These Day to Day felted purses in two sizes are as practical as they are classicly lovely. Each has a timeless quality: purses this shape have been gracing the arms of women for a hundred years. 

The pattern contains instructions for these two classic sizes as well as life-like knitted daffodils that you can make to keep Spring alive all year long. The daffodils make great bouquets for the table and these or other Felted Purses.

For information about Pattern Difficulty, Finished Dimensions, Pre-Felted Gauge, Yarn Requirements, and other necessary materials, see the Additional Details Tab below.

Pattern Difficulty 

Requires knowledge of casting on, knitting, purling, increasing,decreasing, knitting in the round on double-pointed needles, binding off, and some hand-sewing to complete the finishing process and to make the purse linings (if desired).

Finished Dimensions

Large Day Purse

Height at center: 10" (25.5cm)
Bottom width: 10" (25.5cm)
Bottom depth: 2.75 - 3" (7 - 7.5cm)

Small Day Purse 

Height at center: 7.25" (18.5cm)
Bottom width: 9" (23cm)
Bottom depth: 2.25 - 2.5" (5.7 - 6.35cm)

Daffodil Flower

Flower diameter: 5 - 6" (12.5 - 15.25cm) from petal tip to petal tip
Center flute: 2" (5cm)
Stem length: 10" (25.5cm)

Pre-Felted Gauge  

20 sts and 28 rounds = 4" (10cm) in stockinette stitch using a US8 (5mm) needle or needle size to obtain gauge. 

Materials

Yarn Requirements for the Purses

Each purse is made with worsted-weight, feltable woo. The samples you see here were made with Stonehedge Fiber Mill’sShepherd’s Wool.

The smaller purse was made using 165 yds (151m) of Baby Blue and is pictured with the Architectural Purse Frame.

The larger purse was made using 265 yds (242m) of Baby Blue and bears the Renaissance Purse Frame (no longer available - Choose the Architecture screw-in frame). 

Yarn Requirements for the Daffodils

Each flower requires between 2 - 10 yds (1.8 - 9m) of the following colors:

Lime or Spring Green for the Stem (A)
Spring Chick or Lemon Yellow for the Pistil (B)
White for the Petals (C)
Buttercup Yellow or Pink for the Center Flute (D)
Optional Zinnia Pink, Orange or Sundried Tomato Red for the Center Flute Ruffled Bind-Off (E) 

Other Materials

What you need to make these purses:

1 US size 7 (4.5mm) 16" (40cm) or 24" (60cm) circular neelde to work purses
4 locking stitch markers in different colors to mark sides/round
Tapestry needle for weaving in ends

What you need to finish these purses:

Small gauge sewing needle for finishing work
Locktite Super Glue “Extra Time Control” or “Gel Control” for gluing the purse into the frame
1 Noni Day to Day Hardware Kit includes:

1 Architectural screw-in frame in Antique Brass 
1 Renaissance 15" clip-on purse chain in matching finish
1 package of 6 Noni 16mm bag feet in antique brass
1 Required amount of yarn
1 Noni seed beads and thread package of color-matched nylon beading thread with silver-lined seed beads in a screw-top aluminum tin

If you desire to line your purse, purchase 1/2 yd (.46m)light to medium-light weight woven fabric such as a cotton, cotton-blend, dupioni silk, or silk charmeuse lining fabric.

What you need to make the Daffodil Flowers:

Size 6 (4mm) double-pointed needles (set of 5) NOTE: The smaller needle size you use, the smalle rand denser the flower will be. 
Locking stitch markers to function as stitch holders (at least 6)
28 gauge brass wire (approximately 2 - 6 yds (1.8 - 5.5m) for a single flower
Sharp-pointed Darning Needle for weaving in ends

Cover Samples

All of the pictured purses and flowers are made with worsted-weight, feltable wool.

Pictured bags are made with Stonehedge Fiber Mill’s Shepherd’s Wool.

My great Uncle Henry loved camellias but was told by a famous horticulturist that the soil on his property was not appropriate for growing camellias. Never one to take no for an answer, Uncle Henry ordered truck loads of peet, humus, lime. Under a forest of long leaf pines, he planted camellias. And they thrived. For years he collected them from all over the world until he had 25,000 plants, plants as big as trees, blossoms as large as dinner plates.

This pattern is my homage to Uncle Henry. How I wish I could have seen such a luxury of camellias, walked the paths of his garden.

Take a look at all the different colors camellias can be and then experiment with this pattern. Enjoy the process. Make something beautiful. Love the camellias you make.

Pattern Difficulty

Intrepid Beginner to intermediate knitters: Requires knitting, purling, increasing, decreasing, and working short rows (with no wrapped stitches).

Gauge

Gauge is not important for this project. To make the flowers in the size pictured, use the recommended needle size. For smaller or larger flowers, change your gauge by going down in yarn and needle size, or up, respectively.

Yarn Requirements

2 skeins (+/- 400 yards) of worsted weight yarn makes approximately two large flowers or several medium-sized flowers

Needles and Other Materials

Large Flowers Only

Size 11 (8mm) needles

Medium Flowers Only

Size 5 - 8 (3.75 - 5mm) needles

Pictured Samples

The pictured flowers were made with Shepherd's Wool by Stonehedge Fiber Mill in Violet. The fuzzy centers are made with Fizz in Black by Crystal Palace Yarns.

