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First of all, if you do not know how to do a cable, I suggest you learn how to do one (or at least understand the concept of how to do a cable) before attempting to do this clutch. If you need help, there is an online video (courtesy of Knitting Help) you can view.

I knitted it up until the desired length.

A close-up of the cable (I used a needle top from my Boye Needlemaster set)

I bought dowels and used a handsaw to cut it to the right size. Then I used a pencil sharpener to sharpen the ends, and then I stained it a dark rosewood color.

Sewing it up together and put on a ribbon - tada!

Here’s the back.

A top view so you can see the lining and the handles and the magnet buttons.

So here’s how I did it - I took info from a KR thread and slightly tweaked it to my own makeshift specifications:

Materials: 1 ball of Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick (80% Acrylic/20% Wool); 2 wooden dowels (each 6-7 inches long); hot glue; 1.5 yards of ribbon

Needles: #13 straights, cable needle

Pattern:
Cast on 34 stitches. (I used a super bulky weight yarn - but if you want to use worsted weight, cast on 48 sts, and do a total of 3 cables instead of 2.)

Row 1 - p2 (k2, p2, k8, p2), repeat between (parentheses) one more time for a total of 2 cables, ending with k2, p2.

Row 2 - k2 (p2, k2, p8, k2), repeat between (parentheses) one more time for a total of 2 cables, ending with p2, k2.

Alternate these two rows until you get the length desired. EXCEPT do a cable crossing (cross 4 sts; I’ve put in bold where to cross) every 10 rows - on rows 6, 16, 26, 36, etc. to desired length, and end bag with 5 rows after the last cable crossing, then bind off. (I did a total of 41 rows, and my bag is 9 inches wide and 6-ish inches tall) Fold it in half, sew up the side seams, leaving 2 inches or so at the top so you will be able to open the bag.

I put in a lining, magnet button closure, and weaved a ribbon around the bag and tied it in the front. I also sewed the dowels to the bag by passing my yarn needle through one stitch, around the dowel, and through the next stitch, all the way across. Then I glued each side of the dowel to the last stitch of either side so the stitches don’t slide off the dowel. But if you prefer handles (you can find them at your local craft store), you can easily attach handles the same way.

Note: I used Lion Brand’s Wool-Ease Thick & Quick because it was the cheapest super bulky yarn around. I think in the future, for any kind of bag/purse, I’d recommend a bulky yarn of a cotton blend instead.

Related Links:
Cabled Clutch