Heel Stitch Tote
Dogs are wonderful, but do they haul your stuff all over town, make or break your outfit, organize your life? No. Maybe it’s a good bag that is truly human’s best friend.
If so, make room in your friend circle for our Heel Stitch Tote! It is sure to be the one you turn to in times of need. It never fails to offer a lending hand and always makes a statement without being obnoxious.
This tote’s character comes from our distinctive Lantern. With a creamy white cotton core wrapped in a colorful linen thread, each skein is a little package of artistry and surprise.
Lantern is also super sturdy and made even tougher, here, with a dense slip-stitch pattern, the same one you may have used to work the heels of your last hand-knit socks. We think the slight ribbing combined with the yarn’s own texture make the kind of fascinating friend you want to keep!
Designed by Purl Soho designer, Jake Canton. Click here to see even more of Jake’s designs!
Share your progress + connect with the community by tagging your pics with #PurlSoho, #PurlSohoBusyHands, #PurlSohoHeelStitchTote, and #PurlSohoLantern. We can’t wait to see what you make!
Materials
- 3 skeins of Purl Soho’s Lantern, 61% cotton and 39% linen. Each skein is 164 yards; approximately 465 yards required. We used the color Black Feather. (NOTE: We no longer offer Lantern, but choose from one of our other worsted weight yarns.)
- US 7 (4 mm), 20- or 24-inch circular needles
- Spare US 7 circular needles or one double pointed needle
- A few yards of scrap yarn
- Stitch markers
- A stitch holder or scrap yarn
Gauge
25 stitches and 40 rows = 4 inches in stitch pattern
Size
- Finished Circumference: 26 inches
- Finished Height: 14 inches
- Finished Strap Width: 3 inches
- Finished Strap Length: 38 inches
Notes
Construction
You will make this bag by knitting the body of the bag in the round, then binding off the front and back stitches and leaving the Strap stitches on hold. You’ll then work each side of the Strap and connect their ends with a 3-Needle Bind Off. To finish, you’ll graft the bottom of the bag closed.
Slip Stitches
Slip all slipped stitches purlwise.
Provisional Cast On
For assistance, including how to put live stitches back onto needles, please visit our Provisional Cast-On: A Two-Step Method Tutorial.
Pattern
Body
Using a Provisional Cast-on (see Notes), cast on 162 stitches.
Place a marker and join for working in the round, being careful not to twist the stitches.
Round 1: Knit to end of round.
Round 2: *K1, slip 1 (see Notes) with yarn in back (wyib), repeat from * to end of round.
Repeat Rounds 1 and 2 until piece measures 14 inches from cast-on edge, ending with Round 1.
Bind Off Round: [K1, slip 1 wyib] 5 times, [k1, pass slipped stitch over, slip 1, pass knit stitch over] 31 times, k1, pass slipped stitch over, [slip 1 wyib, k1] 9 times, place previous 19 stitches onto stitch holder or scrap yarn, slip 1 wyib, [k1, pass slipped stitch over, slip 1 wyib, pass knit stitch over] 31 times, k1, pass slipped stitch over, [slip 1 wyib, k1] 4 times, slip 1 wyib. [62 stitches bound off for each front and back and 19 stitches left on needles for each side of Strap]
NOTE: Bind off round ends halfway through the first row of the First Side of Strap.
Straps
Work First Side
Set-Up Row: Knit to end of row.
**Row 1 (wrong side): Slip 1 with yarn in front (wyif), purl to last stitch, slip 1 wyif.
Row 2 (right side): *K1, slip 1 wyib, repeat from * to last stitch, k1.
Repeat Rows 1 and 2 until the First Side of Strap measures 19 inches from Bind Off Round, ending with Row 2.***
Cut yarn and place First Side stitches onto spare needle.
Work Second Side
With wrong side facing you, place 19 on-hold stitches onto needles and rejoin yarn.
Repeat from ** to *** to work Second Side of Strap, keeping stitches on working needles when you’re done.
