Rows 11-13: Work piece even maintaining the charted stitch pattern. (36 sts)
Row 14: Ssk, work pattern as charted to last 2 sts, k2tog. (34 sts)
Rows 15-17: Work piece even maintaining the charted stitch pattern. (34 sts)
Row 18 (Button Hole Row): Ssk, work pattern as charted for 13 sts, bind off 4 sts, work pattern as charted to last 2 sts, k2tog. (14 sts, buttonhole gap, 14 sts)
Row 19: Work piece even maintaining the charted stitch pattern for 14 sts, co 4 sts, continue maintaining the charted stitch pattern for 14 sts. (32 sts)
Row 20: Work piece even maintaining the charted stitch pattern. (32 sts)
Row 21: Ssk, work pattern as charted to last 2 sts, k2tog. (30 sts)
Rows 22-23: Work piece even maintaining the charted stitch pattern. (30 sts)
Row 24: Ssk, work pattern as charted to last 2 sts, k2tog. (28 sts)
Row 25: Work piece even maintaining the charted stitch pattern. (28 sts)
Row 26: Ssk, work pattern as charted to last 2 sts, k2tog. (26 sts)
Row 27: Work piece even maintaining the charted stitch pattern. (26 sts)
Rows 28-30: Ssk, work pattern as charted to last 2 sts, k2tog. (Rnd 28: 24 sts, Rnd 29: 22 sts, Rnd 30: 20 sts)

Bind off.

	Join the bottom of the cast on edge with the yarn tail using a tapestry needle.
	Position the button and stitch it on using a needle and thread.

Assembling the Strap

Attach the circle clasps to either side of the bag about 6 rows down from the bound off edge.

Cut the silk cord to the desired strap length minus ¾-inch. (If you plan to carry your purse over one shoulder, you will need 28-36 inches of cord. For a cross-body strap, plan on using 48-54 inches of cord. As shown, the silk cord was cut to 28 inches.) Be careful so the cord does not fray after it's cut.

	Place a generous dot of G-S Hypo Cement into one end cup. You can even add a little glue around the tip of the silk cord. Tip: If you don't use enough glue, the cord will slide out of the end cup the first time you use your purse.
	Insert one end of the cord into the end cup. It is helpful to slightly twist the cord in the direction that it tightens as you push it into the end cup. It's ok if some glue oozes out. Simply use a damp cloth to clean the outside of the end cup and the silk cord before the glue starts to dry.