Fu Lantern

Fu Lantern

by Anne Kuo Lukito

We all need extra Fu, which means luck or fortune in Mandarin Chinese. So why not carry it around?

I wanted to make my own Fu Lantern with the lucky and auspicious colors of red and gold to carry year-round, not just for Lunar New Year. This round-bottom lantern purse is a great conversation piece and makes a great gift. If you don’t need any extra Fu, you can pay homage to your love of (or obsession with) wool with YangMao, which means wool in Chinese.

This pattern offers 2 size options and 2 different designs, yielding 4 different bags in one! The construction is unique in that the bag is knitted from the bottom up, without any picking up of stitches, is mostly worked in the round and requires minimal seaming (where intarsia is worked).

$6 (PDF Download)

PATTERN DETAILS:

Sizes / Finished Measurements (2 sizes offered)

small:

   Height: 10.25”/26cm
   Width: 7”/17.8cm
   Base circumference: 22”/56cm
   Base diameter: 7”/17.8cm
   Handle: 18”/45.7cm long and 1.5”/3.8cm wide

large:

   Height: 12”/30.5cm
   Width: 7.75”/19.7cm
   Base circumference: 24.4”/62cm
   Base Diameter: 7”/17.8cm
   Handle: 19”/48.3cm long and 2”/5cm wide

Materials

small:

   DK weight yarn - A: 125yds /114.3m; B: 150yds/137.1m; C: 75yds/68.6m
   1 set US 6 (4mm) double-pointed needles
   1 US 6 (4mm) 16in. (40.6cm) circular needles
   1 set US 6 (4mm) straight needles (optional)

large:

   Worsted weight yarn - A: 125yds/ 114.5m; B: 150yds/ 137m; C: 75yds/ 68.5m
   1 set US 8/5mm double-pointed needles
   1 US 8/5mm 16”/40.6cm circular needles
   1 set US 8/5mm straight needles (optional)

Gauge

Small: 24 sts and 28 rows = 4”/10cm St. st on US 6/4mm
Large: 18 sts and 24 rows = 4”/10cm St. st on US 8/5mm

Other Pattern Details

Detailed knitting instructions in a professionally designed layout
Detailed instructions for sewing of lining
Instructions include US standard and Metric measurements
Detailed diagrams and charts
Easy-to-read font
7 pages, full color
File size: 1.44MB

Skills and Techniques Used in Pattern

Working in the round;
Working in the round with circular needles and on double-pointed needles;
Intarsia color work;
Light sewing

Sample 1 (Fu: red, yellow, black) used Brown Sheep Lamb’s Pride; Sample 2 (Fu: red, yellow, black) used Lang Yarns Lyra. 2 skeins black, 1 skein red, 1 skein yellow. Knitted and photographed by Carla Zacco; Sample 3 (YangMao: green, yellow, purple) used: Knit Picks Superwash Merino Worsted, 2 skeins bare. Handdyed, knitted and photographed by Sofiya Cremin.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

$6 (PDF Download)

A pop-up box should appear when you click the "Add to Cart" and "View Cart" buttons. Enter your Pay Pal or credit card information

and follow the instructions. After payment is confirmed, you will receive a link to access and download the electronic file via email.

If you would like a high-resolution hardcopy instead of an electronic pattern, please contact me directly.