Passport Bag Knitting Pattern

Cascade 220® Sport Passport Bag Knitting Pattern

Project Overview

The Cascade 220® Sport Passport Bag is an advanced beginner knitting project designed by Linda Voss Plummer. This compact bag measures 4 inches by 5½ inches and is ideal for storing travel documents, cards, or small essentials. The project is worked in one piece with side seams, making it an excellent introduction to colorwork and garment construction techniques.

What Is Being Made

This pattern creates a small, functional passport-sized bag featuring a front panel, back panel, and a flap closure secured with a button. The finished dimensions are 4 inches wide by 5½ inches tall, making it perfectly sized for standard passport documents and travel cards. The bag incorporates multiple sections including the main body, a garter stitch cuff, and a decorative flap.

Materials Required

This project uses Cascade 220® Sport, a yarn made from 100% Peruvian Highland Wool. The yarn is fingering weight with a yardage of 164 yards (150 meters) per 50-gram skein. The pattern requires 2 to 6 skeins of assorted colors, allowing for creative color combinations and personalization. Additional materials include US 7 knitting needles for the main fabric, a size F crochet hook for seaming, a size H crochet hook for the strap, a yarn needle for finishing, and one 1-inch button for the flap closure.

Gauge and Sizing

The pattern is worked to a gauge of 20 stitches equals 4 inches (10 centimeters) in Stockinette stitch. Obtaining the correct gauge is essential for achieving the intended finished dimensions of the bag.

Knitting Techniques and Stitches

Stockinette Stitch forms the foundation of the main colorwork sections, created by alternating knit rows on the right side with purl rows on the wrong side. This stitch provides a smooth, flat fabric ideal for displaying color patterns.

Garter Stitch is used for the top cuff and back sections, created by knitting every row on both sides. This textured stitch provides structure and definition to the bag's edges and transitions between color sections.

Seed Stitch appears in the back panel sections, created by alternating knit and purl stitches within rows and between rows to produce a bumpy, textured fabric. This stitch adds visual interest and texture variation to the bag.

Slipped Stitch Colorwork is the primary decorative technique used throughout the pattern. Slipped stitches are worked purlwise, with yarn held in back (wyib) on right-side rows and yarn held in front (wyif) on wrong-side rows. This creates a stranded colorwork effect without carrying multiple colors across entire rows. The pattern alternates between rows of solid color knitting and rows featuring slipped stitches at regular intervals, creating geometric patterns across the fabric.

Color Changes are managed by carrying yarns up the side of the work when not in use. Clean color transitions are achieved by working a single knit row on the right side when switching colors, creating a defined line between color sections.

Decreasing is incorporated into the flap section to shape the closure, though the complete decrease instructions are referenced in the full pattern.

Construction Method

The bag is constructed as a single piece rather than separate components. The front panel is worked first, establishing the width and height of the bag. The pattern then transitions to the back panel, which is worked to match the front panel's length. The flap is worked last, continuing from the back panel with decreases to shape the closure. Side seams are then seamed using a crochet hook, and a strap is created with a size H crochet hook. A button is attached to secure the flap closure.

Pattern Complexity

While classified as easy to intermediate, this pattern requires familiarity with basic knitting techniques including casting on, binding off, and working in multiple stitches. The slipped stitch colorwork adds visual complexity without requiring advanced techniques like fair isle or intarsia. The pattern includes standard abbreviations and detailed row-by-row instructions, making it accessible to knitters progressing beyond basic projects.