Introduction

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Long purses, now commonly called miser’s purses, were popular for most of the 19 century, though there were trends in
popular construction techniques and patterning. This pattern is for a bag dated to 1840-1860 by the Metropolitan Museum
of Art in New York. The original was done in crochet, as were many of these heavily beaded purses. This pattern makes
a knitted imitation of the original with the lettered section replaced by diamonds. Images of the original and information
may be found on the Metropolitan Museum’s website.

It can be made with either seven or eight repeats of the pattern. The original appears to have seven repeats, but eight
repeats were used in developing this pattern. Eight repeats made a bag that fit a credit card and driver’s license in the
rectangular end and required within a yard of the whole 200-yard cone of beading cord.

Materials

Yarn: Purely Silks silk beading cord size E, one 200-yard spool

Needles: One set of five double pointed needles size 5/0

Beads: Size 11/0 seed beads - 2527 beads for seven repeats (2888 for eight repeats) plus 600 beads for the tassel and
about another 600 beads for the net.

Hardware: Two rings, approximately 16mm in diameter. One bead end cone.

Where to buy: The beading cord, beads, and end cone are available from Fire Mountain Gems. Small needles are
available from Lacis and Bugknits. Purse rings are available from the Button Baron.
Notes

1. Silk beading cord does not knot easily. It is a very slick material and tends to slide out of knots.
2. The method of beading used when developing this pattern called for slipping a bead through a knit stitch. Knitting
the stitches above beads through the back loop helps keep the beads on the surface of the work. Regular knitting
allows the beads to slip to the inside of the bag.
3. If you wash your bag, the hand changes dramatically. Before washing, my bag was very stiff and dense. After
washing, it was quite soft and fluid.
4. Instructions for the period often call for knitting the bags flat and sewing up the side, but there are also instructions
that call for knitting in the round. I have not seen period instructions for knitting a beaded purse in the round.

Pattern

Thread the beads for the knitting on the cord.

Cast on 7 (8) stitches and distribute on three or four DPN’s. Join in the round, being careful not to twist the stitches.

Row 1: Knit 1, increase one by knitting into the front and back of the next stitch, repeat, knit—11 (12) stitches total

Row 3: Knit—11 (12) stitches total

Row 4: Knit 2, increase one by knitting into the front and back of the next stitch, repeat—14 (16) stitches total

Row 5: Knit—14 (16) stitches total

Knit chart 1 (bottom of purse).

The center section of the purse is 110 rows long. All odd rows are knit alike, and all even rows are knit alike.

Odd rows: K3 (O, N, K2) repeat to last stitch, K1

Even rows: K1 (O, N, K2) repeat to end

Knit chart 2 (top of purse).

Bind off double.

Beaded Trimming for Ends

The rounded (bottom) end of the purse is trimmed with a beaded tassel. The tassel is made up of ten beaded and twisted
cords. To make these, thread 60 beads on a length of thread. Fasten one end to something stable (I pin it to either the
arm of the couch or my pants leg). Twist the thread in the direction of the ply twist until it starts to kink. Push the beads
close together, hold the center beads, and fold the cord to twist back on itself. You may need to guide the twisting to
make it look right. Knot the two ends together. Repeat nine more times. Gather the threads of all the bead twists and
knot or stitch them together. Attach the bead end cone to the tassel and the cast on end of the purse.

