THE EASY POUCH
Your step-by-step guide to making your masterpiece
Hey there, stitch superstar! You’ve got your knitting kit and you've unlocked the secret sauce to making your handy pouch, and we’re excited to be stitching it out with you.
This guide will be your BFF through the entire journey. Whether you’re brand new to knitting or just here for a refresh, we’ll take you from “how do I hold these sticks?” to “look what I made!” — one cosy row at a time.
Heads up! You'll need the physical pattern that came with your knit kit as well as this online guide. The pattern contains the specifics, this guide gives you the extra layer of detail.
INCLUDED IN YOUR KIT
PRACTISE MAKES PERFECT (Or CLOSE ENOUGH!)
Before we dive into the good stuff, let’s warm up those hands and needles. Think of this like stretching before a workout, except comfier, cuter, and way more fun.
Grab some of the yarn from your kit (just a little, you’ve got enough to spare!), and get familiar with the motions. Try out the stitches you’ll be using in this pattern. This is your time to mess it up, try again, and feel things out — no pressure, no judgement, just you and your new fave hobby.
Bonus: practising now = fewer headaches later (trust us on this one).
Slip Stitch
Casting On
Knit Stitch
Casting Off
Repeat after me:
“I solemnly swear to knit bravely, unpick calmly, and pretend I meant to do that.
I accept that chaos is part of the craft, and possibly part of my personality.
I will finish what I start… eventually.”
We’ll knit our pouch in the round which means we use our circular needles and knit continuously in loops. Once you've knitted a tube you'll seam together one end, then plait and add a tie.
Using your 5mm needles, cast on the correct number of stitches.
💭 Your stitches may run down onto the plastic tube connecting your needles.
We begin with a round of knit stitch.
You'll knit every stitch from the left needle onto the right until you make it back to the stitch marker.
Don’t stress if it’s a little fiddly to move your stitches around the needles. It gets easier the longer your piece gets (i.e. the more rounds you complete).
💭 One of the things we found the hardest when we were learning to knit was keeping track of our rounds or rows. Before we were able to easily identify a row of stitches we used a pen and paper to keep track. That's why we've included handy circles in our patterns - you can tick them off as you go.
Complete another 6 rounds of knit stitches.
This is the round where we'll make some little 'holes' that we'll weave the plaited tie in and out of at the end.
You'll repeat a sequence along the round:
- Knit 4 stitches as normal
- Then knit the next two together - to knit two together insert your right needle under two stitches instead of just one, then complete the rest of the knit stitch as normal
- Then yarn over - bring the yarn to the front between the needles, then knit the next stitch as usual. The yarn wraps over the right needle, creating one extra stitch to work on the next row
Now just keep on knitting! Remember to take breaks as you need them. We recommend wine, or chocolate as excellent knitting sustenance.
Cast off your stitches!
When you've got just one stitch left on your right needle, simply cut your yarn from the ball (leaving about 15cm) and thread it back through your last stitch to secure it.
Grab your darning needle- we’re going to seam the bottom of the pouch closed.
First, turn the pouch inside out so the seam will be hidden when it’s finished. Lay the pouch flat and line up the stitches along the cast-off edge, making sure the corners and sides meet evenly.
Thread the yarn tail from the previous step through your darning needle. Beginning at one corner, sew through both layers of the cast-off edge, working evenly across the bottom. Pull the yarn firmly enough to close the gap, but not so tightly that the fabric puckers.
Once the seam is secure, weave the remaining yarn tail into the inside of the pouch and trim any excess. Turn the pouch right side out and gently shape the corners.
Finally, cut three equal lengths of yarn, each approximately 150 cm long. Line up the strands and tie them together with a secure knot at one end. Plait the three strands evenly, keeping the tension firm but relaxed, then tie another knot at the opposite end to stop the plait from unravelling.
Starting from the inside of the bag, weave the plaited tie through all eight eyelet holes, passing it out through one hole and back in through the next. Continue around the bag until both ends of the tie sit evenly at the front. Adjust the gathers, then finish by tying the ends into a bow.
You’re done! Epic work, stitch-star.
When you've completed your set you have the option of blocking them. It can help to make sure the coasters lay flat. For instructions on how to block, visit our blog.
