The Knitted Seamless Backpack: A Beginner Project

EXPOSITION:

The Purpose of knitting this backpack is to become acquainted with useful techniques. By learning these techniques right away, you’ll be able to incorporate them into your future knitting, and, you will realize that knitting techniques, no matter how awkward they seem to be at first, are your friends. The sooner you invite them to tea, so to speak, the happier you will be when you knit. You’ll learn some great techniques, and you’ll end up with a great backpack! If you don’t personally need a backpack, don’t worry. By the time you finish this, someone will be begging you for it. The inspiration for this backpack came from Melanie Palick’s book, Kids Knitting, a good knitting book for beginners of any age.

MATERIALS:
• Needles: one 24” circular needle size US #8 and a set
of five #8 double-pointed needles (DPNs) (bamboo
needles are a good choice for beginners because they
aren’t slippery)
• A spare circular needle, any length, size 8, or smaller
• Yarn: 3 skeins of Lamb’s Pride Bulky (or any bulky
wool in 4 oz. skeins of 125 yards), in colors (two of
one color and one contrasting color) or a single color
of your choice
• A piece of string (not yarn) about 85” long for the
crocheted-on-cast-on
• 2 crochet hooks, medium size G (or 6), and large size
J (10)
• 2 large sewing needles, one blunt, one sharp
• Four markers: make your own from loops of knotted
string
• 1 safety pin, preferably coil-less
• A beautiful, specially-chosen button, and a little button
to secure it
• Cotton fabric, about 1 and 1/4 yards, washed and
ironed, for a lining (optional but desirable)

To learn how to make you own non-collapsible makers, watch my YouTube video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNAx8j9grQk.

The backpacks displayed were knit and photographed by David D. Emert. Linings made by Olivia Tramontana.