Flower basket shoulder bag

Flower Basket Shoulder Bag by Dorothy Shaw

Project Overview

The Flower Basket Shoulder Bag is an intermediate-level knitting project designed as a downloadable PDF pattern. This shoulder bag combines a structured basket-weave construction with decorative knitted flowers, creating a textured and visually interesting accessory suitable for everyday wear.

What Is Being Made

This project produces a functional shoulder bag featuring a front panel with an integrated basket-weave texture. The bag is designed to be worn across the shoulder and is finished with toggle closures for secure fastening. The decorative element includes knitted flowers worked in contrasting yarn colors, adding visual interest to the completed piece.

Primary Techniques and Stitches

Diagonal Basket-Weave Stitch: The main construction technique for this bag uses a diagonal basket-weave stitch, which creates a textured, three-dimensional surface. This stitch is worked over a repeating pattern that involves slipping stitches onto a cable needle and crossing them over active stitches to form the characteristic woven appearance.

Stitch Pattern Details: The diagonal basket-weave is created through a four-row repeat:

• Row 1: Knit 2 stitches, then repeat a cable cross (slip 2 stitches to cable needle and hold to back, knit 2 from left-hand needle, then knit 2 from cable needle) across the row, ending with knit 2
• Row 2: Purl across
• Row 3: Slip 2 stitches to cable needle and hold in front, knit 2 from left-hand needle, then knit 2 from cable needle, repeating to the end of the row
• Row 4: Purl across

This alternating cable cross pattern—switching between holding stitches to the back and to the front—creates the diagonal visual effect characteristic of basket-weave textures. The bag front is worked until it reaches approximately 18 centimeters in length.

Flower Elements: Decorative flowers are incorporated into the design using scraps of contrasting yarn colors. These flowers add dimensional embellishment to the finished bag.

Materials and Specifications

Yarn: The main bag body is worked in 100 grams of heavy acrylic Aran-weight yarn. Aran-weight yarn (also called worsted or medium weight) provides structure and drape suitable for a bag construction. Additional scraps of double-knitting or Aran-weight wool in various colors are used to create the decorative flowers, allowing for creative color combinations.

Needles and Notions: The pattern requires a pair of 5mm single-pointed needles for the main fabric and a cable needle for executing the cable crosses that form the basket-weave texture. Two 3.5-centimeter toggles serve as the closure mechanism for the bag.

Gauge: The tension is approximately 26 stitches and 27 rows per 10 centimeters when worked on 5mm needles in the diagonal basket-weave stitch. Achieving proper gauge is essential for the bag to reach its intended finished dimensions.

Construction Details

The bag front begins with casting on 76 stitches, providing a substantial width for the shoulder bag. The diagonal basket-weave stitch is then worked continuously until the piece measures approximately 18 centimeters, measured from the cast-on edge. The pattern is worked in complete four-row repeats, with the final row being a purl row before casting off.

The use of cable needle techniques throughout the pattern requires intermediate knitting skills, as managing multiple stitches on the cable needle while maintaining consistent tension is necessary for even, professional-looking results. The alternating direction of the cable crosses (back and front) creates the distinctive diagonal movement in the fabric.