Wednesday Workbasket: French Purse

Thread some beads on fine netting silk; cast thirty-six loops on each of three fine pins No. 20.

First round, plain.

Second round, plain.

Third round, knit four, cast on one, knit one, cast on one, knit four, slip one, narrow, pass the slipt [sic] stitch over, knit four, cast on one, knit one, cast on one, knit four, repeat to the end.

Fourth round to the fourteenth round, same as third.

Fifiteenth round to the eighteenth, plain.

Nineteenth round, with No. 22 pins; cast on one, narrow, knit one, narrow, repeat.

Twentieth round to the twenty-third are plain.

Twenty-fourth round, plain; pass a bead every stitch.

Twenty-fifth round to the twenty-seventh are plain.

Twenty-eighth round, cast on one, knit one, narrow, cast on one, knit one, narrow, repeat.

Now take the No. 20 pins. Twenty-ninth round, knit one, pass a bead, knit one, narrow, cast on one, pass a bead, repeat. The odd stitch which you knit in this round is the cast on stitch in the last.

Thirtieth same as the twenty-ninth, only passing two beads each time instead of one.

Thirty-first and thirty-second round the same, passing three beads each time.

Thirty-third round same as thirtieth.

Thirty-fourth same as twenty-ninth.

Thirty-fifth round, with coarser silk, knit plain.

Thirty-sixth round, all pearl.

Thirty-seventh round, pearl, passing a bead every stitch.

Thirty-eighth and thirty-ninth rounds, the same.

Fortieth round, pearl.

Forty-first round, knit plain.

Forty-second round, resume the fine silk, pearl.

Forty-third round same as the twenty-eighth.

Forty-fourth round to the forty-eighth same as the twenty-ninth.

Forty-ninth round the same as the thirty-fourth.

Now take the No. 22 pins. Fiftieth round to the fifty-second, plain.

Fifty-third round plain, passing a bead every stitch.

Fifth-fourth round to the fifty-sixth, plain.

Fifty-seventh round to the sixty-second the same as the twenty-ninth to the thirty-fourth.

Sixty-third round, take the coarse silk and work to the sixty-ninth round, same as the thirty-sixth to the forty-first.

Resume the fine silk. Seventieth round same as the forty-third.

Follow on the pattern from this round, till you finish the ninety-seventh as the sixty-ninth; divide the stitches six parts of eighteen each; slip the first, knit the next, pass the slipt stitch over, pass a bead, knit thirteen plain, knit two, passing a bead each stitch; repeat to the end of the round, narrowing at the beginning of every eighteen stitches.

Next round, slip the first, knit the next, pass the slipt stitch over, pass a bead, knit eleven, pass a bead, knit one, pass a bead, knit one, pass a bead, knit one, pass a bead; continue the same, narrowing as before, until you come to a point; sew on a tassel and slip in three rings to keep out the parts knit with the coarse silk; draw a string through the top.

The above makes a beautiful bag, worked with thick twist and large pins.

Originally published in Godey's Lady's Book & Magazine, March 1847.