Walking along a dry creek bed in Colorado, the plants you find are different than the ones I'm used to on the East Coast. Foliage can be spare, shades of silver, leggy. Flowers are sparse and often a surprise. Delicate blossoms atop slender stalks swaying with the wind. Now and again there is a cactus, its bold spiky branches stark contrast to the lacy leaves and flowers of the wild poppy and chicory. The cactus blooms are as confrontational as their beefy arms: fuchsia, fire-engine red, bright orange, startling white, dandelion yellow. The petals are as delicate as the poppy's ephemeral ones. Only when the sun hits them do they open, bright translucent halo around solid yellow stamens. Bumble bees, solitary bees, and honey bees flock to their centers.

These particular cactus flowers can be made in hand-dyed silk that reminds us of the subtle earthy colors of the desert, as you see them here, or in worsted or fingering merino and then felted for a more rounded version of themselves. They can also be wired and left unfelted. Adorn the centers with sparkle rivets or make stamens out of lace weight yarn. Whatever you decide, these lovely desert-inspired beauties look wonderful tucked behind the ear of a flower-girl, decorating the Little Gems purse of a girl going to prom, or several in a spray across a sleeveless T.

Close your eyes, picture desert sunsets, and find the perfect place for these flowers.

Pattern Difficulty

Intrepid Intermediate: Requires knowledge of knitting and purling, increasing and decreasing, working in the round on double-pointed needles, and some simple hand-sewing

Gauge

24 stitches and 32 rounds = 4" (10cm) on a size 6 (4mm) needle or needle size to obtain gauge. Larger gauge yarn and larger needles create larger flowers.

Yarn Requirements

Per flower: 16 yds (14.5m) of worsted weight yarn

Needles and Other Materials

Size 6 (4mm) double-pointed needles (3) for flowers or size needed to obtain gauge 
Noni Sparkle Rivets to decorate flower centers
Locking stitch markers used as stitch holders
Sharp, large-eyed darning needle to weave in ends
Sewing needle to sew flowers to bags, shoe clips, etc.
Seed beads and Nylon Beading Thread
28 gauge beading wire
Noni Flower clips  to attach flowers to shoes, bags, necklines, and gifts

Pictured Samples

The samples pictured were created using ArtYarns Beaded Pearl & Sequins (worsted weight; 100" silk with glass beads & sequins; 80 yds [73m] per 13/4 oz [50g] skein) #142 with pink Sparkle Rivets. For a bag that features these flowers, see Les Tuileries.

The hibiscus, a member of the mallow family Malvaceae, is an exquisite flower. Not only are the flowers beautiful, with an astonishing array of colors and color variations, but all parts of the flower are also edible. Petals make a sweet tea, leaves a more tannic one. The blossoms can also be found in exotic drinks, jams, and jellies, and as a sculptural addition to beverages.

In this knitted version of the tropical beauty, I dissected actual flowers in order to represent the architecture of the blossoms as accurately as possible. The result is a flower that is as bold as it is beautiful and almost perfectly actual size when worked in worsted weight wool or silk. It is stunning on the front of a handbag such as 6, 8, 10 or Grace Kelly's Overnight Bag, spectacular on a cloche hat, unexpected on the wide lapel of a winter coat.

The flower pictured here has been wired so as to hold its life-like shape. If you love this flower and would like to make more of less or similar complexity, see 40 more knitted flowers and 6 projects in my book, Noni Flowers.

Click the Additional Details tab below for information about gauge, needed yardage, and other necessary materials.

Pattern Difficulty

While this flower requires a certain level of commitment and resolution, the skills required are known by most knitters. Your dedication will be rewarded with the resulting beautiful, life-like hibiscus flower. Intrepid knitters should know how to knit and purl, increase and decrease using several methods, be comfortable working in the round on double-pointed needles, and be able to execute the simple sewing techniques required to weave-in ends, wire petals, bead the finished flower by hand if desired, and sew the flower to a bag or other item.

Gauge

While gauge is not exactly important for this pattern. To make the flowers in the size pictured, use the recommended needle size(s) and yarn weight. For smaller or larger flowers, change your gauge by going down in yarn gauge and needle size, or up, respectively.

Yarn Requirements

250 yds (228.5m) each Spring Green, Fuchsia, Christmas Red or Red, and Spring Chick Yellow or Christmas Red
10 yds (9m) Crystal Palace Fizz in bright red or dark red

Needles and Other Materials

Size 6 (4mm) double-pointed needles (set of 5)
Seed beads and nylon beading thread (optional)
Sharp sewing needle to hand-bead and sew your flower onto a bag or other item.
Sharp needle with large eye for weaving in ends and wiring
26 gauge beading wire for wiring petals (optional)

Pictured Sample

The pictured sample was created using Stonehedge Fiber Mill Shepherd's Wool in Spring Green and Spring Chick Yellow, Tilli Tomas Flurries in Raspberry (unfortunately, no longer available), and Crystal Palace Fuzz in Hibiscus