Sparrow Reticule

When I saw the submission for a charity e-book to raise money for pediatric cancer research, I remembered my Grandpa Clark singing

“I sing because I’m happy,
I sing because I’m free.
For his eye is on the Sparrow,
and I know he watches me.”

So I submitted a bag with a sparrow on it. The pattern was accepted, but that e-book was never published because the organizer’s daughter grew too sick for side projects. To honor the original intention, I will donate $5.00 of each Sparrow Reticule sold to Give Kids the World Village.

The drawstring bag is worked in the round from a provisionally cast on tab. It finishes with a picot hem, and double eyelets for the drawstrings. There are lots and lots of twist stitches, some cables, extended loop cables, and interesting increases and decreases. There are both complete charts and complete written instructions. This is not TV knitting, but you won’t be bored.

Materials needed

• 2 small beads for eye. I used beads with a wide hole, and
sewed them on sideways
• 100g of fingering yarn
• Optional: 1 yard fabric for lining
• Optional: sewing thread
• Optional: sewing needle or sewing machine
• Optional: tissue paper for sewing pattern

Knit in fingering yarn the bag is 3”/7.5cm depth, 9”/23cm high, 10”/25.5cm wide. 20”/51cm length of loops (folded in half to 10”/25.5cm)

If you would prefer to work with sport weight yarn, you will need 442 – 450 yards (404 – 411 m) and your bag will be 3”/7.5cm depth, 10”/25.5cm high, 10”/25.5cm wide. 28”/71cm length of loops (folded in half to 14”/35.5cm).

The sparrow motif uses the Sculptural Knitting Technique from Kathleen Warnick’s article, “One-color Picture Knitting” in Threads Magazine April/May1990. I based the chart on a drawing of a White Crowned Sparrow by Lisa Bonforte in Dover Bird Illustrations 419 Royalty-Free Designs.