I love finding small, simple garter stitch projects lately, since it's something you can easily take with you and work on anywhere without the hassle of following a complicated pattern. 

I absolutely love cute little bags and pouches - and also staying organized. I was so tired of rummaging around in the bottom of my purse for my chapstick or headphones that I decided to knit up a simple zippered pouch to easily keep everything in. 

Since I have a bunch of extra zippers lying around our studio, I used a 7" zipper for the pouch. I cast on 35 stitches with two strands of our Kiwi (207) in the Worsted Weight; however, the number of stitches will depend on your zipper length. It is always helpful to check your gauge to save you time! You will knit one continuous piece in garter stitch, and then fold it in half later to make the pouch. The length of your knitting is really up to you since that will determine the length of the pouch. 

Once you reach your desired length, you want to fold the pouch in half with the right sides facing out. With one strand of the yarn and a tapestry needle, mattress stitch the side seams together. 

Then using a sewing needle and thread in a matching color, stitch the zipper securely in place on top, allowing the teeth to show. I decided to add a fabric lining to the inside of my pouch, but if you don't plan to do this, just sew on the rest of your zipper.

For the lining:

Cut your desired fabric slightly wider and 2-3" longer than the length of your knit rectangle. Fold the fabric in half with the right sides facing in and fold the top edges over an inch facing outward (this will give you a smooth edge at the top of the pouch). Using a sewing needle and thread of a matching color, stitch the side seams and stitch down the top edges, making sure the fabric lining will fit nicely in the pouch. 

When stitching is finished, slide the lining in place in the pouch. Using a coordinating thread color, carefully secure the top edge of the lining in place away from the zipper teeth. Tack the bottom corners of the lining to the bottom corners of the pouch to ensure a snug fit. 

I ended up making a second one because it was so quick and useful (and let's be honest, because I had more episodes of Nurse Jackie on Netflix to finish). The second one I made followed the same steps but with a 5" zipper to make a much smaller pouch to hold the small things that usually fall to the bottom of my purse.

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