Connect Ends
Make sure Sides of Strap are untwisted. With right sides of each Side facing each other and holding needles parallel, use working yarn to work a 3-Needle Bind Off to connect ends together.
Cut yarn and pull through last stitch.
Graft Bottom
Remove scrap yarn from cast-on edge, placing stitches onto circular needles (see Notes, Provisional Cast On).
Use Kitchener Stitch to graft the bottom of the bag closed. If you need help with this, please visit our Kitchener Stitch Tutorial.
Finishing
Weave in ends and block as desired.
A tip for the Lantern yarn used here was to alternate skeins to avoid pooling. Was that technique used in your sample of this tote? If so, how do you alternate the skeins when the pattern calls for three skeins?
Thanks.
Hi Mary,
Great question! We did not alternate skeins for this sample, but with a variable yarn like Lantern, you may find that some skeins pool while others don’t. You can always get started wiith one skein and start alternating after a few inches if necessary! Since this project takes three skeins, I would recommend alternating as you normally would with the first two and then alternating between the inside and outside of the last skein.
Happy knitting!
Julianna
This is a stunning pattern. Do you know when that beautiful orange color in Lantern that will be back in stock? I have my heart set on making a few of these totes in that color. As always, thank you for such beautiful content.
Hi Kristen,
Thanks for writing in! Unfortunately, Orange Poppy has been discontinued and will not be returning – I’m so sorry about that! You can see all of our current colors of Lantern on the product page, and if there are any colors that are out of stock but are here on this page, you can enter your email address to be notified as soon as they are available.
Best,
Julianna
I’m wondering if it might be easier to start with a Judy’s Magic Cast On, rather than a provisional cast on? That elimates the need to graft the bottom at the end.
Hi Susan,
Thanks for this wonderful suggestion! Yes, if you are familiar with Judy’s Magic Cast On, that would be a great way to get started and avoid the Kitchener stitch!
Happy knitting!
Julianna
I love your patterns, but would really like a printable version that uses a lot less paper. I don’t need pages and pages of pictures , Please condense a version. Thank you.
Hi Pat,
Thanks for reaching out! You can use our print function to pick and choose which parts of the pattern you wish to print so it doesn’t take too much paper! If you’re on a desktop version of the site, you will find a “print” icon in the right column just below the “Save To Favorites” button. If you’re on a mobile version of the site, you will find a “print” icon below the pattern and above the comments.
Follow the easy on-screen instructions to delete whichever parts of the pattern you don’t want to print or save. For example, you may decide to shorten the pattern by omitting certain images or the list of materials. To remove images, click the drop down next to the image icon and change from 100% to 0%.
I hope that helps, and happy knitting!
Julianna
I loved this pattern. Once I blocked it, my strap rolls a bit, any suggestion to keep it from rolling?
Krisanne
Hi Krisanne,
Thank you so much for reaching out – it’s wonderful to hear that you are enjoying your tote! This stitch does curl slightly by its very nature, and you can see in our pictures that our straps roll under slightly as well. You could try steam blocking or even lightly pressing the straps, making sure to use a pressing cloth to protect the yarn, or if the rolling is very persistent, work one row of crochet along the edge of each strap.
I hope that helps!
Julianna
Hi, I am having trouble with this part of the bind off instructions:
[k1, pass slipped stitch over, slip 1, pass knit stitch over] 31 times… The first psso comes from this first part of the directions: [K1, slip 1 wyib] 5 times. But after that, I can’t figure out what slipped stitch to pass over. The stitch right before has been knit. Sorry if this doesn’t make any sense. I have enjoyed knitting the tote and would love to figure out how to do the straps!
Hi Jen,
Thanks for reaching out! I am glad to hear that you have loved knitting this tote! For the bind off section yo start by K1, slip 1 wyib 5 times, ending with the slip 1. That slipped stitch is now the stitch that you start with for the next part: k1, then pass that slipped stitch over, slip 1, pass knit stitch over and repeat that 31 times.
