I enjoy knitting socks but end up with a lot of leftover yarn. I looked through several books with patterns for bits and ends and saw a cool ipod case. That made me think of knitting a tarot bag. One of the things I don’t like about bags is that they’re usually loose and bulky, so I wanted something slim and fitted. Here’s my first effort – more of a fitted deck-sock-with-a-flap than a bag. I used sock yarn where all the designs are dyed into the yarn. This one also has some metallic silver running through it. I knitted it on five – US1 (2.25mm) double-pointed needles at 8 stitches per inch (in the round). I started with the flap and then cast on the remaining stitches to make the bag. I just measured it for the exact size of the deck figuring the yarn would stretch a little to get the deck in and out. The size is just about perfect. I like the flat fitted bottom that I created by knitting mitered corners and then doing a Kitchener stitch to connect the remaining front and back stitches.
For my next attempt I plan on changing a lot of things. I’ll probably do it all in seed stitch and have the flap come all the way down to the bottom. Warning: don’t store cards in wool or silk for long periods as these fibers can attract bugs and breakdown paper products. Click on the pictures to see a larger view.
Here are a couple of other designs that look interesting:
http://mollieknits.wordpress.com/20…13/hello-world/
http://hippymamaknits.blogspot.com/…t-card-bag.html
Mary K. Greer has made tarot her life work. Check here for reports of goings-on in the world of tarot and cartomancy, articles on the history and practice of tarot, and materials on other cartomancy decks. Sorry, I no longer write reviews. Contact me
Mary K. Greer's Tarot Blog 
14 comments
Comments feed for this article
February 13, 2008 at 4:15 pm
Di
Whoa! Mary hi – Di here, ex member of TABI, who one a personal tutorial from you a couple of years back. Just had to write and say hi from one tarot reading sock floozie to another!
Love the blog – you brave thing you!
Take care
Di
February 13, 2008 at 4:16 pm
Di
oops – sorry for typo
D
February 13, 2008 at 7:04 pm
marygreer
Di – great to hear from you. Aren’t hand-knitted socks amazing? I never realized how poorly socks fit until I made my own – now I’m in heaven. Ah, the simple things in life are among the best. And my tarot decks deserve a little of this heaven, too.
Mary
February 13, 2008 at 10:38 pm
Marion Wilhelm
What an adorable bag! I love it and also LOVE your books, too! Especially Tarot reversals. Yough subject, well written and explained. Again, greta Tarot bag!
BB, Marion ;>)
February 14, 2008 at 3:07 pm
Marion Wilhelm
Gads! I just read my typos! yough and greta. I am such a dyslexic key-boarder!
February 14, 2008 at 11:27 pm
marygreer
Marion – Slips of the tongue (and keyboard?) are supposed to be significant. Tough + young? Greta Garbo-esque? Or: “get a” tarot bag.
Just playing.
Mary
February 16, 2008 at 3:19 pm
Megan Roberts
I love your tarot sock. I made one recently and instead of a flap I created little tabs for a drawstring at the top, the only problem is it was made out of leftover sock wool. Looks like its back to the drawing board.
March 2, 2008 at 12:53 am
marygreer
Megan –
Yep, some people prefer the drawstrings and a looser bag. I prefer tight and sleek. I think a cotton yarn would probably work better than wool. Silk would be nice but both wool and silk invite bugs, so they really aren’t the best for long-term storage.
Mary
April 5, 2008 at 5:06 pm
Epona
For a non-knitter In was just thinking that you could buy socks in a cool pattern, clip off the foot part, stitch the bottom closed…need to figure out how to do the top. Sadly I can only knit scarves.
April 5, 2008 at 6:29 pm
marygreer
Epona – Good idea, though, for us sock knitters it’s easier to knit a tarot bag on it’s own. If you can knit a scarf you can knit a simple bag.
To create a closure for the top of your sock bag, just thread a fine drawstring cord through stitches near the top and pull the sock top closed. You should be able to do this if the stitch is not too tight.
Mary
April 22, 2008 at 5:31 pm
Janet Boyer
Mary,
When you are going to put some up for sale? I want! :o)
Janet
April 23, 2008 at 2:29 am
marygreer
Janet – I’m taking some to the Readers Studio to sell. Are you going to be there?
Mary
May 1, 2008 at 11:37 am
Janet Boyer
Hi Mary!
As you probably know, I didn’t make it this year. :o(
Have you thought about setting up a PayPal account (if you don’t already have one) and selling them here? You could always showcase particular bags for sale; if a certain type proves popular, you can even take orders for a particular color/pattern. (Unless, of course, you just want to make them all unique).
I’d be glad to make a post at TheTarotChannel.com about them, pointing readers to your site. And once I buy my own (*chuckle*) I’ll review ’em (and use ’em)!
Feel free to send me an email, if you’d like.
Janet
May 2, 2008 at 1:36 am
marygreer
Janet – Thanks for the suggestion. I mostly knit during the winter and travel so much in the summer that I couldn’t make enough bags to handle any regular demand. Also, the per-hour rate for what the bags could sell for is gastly. And then I have my books to write and classes to teach. Eeek! I figure I’ll have a few bags available when I teach.
They are fairly simple to make. I’ll try to post a detailed pattern one of these days. I’ve never written one before and so it will take a while to figure out how to phrase everything.
Mary