Scandi Swimmer Pouch Free Knitting Pattern: A Cozy Nordic Project for All Skill Levels
There is something deeply satisfying about combining the timeless craft of knitting with the clean, geometric aesthetic of Scandinavian design. The Scandi Swimmer Pouch is one of those projects that manages to feel both nostalgic and thoroughly modern — a small accessory with big personality, worked up in the kind of bold, graphic colorwork that has made Nordic textile traditions beloved around the world. Whether you are knitting your first stranded colorwork project or looking for a quick, rewarding make to add to your collection, this free pattern is for you.
In this post, you will find everything you need to knit your own Scandi Swimmer Pouch from scratch: materials, gauge, step-by-step instructions, colorwork tips, finishing advice, and ideas for customizing the design to make it entirely your own. Keep reading, and by the end you will have a complete pattern you can return to again and again.
What Is a Scandi Swimmer Pouch?
Before we dive into the pattern itself, let’s talk about what makes this project so special. A swimmer pouch is essentially a small zippered or drawstring bag — the kind you might use to store coins, earbuds, a lip balm, a set of keys, or any small everyday essential. The term “swimmer” refers to the fish or swimming motif that appears in much of traditional Scandinavian folk knitting, alongside other classic images like snowflakes, reindeer, geometric borders, and stylized florals.
Scandinavian colorwork, often called Fair Isle or stranded colorwork, involves carrying two or more yarn colors across each row, knitting with one color while the other floats loosely along the wrong side of the fabric. The result is a dense, structured fabric with wonderful stitch definition — perfect for a small pouch that needs to hold its shape and stand up to daily handling.
The swimmer motif is particularly charming. In traditional Nordic knitwear it often appears as a simple, stylized fish or tadpole-like shape, sometimes repeated in rows to create a flowing, almost hypnotic all-over pattern. Because the individual motif is relatively small, it is ideal for a beginner dipping into colorwork for the first time. The repeats are easy to memorize, and the payoff — that satisfying graphic fabric — comes quickly.
Materials You Will Need
One of the best things about this pattern is how little yarn it requires. This is a wonderful stash-buster project, perfect for using up leftover fingering or DK weight yarn from larger projects.
Yarn: You will need approximately 50 grams of a main color (MC) and 30 grams of a contrast color (CC). The pattern is written for a DK weight yarn, but it can easily be adapted for fingering or worsted weight by adjusting needle size and gauge. Classic choices for a Scandi aesthetic include a deep navy or charcoal as the main color paired with a crisp natural white or cream as the contrast. That said, the pattern looks equally striking in forest green and mustard yellow, rust and oatmeal, or any combination of colors that speaks to you.
Good yarn choices include any smooth, plied wool or wool blend with good stitch definition. Superwash wools work well if you want easy care. Avoid overly fuzzy or halo yarns like mohair for your first colorwork project, as the halo can obscure the motif and make it harder to see your stitches as you work.
Needles: US size 4 (3.5mm) double-pointed needles or a short circular needle for magic loop, or whatever size you need to achieve gauge. If you are knitting this in fingering weight, try US size 1 or 2 needles. For worsted weight, US size 7 is a good starting point.
Notions: You will also need a tapestry needle for weaving in ends, a stitch marker, scissors, and either a 6-inch zipper or a length of ribbon or cord for the drawstring closure. A small piece of fabric can be used to line the interior if you wish to give the pouch extra durability, but this is entirely optional.
Gauge: 22 stitches and 30 rows over 4 inches in stockinette stitch. As always with colorwork, swatching is strongly recommended — not only to check your gauge but also to get a feel for how your chosen yarn behaves when you carry two colors across the row. Most knitters find they need to go up at least half a needle size for colorwork compared to plain stockinette, to avoid the floats pulling the fabric too tight.
Finished Size: Approximately 5 inches wide by 4 inches tall, which is ideal for a coin purse or small accessories pouch. The pattern can be scaled up by adding more repeats of the swimmer motif.
Reading the Chart
If you are new to knitting from a colorwork chart, the concept is straightforward. Each square on the chart represents one stitch. Squares filled with the dark color represent your main color, and squares left white (or filled with a lighter shade) represent your contrast color. When working in the round, as this pattern is, you read the chart from right to left on every row, following the rounds from bottom to top.
The swimmer motif in this pattern is an 8-stitch by 10-row repeat. Once you have worked through the repeat two or three times, you will likely find you can knit from memory, glancing at the chart only to double-check your position.