I hope this helped clarify and please feel free to reach out with any more questions you may have!
All the best,
Gianna
Yes, this was helpful, thank you!
Do you think it would be too crazy to try to adapt this pattern to use your Field Linen held double?
Hi Stacey,
Thanks for writing in! I actually think that would be a great idea! Field Linen held double should actually work out to be about the same gauge as Lantern, so you should be able to work the pattern as written without needing any adjustments. Of course, I would suggest working a gauge swatch prior to beginning to ensure you are consistent, and if you do need to make any adjustments it should be very simple (like changing needle size) rather than anything major!
I hope this helps and please let us know how this turns out, happy knitting!
Gianna
Hi,
I want to start this pattern, though I’m relatively new to knitting. My first question has to do with the Lantern yarn. It says “ANOTHER TIP: As with all plant fibers, we recommend pulling Lantern from the outside, rather than inside, of the ball.”
What does this mean and how do I do that?
Thank you,
Liz
Hi Liz,
Thanks for reaching out! If you have your yarn wound by a ball winder, you have the opportunity to pull the strand from the center of the ball or from the outside of the ball. For plant fibers, we always recommend pulling from the outside since plant fibers are prone to twisting, and pulling from the inside can cause the yarn to twist more. On the other hand, if you wind the yarn into a ball by hand then you will only be able to pull from the outside!
I hope this clears things up, happy crafting!
Gianna
I have knit 2 totes from this pattern and they are quite attractive.
Using them even to carry lightweight item, the straps have lengthened. To make it more user friendly, I have lined the bag and now have woven a thin non-stretch coring into the underside of the straps.
Hope this suggestions helps others with same issue.
Anne
Hi Anne,
Thanks for reaching out and sharing your tips! Those are both excellent ideas, and I am sure that others will find this information very helpful!
Warmly,
Gianna
Hi there,
Since Lantern is no longer available I bought the Sun shower Cotton which is a much different gauge, even when I use the smaller needle size. I’m getting 4.5 stitches per inch on size 5 needles. I’m not great at this part…how many stitches should I cast-on? Would I cast-on 117 stitches???
Are there any other mods I should make?
Thank you so much!
Hi Kiki,
Thanks for writing in! You have just the right idea about how to modify this pattern for a larger gauge. However, I’d recommend casting on either 116 or 118 stitches, as this stitch pattern works over an even number.
As for additional modifications, I’d also recommend making the straps fewer stitches as well, so that they also come out to the intended width. 13 stitches per strap would be the best number, since you’ll need an odd number at this point!
All the best,
Lili
Hi. This is the bag I want to make but didn’t see soon enough! I bough the field linen to make the twill tote but would love to make this instead. Is it possible to substitute the field linen? If so, what needle size would you recommend and how many skeins would I need? I’ve looked at the gauge instructions numerous times and it’s like calculus to me. 🙁
Hi Christina,
Thanks for reaching out. You can absolutely use Field Linen for this pattern! All you would need to do is change the number of stitches you cast on so that the bag comes to the correct dimensions.
To figure out your cast-on number, you will want to first knit a gauge swatch in pattern with your intended needles (we recommend sizes US 2 – 4 for Field Linen, but this is completely up to you). Once you know how many stitches you are getting per inch, you can multiply that number by the circumference (26 inches) and cast on the nearest even number.
Then you can essentially follow the pattern as written! I would just recommend using more stitches for the strap, since you’d want that to end up being about 3 inches, like intended. You can follow the same procedure as above to figure out how many stitches would be in 3 inches, except round to to the nearest odd number!
Alternatively, you could try doubling the yarn and trying to match the original gauge of the pattern! I think this would be possible with Field Linen, but it might still be slightly too thin.
Determining how many skeins you’ll need is a bit more difficult, since you’re changing up the weight of the yarn. But I’d say that you’ll probably only need to use 3 skeins. Hope this helps!
All the best,
Lili