I designed this to look like the plastic duffle bags I remember using to carry my gym clothes and shoes to school when I was a child. Those duffle bags were in turn inspired by sailors’ duffle bags.
Appropriate then to use tough denim cotton and traditional gansey patterns…

The Lizard referred to in the title of the pattern is the place in Cornwall where William Stephens originated – he was the chief mechanic of the Lizard lifeboat and knitted ganseys all his life from a memorised pattern. The rope pattern used for the body of the bag was taken from this gansey* I still live in the West Country (although not so close to the sea, up here on Dartmoor) and my great grandmother came from Cornwall – I adore all these connections.

‘Cornish Ganseys and Knitfrocks’ by Mary Wright, 1979, Ethnographica ltd.

A practical and hard wearing yarn, Rowan Denim is a 100% pure cotton and carries all the same characteristics as jeans denim - it will shrink and fade as it is washed, and should last a lifetime. This unique yarn gives a wonderful firm fabric making it perfect for cabling.

Length: Small bag = 13”, 33cm; Large bag = 17”,43cm
Circumference: small bag = 23”, 59cm; Large bag = 36”,92cm
Strap: Small bag = 20”, 50cm approx; Large bag = 38” 96cm

NB (August 2011) When I put together this pattern for sale on Rav, I noticed that the magazine version has several major errors - please contact me if you have any problems with the pattern.