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How-to: Knit Puffball Clutch

November 26, 2012 Leave a Comment

The holidays are upon us, and it’s officially handmade gift crunch time. If you want a super cute and relatively easy gift for a friend, I’ve got a knitting project for you. This clutch is going to be my new go-to accessory for wintry outings, and it dresses up or down with a lot of my wardrobe staples like a little black dress or a cute outfit with jeans and boots. Read on, even if you don’t knit, because I’ve also got a non-knitting variation on this project for those who aren’t confident knitters!

How-to: Knit Bauble Clutch | HandsOccupied.com

Supplies

1 skein 100% wool yarn

1 magnetic purse closure

small amount of felt

yarn needle

knitting needles

scissors

fabric punch (I used a crop-a-dile.)

Directions

I used some yarn from my stash at home called Debbie Bliss Donegal Chunky Tweed for this project. I used the recommended size needles, US 10.5.

How-to: Knit Bauble Clutch | HandsOccupied.com

Knitting Pattern

Cast on 32 sts

Rows 1, 3, 5, 7: P across

Rows 2 & 6: K across

Row 4: K2, (K4, turn, P4, turn) twice, K12, (K4, turn, P4, turn) twice, K12, (K4, turn, P4, turn) twice, K6

Row 8: K8, (K4, turn, P4, turn) twice, K12, (K4, turn, P4, turn) twice, K12

Repeat the above pattern until your work is 16 inches long. Cast off. My finished rectangle measured 9 inches wide by 16 inches long. Set aside at least two yards of extra yarn for sewing later on.

This pattern was inspired by the Puffball Pattern found in The Step-by-Step Needlecraft Encyclopedia by Judy Brittain. You can also do a simple stockinette stitch (knit one row, purl one row, etc.) if you’re not comfortable with knitting the puffballs or don’t like the look. 

How-to: Knit Bauble Clutch | HandsOccupied.com

Non-knitting alternative

Hit up the thrift store. Buy a chunky dude sweater, shrink it in the washer, and cut out a rectangle that’s 9×16 inches. Ta da! (But really, remember to shrink it. Otherwise it will unravel everywhere.)

Moving on…

Once your hand knit or faux knit piece is ready, cut a rectangle of felt that’s 1/4 inch shorter on all sides than the knit piece. Mine was 8.75 x 15.75 inches.

How-to: Knit Bauble Clutch | HandsOccupied.com

Using a fabric punch or very fine scissors, punch holes all the way around your piece of felt.

How-to: Knit Bauble Clutch | HandsOccupied.com

If you’re using the same kind of magnetic purse closure as I did, you’ll want to use your fabric punch one more time to punch holes where you’d like your closure to be on the felt. Attach closure as shown.

How-to: Knit Bauble Clutch | HandsOccupied.com

How-to: Knit Bauble Clutch | HandsOccupied.com

Thread some of your extra yarn onto your yarn needle. Align your felt over the wrong side/back of your knit piece. Sew the felt to your knit piece using the punched holes and natural gaps in your yarn, all the way around the whole rectangle. Since the yarn you’re sewing with is the same color as the knit piece, the sewing doesn’t have to be seamstress quality.

How-to: Knit Bauble Clutch | HandsOccupied.com

When you’ve finished sewing and woven in all of your yarn ends, fold your clutch in half, letting the magnetic closure click into place. If you’re using some other kind of closure, now is the time to button it, snap it, etc.

How-to: Knit Bauble Clutch | HandsOccupied.com

Sew straight down the left and right sides of the clutch to complete it.

How-to: Knit Bauble Clutch | HandsOccupied.com

Sew over the last inch a couple times before tying off to reinforce near the folded end. This is a good idea since most of your bag’s contents will find its way to the bottom as you use it.

How-to: Knit Bauble Clutch | HandsOccupied.com

I love my knit clutch so far – it’s cute and it holds a ton despite its compact size. I’m also working on a cowl that uses a variation on this puffball knitting pattern that I’ll share with you soon.

How-to: Knit Bauble Clutch | HandsOccupied.com

PS: You can easily add a handle or strap to this bag if clutches aren’t your thing.

Filed Under: DIY Style, Free Patterns, How-to, Knitting, Knitting & Crochet Tagged With: accessories, bauble, clutch, Knitting, purse, wool

About Heidi

Heidi Gustad (she/her) is a craft book author & designer specializing in yarn crafts. Her work combines vintage and modern design elements, prioritizing color and graphic motifs. Her first book, Latch Hook: 12 Projects for the Modern Maker, is out now.