A useful habit when knitting colorwork is to lay both yarns in a consistent position — for example, always holding the main color in your right hand and the contrast color in your left, or vice versa. Consistent yarn dominance ensures that one color “pops” consistently against the other, giving the finished fabric a clean, professional appearance.
Pattern Instructions
Cast On and Setup
Using your main color and your preferred cast-on method, cast on 56 stitches. Join to work in the round, being careful not to twist your stitches, and place a stitch marker to mark the beginning of the round.
Work 6 rounds of 1×1 ribbing (knit 1, purl 1) in your main color. This creates a neat, slightly elastic edge that will help the pouch keep its shape over time.
After completing the ribbing, knit one plain round in your main color to transition into the body of the pouch.
Working the Swimmer Chart
Now the fun begins. You will work the swimmer motif chart across all 56 stitches. Since the motif repeat is 8 stitches wide, and you have 56 stitches total, the repeat will fit exactly 7 times around the pouch — which means you will have a perfectly seamless, continuous pattern with no partial repeats to manage.
Round 1 (chart row 1): Following the chart, knit across all 56 stitches, alternating between your main color and contrast color as indicated.
Continue working through the chart, repeating the 8-stitch motif 7 times across each round and the 10-row chart sequence from bottom to top. Work the full chart sequence twice to create a pouch body of approximately 20 rows of colorwork. Then work the chart sequence a third time, stopping after row 7, for a total of 27 rows of patterned fabric. This gives you a nicely proportioned body that feels substantial without being oversized.
As you work, keep an eye on the tension of your floats — the strands of yarn carried across the back of the fabric. Floats that are too tight will cause the fabric to pucker and pull; floats that are too loose will create loops that can catch on small items inside the pouch. Spreading your stitches out on the right needle before bringing the float across is the best technique for maintaining even, relaxed floats. If your repeat is longer than 5 stitches, consider catching the float midway to prevent long, dangling strands on the interior of the pouch.
Top Ribbing and Closure Preparation
After completing the body of the pouch, cut your contrast color and continue with the main color only.
Knit one plain round in main color.
Work 4 rounds of 1×1 ribbing in main color.
On the next round, work the eyelet row for the drawstring closure: Knit 2 together, yarn over; repeat from to end of round. This creates a row of small eyelets evenly spaced around the top of the pouch, through which you will thread your drawstring cord or ribbon.
Work 4 more rounds of 1×1 ribbing in main color. Bind off loosely in ribbing pattern.
Knitting the Base
You have a couple of options for closing the bottom of the pouch. The simplest method is to use the three-needle bind-off to join the two halves of the cast-on edge together, creating a flat seamed base. To do this, fold the pouch flat so the cast-on stitches are divided evenly, 28 on each side, hold both needle tips parallel, and work the three-needle bind-off across all stitches.
Alternatively, if you prefer a completely seamless base, you can begin the pouch by picking up stitches around a provisional cast-on (or a small i-cord base), eliminating the need for any seaming at the bottom. This gives the finished pouch a slightly more rounded, professional silhouette.
The Swimmer Motif Chart
Below is a written description of the swimmer motif chart for those who prefer to follow row-by-row written instructions rather than a visual chart. The motif is worked over an 8-stitch repeat across 10 rounds. MC = main color, CC = contrast color.
Round 1: 5 MC, 1 CC, 2 MC; repeat from to end.
Round 2: 4 MC, 3 CC, 1 MC; repeat from to end.
Round 3: 3 MC, 4 CC, 1 MC; repeat from to end.
Round 4: 3 MC, 3 CC, 2 MC; repeat from to end.
Round 5: 4 MC, 2 CC, 2 MC; repeat from to end.
Round 6: 2 MC, 2 CC, 4 MC; repeat from to end.
Round 7: 1 MC, 3 CC, 3 MC, 1 CC; repeat from to end.
Round 8: 1 MC, 4 CC, 3 MC; repeat from to end.
Round 9: 1 MC, 3 CC, 4 MC; repeat from to end.
Round 10: 2 MC, 1 CC, 5 MC; repeat from to end.
This sequence creates a small, stylized fish or swimming shape pointing alternately left and right as the rounds progress, staggered across the fabric in the classic Scandinavian manner.
Finishing the Pouch
Once your knitting is complete, weave in all ends carefully on the wrong side of the fabric. It is worth spending a little extra time on this step with a colorwork piece, as you will have ends from both the main color and the contrast color to secure. Thread each tail onto your tapestry needle and weave it through the floats on the wrong side of the fabric in different directions, securing it firmly without allowing it to show through to the right side.
If you chose the three-needle bind-off for the base, the seam will be minimal and virtually invisible from the outside.
