Arbor Bag in Berroco Pima Soft - Downloadable PDF

Arbor Bag Knitting Pattern by Åsa Buchta – Berroco Pima Soft DK

The Arbor Bag is a beautifully structured, intermediate-level knitted tote bag designed by Åsa Buchta and published by Berroco. Worked in the soft, lustrous Berroco Pima Soft yarn, this pattern produces a sophisticated everyday bag with clean lines, a defined rectangular base, and integrated straps. The finished bag measures approximately 13 inches wide by 14 inches tall, with a 4-inch gusset across the base, making it a practical and stylish accessory with generous capacity.

What Is Being Made

The Arbor Bag is a structured knitted handbag or tote. It features a flat, reinforced bottom, seamlessly joined sides worked in the round, and flat-knitted straps that are seamed at the top for durability and a polished finish. The combination of flat and in-the-round construction gives the bag its three-dimensional, boxy shape.

Construction and Techniques

The construction of the Arbor Bag is thoughtfully sequenced and uses a combination of flat knitting and circular knitting techniques, making it an excellent project for knitters looking to expand their skills beyond simple flat or seamless garments.

• Flat knitting: Two separate bottom panels are worked flat to begin the bag, establishing the base dimensions before the sides are joined.
• Casting on for sides: After the bottom panels are complete, stitches are cast on for the sides of the bag, transitioning the work into the round.
• Circular knitting: The main body of the bag is worked in the round on a 24-inch circular needle, creating a seamless tube for the sides.
• Holding stitches on waste yarn: Stitches are placed on waste yarn during construction, a technique commonly used to keep live stitches accessible for later seaming or continuation.
• Flat strap construction: The straps are separated from the body and worked flat, then seamed at the top for added strength and structure.
• Seaming: Bottom panels and the tops of the straps are seamed together, giving the bag its finished, structured appearance.
• Blocking: Gauge is measured after blocking, and blocking is recommended to achieve accurate finished measurements and to bring out the best qualities of the Pima cotton yarn.

Pattern Stitches and Stitch Techniques

The Arbor Bag features a signature Pattern Stitch that creates a subtle, textured fabric with a woven or basketweave-like quality. This stitch is worked differently depending on whether the knitting is flat or in the round, ensuring the visual result remains consistent throughout the bag.

• Knit stitch: The foundation of the pattern, used on right-side and wrong-side rows in specific sequences.
• Purl stitch: Used in the in-the-round version of the pattern stitch to maintain the correct texture on the public-facing side.
• Slip stitch with yarn in back (sl 1 wyib): A key technique in this pattern, slipping stitches purlwise with the yarn held to the wrong side of the work. This creates elongated, floating strands that contribute to the woven texture of the fabric.
• Slip stitch with yarn in front (sl 1 wyif): Used on wrong-side rows of the flat version of the pattern stitch, creating a mirrored float on the opposite side of the fabric.

The Pattern Stitch worked flat is a four-row repeat worked over an odd number of stitches. Rows 1 and 2 are knit across on both right and wrong sides, while Rows 3 and 4 introduce the alternating slip stitches that build the characteristic texture. The Pattern Stitch worked in the round is a four-round repeat worked over an even number of stitches, with knit and purl rounds alternating with slip-stitch rounds to replicate the same visual effect in circular construction.

Materials and Tools

• Yarn: Berroco Pima Soft, a DK weight yarn, in color #4609 Fossil. Seven