CITY, the third collection of bags in the Lipstick and Change series, has a distinctly urban vibe if blocked one way, and a decidedly vintage feel if blocked another. Make it the only bag you carry on a Saturday adventure and you can walk all day unencumbered as it’s slung cross body on a long silver chain. Take it to Sunday Brunch at your favorite café and you’ll like how it looks sitting in the middle of the little marble table you’ve scored next to the window. The glances CITY gets from passersby are nice, too. Monday to Friday, it’s the little bag in a bigger bag, a perfect ensemble, and the one you really need to grab when you go out to lunch. Friday night, CITY is the bag that goes with you out to dinner and a movie, dangling from your wrist like jewelry. It’s so quick to knit up and finish, you might make it in colors enough to match all your favorite outfits.

Leave it unembellished so its elegant, spare aesthetic makes a statement in itself. Or see its clean lines as the perfect canvas for cabochon rivets, edgy spikes, a Celtic heart, diminutive skull ornament, a life-like Noni Flower, or your own unique look.

Like its predecessors, the Original Lipstick and Change and Lipstick and Change Sparkle, CITY comes in multiple sizes - this time four: from Tiny, to Small, to Little, to Big. Shown blocked in two different ways, with sides pressed inward for a modern look, or molded outward for a classic appearance, CITY is immanently versatile…

Finished Dimensions
Tiny CITY

3.25” (8cm) wide across the front/back at bag bottom
2” (5cm) deep
3” (7.5cm) tall from bottom to frame

Small CITY

3.5” (9cm) wide across the front/back at bag bottom
2” (5cm) deep
3.5” (9cm) tall from bottom to frame

Little CITY

4” (10cm) wide across the front/back at bag bottom
2” (5cm) deep
4” (10cm) tall from bottom to frame

Big CITY

5” (12.5cm) wide across the front/back at bag bottom
2” (5cm) deep
5” (12.5cm) tall from bottom to frame

Pattern Difficulty
Intrepid Easy: Requires knowledge of knitting, purling, picking up stitches within the knitted fabric, decreasing, knitting in the round. Hand-sewing is required for the finishing process.

Gauge
Pre-felted gauge: 20 sts and 28 rounds = 4” (10cm) in St st with a double-strand of worsted weight yarn.

Materials
Lipstick and Change CITY Hardware Kits are available in 4 different sizes and include:
3.25”, 3.5”, 4”, or 5” purse frame
A matching purse chain
4 12mm or 16mm bag feet
5 x 5 or 6 x 9 in sheet of stiffener

Yarn Requirements
Tiny CITY: 70 yds (65m)
Small CITY: 80 yds (73m)
Little CITY: 100 yds (90m)
Big CITY: 130 yds (120m)

Needles and Other Materials
Size 8 (5mm) 16” (40cm) circular needle
4 stitch markers to mark corners, 1 marker of a different color to mark the beginning of the round.
Row counter (optional)
Tapestry or darning needle for weaving in ends
Thin gauge sewing needle to sew bag into frame
Locktite Superglue Extra Time Control clear-drying glue to glue bag into frame

Pictured Samples
The bags pictured were created using Stonehedge Fiber Mill Shepherd’s Wool. Bags are pictured in Spring Green, Light Turquoise, Turquoise, Lime, Blue, Black, Misty blue, and Purple.