The squared (top) end of the purse is trimmed with beaded netting. I am not going to give directions for this because I am
not very experienced with beading. I believe this a 9-bead flat horizontal netting stitch with added loops on the outside.
This YouTube video shows how to do this. This website shows the thread path to make a triangular piece of netting. In
their pattern, the thread ends up at the pointed end. If you add the loops to the outside as you go from the base of the
netting to the top, you can take the thread from the pointed end back down to the bag through the loops on the other side.
Chart 1 (Bottom end) Chart 2 (Top end)
94 - - - - - - - - - - - - 89 - - - - - - - - - - - -
Key:
93 - - - - - - - - - - - - 88 - - - - - - - - - - - -
92 - - - - - - - - - - - - 87 - - - - - - - - - - - - B Knit with a bead
91 - - - - - - - - - - - - 86 - - - - - - - - - - - -
90 - - B B - - B B - - B B 85 - - - - - B - - - - - - - Knit plain
89 - - - - - - - - - - - - 84 - - - - - - - - - - - - + Knit front and back
88 B B - - B B - - B B - - 83 - - - - B B B - - - - -
87 - - - - - - - - - - - - 82 - - - - - - - - - - - -
86 - - - - - - - - - - - - 81 - - - B B B B B - - - -
85 - - - - - - - - - - - - 80 - - - - - - - - - - - -
84 - - - - - - - - - - - - 79 - - B B B B B B B - - -
83 - - - - - - - - - B B - 78 - - - - - - - - - - - -
82 - - - - - - - - - - - - 77 - B B B B B B B B B - -
81 - - B B - - - - B B B B 76 - - - - - - - - - - - -
80 - - - - - - - - - - - - 75 B B B B B B B B B B B -
79 - B B B B - - - B B B B 74 - - - - - - - - - - - -
78 - - - - - - - - - - - - 73 - B B B B B B B B B - -
77 - B B B B - - - - B B B 72 - - - - - - - - - - - -
76 - - - - - - - - - - - - 71 - - B B B B B B B - - -
75 B B B B - - - - - - - B 70 - - - - - - - - - - - -
74 - - - - - - - - - - - - 69 - - - B B B B B - - - -
73 - - - - - - - - B B B B 68 - - - - - - - - - - - -
72 - - - - - - - - - - - - 67 - - - - B B B - - - - -
71 B - - - B - - B B B B - 66 - - - - - - - - - - - -
70 - - - - - - - - - - - - 65 - - - - - B - - - - - -
69 - B B B - - - B B B B - 64 - - - - - - - - - - - -
68 - - - - - - - - - - - - 63 - - - - - - - - - - - -
67 - - - - - - - - B B - - 62 - - - - - - - - - - - -
66 - - - - - - - - - - - - 61 - - - - - - - - - - - -
65 - - - - - - - - - - - - 60 - - - - - - - - - - - -
64 - - - - - - - - - - - - 59 - - - - - - - - - - - -
63 - - - - - - - - - - - - 58 - - B B - - B B - - B B
62 - - - - - - - - - - - - 57 - - - - - - - - - - - -
61 - - - - - - - - - - - - 56 B B - - B B - - B B - -
60 - - - B B - - - - - - - 55 - - - - - - - - - - - -
59 - - - - - - - - - - - - 54 - - - - - - - - - - - -
58 - - B B B B - - B B - - 53 - - - - - - - - - - - -
57 - - - - - - - - - - - - 52 - - - - - - - - - - - -
56 - - B B B B - B B B B - 51 - - B B - - - - - - - -
55 - - - - - - - - - - - - 50 - - - - - - - - - - - -
54 - - - B B B - B B B B - 49 - B B B B - - B B B - -
53 - - - - - - - - - - - - 48 - - - - - - - - - - - -
52 - - - - - B B B B B - - 47 - B B B B - B - - - B -
51 - - - - - - - - - - - - 46 - - - - - - - - - - - -
50 - - B B B B - - - - - - 45 - - B B B B - - - - - -
49 - - - - - - - - - - - - 44 - - - - - - - - - - - -
48 - B B B B - B - - - B - 43 - - - - - B B B B B - -
47 - - - - - - - - - - - - 42 - - - - - - - - - - - -
46 - B B B B - - B B B - - 41 - - - B B B - B B B B -
45 - - - - - - - - - - - - 40 - - - - - - - - - - - -
44 - - B B - - - - - - - - 39 - - B B B B - B B B B -
43 - - - - - - - - - - - - 38 - - - - - - - - - - - -
42 - - - - - - - - - - - - 37 - - B B B B - - B B - -
41 - - - - - - - - - - - - 36 - - - - - - - - - - - -
40 - - - - - - - - - - - - 35 - - - B B - - - - - - -
39 - - B B - - B B - - B B 34 - - - - - - - - - - - -
38 - - - - - - - - - - - - 33 - - - - - - - - - - - -
37 B B - - B B - - B B - - 32 - - - - - - - - - - - -
36 - - - - - - - - - - - - 31 - - - - - - - - - - - -
35 - - - - - - - - - - - - 30 - - - - - - - - - - - -
34 - - - - - - - - - - - - 29 - - - - - - - - - - - -
33 - - - - - - - - - - - - 28 - - - - - - - - B B - -
32 - - - - - - - - - - - - 27 - - - - - - - - - - - -
31 - - - - - - - - - - - - 26 - B B B - - - B B B B -
30 B - - - - - - - - - - - 25 - - - - - - - - - - - -
29 - - - - - - - - - - - - 24 B - - - B - - B B B B -
28 B B - - - - - - - - - - 23 - - - - - - - - - - - -
27 - - - - - - - - - - - - 22 - - - - - - - - B B B B
26 B B B - - - - - - - - - 21 - - - - - - - - - - - -
25 - - - - - - - - - - - - 20 B B B B - - - - - - - B
24 B B B B - - - - - - - - 19 - - - - - - - - - - - -
23 - - - - - - - - - - - - 18 - B B B B - - - - B B B
22 B B B B B - - - - - - - 17 - - - - - - - - - - - -
21 - - - - - - - - - - - - 16 - B B B B - - - B B B B
20 B B B B B B - - - - + 15 - - - - - - - - - - - -
19 - - - - - - - - - - - 14 - - B B - - - - B B B B
18 B B B B B B B - - + 13 - - - - - - - - - - - -
17 - - - - - - - - - - 12 - - - - - - - - - B B -
16 B B B B B B B B + 11 - - - - - - - - - - - -
15 - - - - - - - - - 10 - - - - - - - - - - - -
14 B B B B B B B + 9- - - - - - - - - - - -
13 - - - - - - - - 8- - - - - - - - - - - -
12 B B B B B B + 7- - B B - - B B - - B B
11 - - - - - - - 6- - - - - - - - - - - -
10 B B B B B + 5B B - - B B - - B B - -
9- - - - - - 4- - - - - - - - - - - -
8B B B B + 3- - - - - - - - - - - -
7- - - - - 2- - - - - - - - - - - -
6B B B + 1- - - - - - - - - - - -
5- - - -
4B B +
3- - -
2B +
1- -