Free Vintage Pattern #9

Knitted Shell Purse
New Idea Woman's Magazine, June 1906
Materials: 8 bunches beads No. 8, 1 spool EE purse twist, 1 pair No. 20 steel knitting needles.

Note: For some reason steel knitting needles were numbered differently than bamboo or wood. A modern size 20 needle would be gigantic. Pattern does not give finished size nor does it tell what size or type of purse frame, but by the size of the clasp I'm guessing it's fairly small. Women just didn't need to haul around the kind of crap we do nowadays.

After stringing all the beads, begin by casting on 40 stitches on one of the needles. Knit first two rows plain.

Third row-Knit 1 st., put needle in next st., as if to knit it, and before knitting push on 2 beads; knit that st. and knit the next one. Put needle in next st as if to knit and push on 2 beads and continue in this way to end of row, when there should be 15 clusters of 2 beads each.

Knit six more rows with 2 beads to the cluster. Then six rows with 3 beads to the cluster, six rows with 7 beads to the cluster, and twelve rows with 10 beads to each cluster.

Now begin to narrow and reverse the directions just given. Work six rows with 7 beads to the cluster, six rows with 5 beads, six rows with 3 beads and six with onlu two beads. Finish with two plain rows as in the beginning. Sew up sides and sew into the top of frame.