atypically.knit

To classify this little cutie strictly as a dice bag is a bit of a misnomer. Really, it's a small drawstring bag that can hold just about anything - jewelry, spare change, candies. I've even used mine to hold necessities for a night on the town. But... if you want to fill yours with roleplaying dice, that's your own prerogative. ;)

I made mine on smallish needles using a half-ball of mohair left over from a sweater. You can use any yarn at any gauge on any needles - just be aware that, of course, bulky yarn on size 13's will be juuuuuust a mite bigger than sock yarn on size 3's. Since the bag uses so little yarn, it's a great way to use up scraps or showcase a really fantastic novelty fiber. In the end, it's all up to you.

Materials:
40 yards Jaeger Mohair Art (mohair/nylon blend) in black
~10 yards yummy novelty yarn (optional)
US4 double-pointed needles
crochet hook (optional)

Gauge:
6.5 st/1" and 8.5 rows/1" (or, if you're using another yarn/needle combination, whatever suits)

Finished size:
6" high; 9" circumference at opening; 12" circumference at widest point

Knitting:
Cast on 48 sts evenly across DPNs, then join the round, being careful not to twist the cast-on.
K even for 5 rows.
On the next row, *K4, yo, K4, yo, K8, yo, K4, yo, K4* twice.
K even for 3 rows.
Then, inc 2 sts at each seamline (that is, the beginning and midpoint of every round), every fourth row, four times. I used k1b's for the increases, but you can use the increase of your choosing.
K even for 1".
Dec 2sts at each seamline every row (I used k2tog/ssk) until there are 20 sts left on each needle.
Divide stitches evenly over two needles and Kitchener or three-needle-cast-off the bottom.

Finishing:
Single crochet around top edge of bag. (This is optional, but it gives a nicer finished edge at the top.)
Make drawstrings: crochet two chains or knit two lengths of i-cord long enough to circle the mouth of the bag with an inch left at each end (if your gauge matched mine, the magic number is 10"). (If you have scraps of coordinating yarns you want to use up, work them alone or together with the main yarn to spice the bag up a bit. I used a strand of handpainted purple loopy mohair together with the black mohair to add some color to mine.)
Starting at a yarn-over holes nearest a 'seamline' (where you increased and decreased), thread a drawstring back and forth through the holes and tie the ends. Do the same with the other string, but starting from the other side.
Fill up with knickknacks of your choosing. :)

Feedback
The addy is knit(at)atypically.net. Lemme know what you think, even if it hurts.

last modified 07.08.04 - changed page formatting