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Heidi Gustad from Hands Occupied / Craft Book Author and Knitting, Crochet, Latch Hook and Macrame Designer

Hi! I’m Heidi (she/her/hers), and I’ve been helping yarn crafters untangle various techniques on the internet since 2010. I got my start here, as a blogger, and since then I’ve shared more than a few tutorials here and on YouTube as I’ve grown as a pattern designer. 🧶 

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Heidi Gustad 🧶 knitting & yarn crafts

handsoccupied

Knitting & yarn crafts designer 🧶
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Stay up-to-date 💌 & shop new patterns ⤵️

POV: Showing you how my new Bevelled Tank pattern POV: Showing you how my new Bevelled Tank pattern fits with no ease vs. 4” of positive ease. There’s a bit more length to the cotton (brighter color) sample, but both are cropped and feature shoulder seams designed to sit an inch back onto the shoulder instead of on top, giving it a little swing. Length is easily adjustable for folks looking for less of a crop. 
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Pattern: Bevelled Tank by @handsoccupied for @pompommag x @hobbii_yarn summer 2024. Available for free from Hobbii at the 🔗 in my profile.
Yarn pictured: @kelbournewoolens Skipper and Camper. 
Dress form is adjusted to a 36” chest and ~5’3”ish in height. 
Human has a 40” chest and is 5’5”.
Both skirts are vintage.
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#pompomxhobbiisummer2024 #handsoccupied #intarsia #handmade #knitting #colorwork
Let’s talk about fit and ease! . During the Beve Let’s talk about fit and ease!
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During the Bevelled Tank design process for @pompommag, I knit 2 samples using 2 different @KelbourneWoolens yarns. One was in Skipper (100% cotton, second photo) and the other was in Camper (100% 2 ply wool). The Skipper sample was knit for a 36” bust, which measures in at 40” with 4” of positive ease. And I knit the Camper Sample for my 40” bust with a 44” finished measurement. (BTW, I’m 5’5” for folks that find that measurement helpful in visualizing fit.)
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Based on the size chart for the Bevelled Tank, that means I knit one size 3 sample and one size 4. As designed, I conveniently fit a size 4 as intended with 4” of positive ease. When I wear the 3, there is no ease at all because the garment and my body are both 40” in size. Comparing the 2 garments, you can see how the fiber content (cotton vs. wool) and fit (no ease vs. 4” of positive ease) makes a difference in the look and feel of the finished garment. 
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These samples are a great way to compare what ease looks like on different bodies. While I can fit both a size 3 and 4, the garment with no ease feels more like pajamas or a bralette when I wear it. On the other hand, when I wear the one with 4” of positive ease, I feel comfortable enough to wear it to work, even as a crop top. Plus, it leaves me with enough room to layer it with a nice button down if I’m not feeling the cropped look one day. 
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I’m curious - how would you style this tank? Would you modify it with a few stockinette rows for added length? I’m so curious now that this pattern is finally out in the world. :) 
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#pompomxhobbiisummer2024 #bevelledtank #handsoccupied #knitting #intarisa #handmade #kelbournewoolens #croppedsweater #summerknits
After a 6 month hiatus, I am happy to say I’m ba After a 6 month hiatus, I am happy to say I’m back with a brand new pattern in 9 sizes, and it’s FREE as part of @pompommag x @hobbii_yarn’s summer design collection! (Link is in my bio.)
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In my December newsletter, I announced that I was soliciting test knitters for a pattern that had originally been selected for the summer ’24 issue of Pom Pom Quarterly magazine. However, the magazine ceased publication after its spring ’24 issue, leaving in-progress designs unpublished. (It happens.) As a result, I’d begun the long process of editing, testing, and photographing the pattern for independent release through the Hands Occupied pattern shop and Ravelry.
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Before I was done with that process, Pom Pom Quarterly’s former editors reached out with an exciting proposal for the pattern. Post-magazine, they’ve begun to partner with yarn companies to produce high quality pattern collections. They wanted to include designs from the would-be current issue of Pom Pom Quarterly in a new collection for Hobbii yarn, including my Bevelled Tank. I worked with the same technical editors I would have for the magazine on this one, and as you can see from the photos, Pom Pom’s team did an amazing job of styling the garment to the beautiful standards they’re known for.
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You can learn more about the pattern on my blog and get the free pattern from Hobbii yarn - links to both in my profile. I’ll post sizing info in the comments for quick reference too. 🧶
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#pompomxhobbiisummer2024 #knitting #intarsia #sponsored #colorworkknitting 
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Photos: @dianascarrunz 
Model: @angel.jade_
Here’s a nice throwback for you: my take on a vi Here’s a nice throwback for you: my take on a vintage knitting pattern from 1938 called the Fernlace Pullover. A pattern so nice, I knit it twice.
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Blue version 💙: knit with @eweeweyarns Ewe So Sporty in Sky Blue. Paired with the 1940s Boardwalk Duet sewing pattern from @decades_of_style 
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Image descriptions available in alt text. 
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#handsoccupied #handmadewardrobe #fernlacepullover #vintageknitting #vintageknittingpatterns #knitting_inspiration
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P.S. I did like this design concept, but to make the pattern more knitter friendly as well as more wearable, I am making some tweaks to the construction. Excited to share when it’s ready! 🥰🧶
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Yarn: @blueskyfibers Woolstok North in Morning Frost & Highland Fleece 
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#handsoccupied #knitting #frogging #blueskyfibers #knittersofinstagram #blueskymakers #knittingvocabulary #bsfmakers #knitdesign
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