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German Knitting-Bag (1850): vintage crochet pattern
A cylindrical knitting bag in stripes of four greens, three puce shades and black Berlin wool, worked in single crochet through both loops, with round ends, a striped handle, buttonholes and a morocco-leather lining. Originally published as "German Knitting-Bag" in The Lady's Album of Fancy Work for 1850 by Not printed (the Address names only “the Publishers of.
By the crochetpatterns.io editorial team · Updated · Editorial policy · pattern testing in progress
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Skill level | Intermediate |
| Yarn weight | Super fine (#1) |
| Yardage | As printed: 3 skeins of each shade and 4 skeins of black (skein length not printed). |
| Hook | 3.25 mm |
| Gauge | Not printed. Work to the size of the article. |
| Finished size | Body foundation chain 9 in (23 cm) long; handle chain 14 in (36 cm). Other measurements not printed. |
| Time | about 6 hours |
Materials
- Fingering-weight (CYC #1) soft wool, approximating four-thread Berlin wool: 3 skeins each of four shades of green and three shades of puce, and 4 skeins of black (skein size not printed)
- A pair of tassels in matching colours
- ¼ yd (23 cm) of soft leather (period: morocco) or sturdy fabric for the lining
- 2 buttons; optional gimp braid for the end seams
- Tapestry needle for weaving in ends
- Hook: Start with 3.25 mm (US D-3) and adjust to suit your yarn; no gauge is printed.
Yarn Kit & Substitution Options
This pattern calls for 350 yards of weight #1 yarn. Select a suggested yarn to see required skeins and estimated cost:
Knit Picks Stroll Sock · 75% Superwash Merino, 25% Nylon
231 yds per skein · Durable stitch definition, machine washable
2 skeins required
approx. $$13.98 total
Abbreviations (US terms)
- chain
- single crochet
- stitch
- stitches
- round
- row
- repeat
- skip
Notes before you start
- Source: "German Knitting-Bag", The Lady's Album of Fancy Work for 1850, Not printed (the Address names only “the Publishers of the Lady's Album of Fancy-Work”), 1850. Public domain in the USA.
- As printed — materials: Green and puce Berlin wool (four shades of green and three of puce), three skeins of each shade, and four skeins of black wool. One pair of tassels of corresponding colours, and a quarter of a yard of morocco leather for lining, will also be required. Gauge: Not given.
- Modernisation note: Stitch names converted to modern US terms strictly by the book's own “Explanation of the Various Terms used in Crochet”, not by modern UK usage: “double crochet” / “close double crochet” / “d c” = sc; “single crochet” / “single” / “s c” = sl st; “long stitch” / “long” / “l s” = dc; “double long stitch” / “d l s” = tr; “treble long stitch” / “t l s” = dtr; “chain” / “c s” = ch; “single open crochet” = dc, ch 1, sk 1; “chain-stitch open crochet” = ch loops (5 or another odd number) joined into every 3rd st, then into the centre of each loop below; “three chain crochet” = the same with ch-3 loops; “miss” = sk; “unite” = join (the joining stitch is not named). Note that the book's “double crochet” is a modern sc and its “single crochet” a modern sl st.
- Modernisation note: “Plain” is not defined in the book. It is written as sc throughout this design. Check: some period books meant a sl st by “plain stitch”; compare with the engraving.
- Modernisation note: Period wording modernised: “needle” / “tambour-needle” written as “hook”; “commence” as “begin”; “cotton” / “thread” as “thread”; “receipt” as “directions”. Round and row numbers are kept as printed.
- Modernisation note: Printed paragraphs split into one step per row, round or instruction; no stitches, counts or rows added, removed or reordered. Words in square brackets or marked “Check:” are ours.
- Modernisation note: Berlin wool was a fine, soft worsted-spun wool. Four-thread Berlin wool is approximated as fingering weight (CYC #1), eight-thread or “double” Berlin wool as sport to DK weight (CYC #2–3). “Shaded” wool changes gradually from light to dark along the strand (modern ombré or self-striping yarn). Where the thread count is not printed, four-thread is assumed. Check: approximate.
- Modernisation note: No hook size and no gauge is printed. The modern starting hook is an approximate suggestion only.
- Modernisation note: Colour swatches are approximate modern readings of the period colour names; they are not in the book. “Drab” is a dull greyish brown; “puce” a dark purplish brown; “cerise” a deep cherry pink; “geranium” a bright scarlet-pink.
- Modernisation note: Metric conversions added.
- Modernisation note: Check: “Work five stripes with each colour” is kept as printed. It is read as working the colour sequence (black, greens, black, puces) until there are five stripes of each; the book does not say whether the bag ends with black, although the buttonholes are placed in “the last row but one of black”.
- Modernisation note: Check: the book does not say whether rows are turned or begun afresh at the same end.
- Modernisation note: Check: “increasing always in the same stitch” for the ends is read as placing each increase above the increase of the round below.
- Modernisation note: Check: “increasing in every stitch” written as 2 sc in each st; the book does not say how to increase.
Row progress: 0 of 3 done (0%)
Stitches
0 of 3 done- Double crochet (book's definition): “having made a chain, pass the needle through the first loop on the chain, draw the cotton through the loop, there will now be two loops on the needle, through these draw the cotton.” = single crochet (sc). “Close double crochet” = sc worked in every st with no chain between.Mark row complete
- The book adds for this design: work in “double-stitch crochet, passing the hook through both the upper and under loop of the stitch of the preceding row” = sc through both loops of the st below.Mark row complete
- “Plain” (plain stitch, plain crochet) is not defined in the book; it is the stitch that joins the loops of chain-stitch open crochet, and elsewhere an ordinary short stitch. It is written here as sc. Check: a sl st may have been meant; compare the engraving.Mark row complete
Working on:
Double crochet (book's definition): “having made a chain, pass the needle through the first loop on the chain, draw the cotton through the loop, there will now be two loops on the needle, through these draw the cotton.” = single crochet (sc). “Close double crochet” = sc worked in every st with no chain between.
Continue this pattern
The rest of the German Knitting-Bag (1850) pattern is in the Vintage Crochet Hats, Bags & Accessories
Still to come in the full pattern:
- Body
- Ends (make 2)
- Handle
- Finishing
Included with 202 patterns for $12 — $0.06 per pattern.
Errata
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Frequently asked questions
Where is the German Knitting-Bag pattern from?
It was published as "German Knitting-Bag" in The Lady's Album of Fancy Work for 1850 by Not printed (the Address names only “the Publishers of the Lady's Album of Fancy-Work”) in 1850. The publication is in the public domain in the United States; this version is transcribed and modernised by crochetpatterns.io.
What yarn or thread do I need for the German Knitting-Bag?
super fine (#1) yarn. As printed: 3 skeins of each shade and 4 skeins of black (skein length not printed).
What hook should I use?
Start with 3.25 mm (US D-3) and adjust to suit your yarn; no gauge is printed. Gauge: Not printed. Work to the size of the article.