Thread your drawstring cord or ribbon through the eyelet row at the top of the pouch. Cut a length of approximately 30 inches, fold it in half, and thread both ends through the eyelets in the same direction (beginning at the same eyelet, going all the way around, and emerging from the same eyelet). When you pull both ends, the pouch will cinch closed neatly. Tie the ends together in a knot or bow, or attach a small toggle bead for a polished finish.
Give the finished pouch a gentle wet block by soaking it in cool water for about 15 minutes, squeezing out excess water (never wring a knitted piece), and laying it flat to dry. Blocking evens out the stitches, relaxes the colorwork, and allows the full beauty of the swimmer motif to show.
Colorwork Tips for a Beautiful Finish
If this is your first stranded colorwork project, here are a few additional tips to help your Scandi Swimmer Pouch turn out beautifully.
Work at a slightly looser tension than you normally would. Colorwork fabric has a tendency to draw in because of the floats across the back, so fighting that tendency by keeping your hands relaxed will serve you well.
Take breaks during long colorwork sessions to relax your grip. It is easy to unconsciously tighten up as you concentrate on following the chart, which leads to uneven tension over time.
If you find that the floats on the inside of your pouch are longer than you would like (which can happen particularly on the sections of the chart with long runs of a single color), you can catch the float every three or four stitches by looping the carried yarn over the working yarn before you knit the next stitch. Be careful not to pull the float too tightly when you do this, or it will create a dimple on the right side of the fabric.
Finally, if you are struggling with managing two balls of yarn at once, try placing each ball in a separate zip-lock bag on the table beside you. This prevents the balls from rolling around and tangling, and keeps your working area tidy.
Ideas for Customizing Your Scandi Swimmer Pouch
One of the most delightful aspects of this pattern is how easily it lends itself to personalization. Here are a few ideas to make your pouch uniquely yours.
Try swapping the swimmer motif for another small Scandinavian folk motif — a small snowflake, a simple heart, or a stylized leaf all work beautifully on an 8-stitch repeat. If you want to design your own motif, graph paper (or a free online knitting chart tool) makes it easy to sketch out ideas before you begin.
Add a contrast color border at the top and bottom of the colorwork section by working one or two rounds of a simple geometric stripe in your contrast color before and after the main motif. This frames the swimmer pattern beautifully and gives the finished pouch a more finished, structured appearance.
Consider adding a lining. A small piece of cotton or linen fabric, cut and hand-sewn inside the pouch, adds durability and prevents small items from slipping through the fabric. It also gives the finished pouch a boutique-quality feel that makes it genuinely lovely as a handmade gift.
Scale the pattern up by increasing the number of cast-on stitches in multiples of 8, keeping the swimmer motif repeat intact. A 96-stitch cast-on will give you a pouch wide enough to use as a small project bag or a flat clutch. Increase the number of chart repeats to adjust the height accordingly.
Gifting and Using Your Scandi Swimmer Pouch
Small knitted pouches like this one make wonderful handmade gifts, and the Scandi Swimmer Pouch in particular has a universally appealing aesthetic that works for almost any recipient. Fill one with a handful of chocolate truffles and a handwritten note for a simple, beautiful birthday gift. Use one to store your own knitting notions — stitch markers, tapestry needles, and a small measuring tape all fit perfectly inside. Keep one in your handbag as a coin purse or earring pouch. Give one to a child to store their treasures. The options are as varied as the colorways you might choose.
Because the pattern is small and relatively quick to knit — experienced knitters may finish in a single weekend, while newer colorwork knitters might spread it over a comfortable week — it is the kind of project you can make in multiples, working your way through a rainbow of color combinations as the seasons change.
A Note on Yarn Substitutions
While this pattern is written for DK weight yarn, it is genuinely flexible. Fingering weight yarn worked at a tighter gauge will give you a finer, more delicate pouch with a beautifully intricate motif. Worsted weight yarn will produce a chunkier, sturdier bag that works up very quickly. Whatever yarn you choose, the key is to swatch and adjust your needle size until the fabric feels firm without being stiff — you want a fabric that will hold its shape and stand up to daily handling, but that still has enough drape to feel pleasant in the hand.
Natural wool is always a lovely choice for colorwork, as it has a slight elasticity and stickiness that helps the two yarn colors blend at the edges of the motif for a clean appearance. However, cotton, linen, and other plant fibers can also produce beautiful results, and have the practical advantage of being completely washable.
There you have it — a complete, free pattern for a Scandi Swimmer Pouch that celebrates everything wonderful about Nordic textile traditions. Whether you are knitting for yourself or making a gift for someone you love, this small project delivers the
