One of the easiest ways to use a little bit of leftover yarn in another knitting project is to add stripes. The Lollipop Crossbody Bag from Ainur Berkimbayeva gives you a chance to use leftover yarn (or new yarn for that matter) in several colors, or in one color if you prefer.
Her version shows three contrasting colors but there are six welts, so you could do most of a rainbow, or an ombre with several shades of the same color, or even just a single color or one multicolored yarn to see what would happen.
The pattern has options to work the bag with fingering, sport or DK weight yarn, and I imagine you could do it with worsted as well. It’s written for one size but since it’s worked from the center out you can just keep increasing in the same manner and adding tucks regularly to make the bag whatever size you like.
It also includes the option of adding a zipper and a felt lining to make it more functional as a bag. I also think this one would be fun to try making larger than described and felting it to make it more solid.
The designer suggests a wool yarn or something with good elasticity for making the welts. The original was worked with a wool blend on the welts and a cotton base. It requires between 155 and 185 yards (or 140-170 meters) of yarn depending on the weight of yarn you are using. The pattern includes a video tutorial and a color planner to help you figure out how you want to stripe your welts.
This project looks like a lot of fun and would be a great little summer bag, especially with bright candy colored stripes. You can get the pattern on Ravelry.
[Photo: Ainur Berkimbayeva]
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