Lining a knit bag: First the fun part—choose a fabric that you like and that works with your bag. It doesn’t have to match, though it helps if the colors relate in some way to your knitting. The lining for my bag isn’t what I’d choose if I’d gone to a fabric store,  but it’s what I had on hand and even if a pretty piece of silk would have been more sophisticated, the cheery kitchen-curtain feel of what I used is nice to look at.
1) Choose a piece of fabric that folded along the bottom will allow for 1⁄2” seams along the sides and top. (Iron your piece of fabric. It isn’t any more pleasant to sew a piece of wrinkled fabric than it is to seam curling, unblocked sweater pieces.)
2) Fold the fabric in half so that the fold is at the bottom. Lay your bag on top of the fabric aligning the folded edge of the fabric with the bottom of the bag. The fold will be the bottom of the lining. Smooth the bag out widthwise; it’s better to have the lining a little on the larger side than on the smaller side. Then either draw a line around the bag to show where to cut, or take scissors and eyeball a ½" margin as you cut around the shape of the bag.
3) If you want a pocket, cut out another square the size you’d like your pocket to be plus ½" all around. Use the same fabric, or be jazzy and use another color. I made my pocket on the large side; it measured  7” wide before I seamed it.
4) Run a line of machine stitching (basting) ½" or so around the edges of the pocket. Then fold your pocket along the machine-stitched lines and iron. To align your pocket on the bag, fold each in half lengthwise and lightly iron. Presto—you have a creased line that allows you to center the pocket widthwise on the lining. Pin the pocket in place and stitch around the sides and bottom of the pocket.
5) Next, fold the lining right sides together and stitch along each side ½” in from the edge, tapering the stitching to end on the fold. Trim the seam along the bottom curve and iron it open along the seams. No one will see your lining’s seam, but it will lie nice and flat inside the bag.
6) Mark the side edges of your bag and insert the lining into the bag, wrong sides together and with the side seam of the lining aligned with side markers on bag. Using your fists to mold the meeting place of bag bottom and lining bottom, work the lining into the bag so it fits perfectly. Fold over the top edge so that it lies a good ½" below the top edge.
7) Take out the lining and press the top edge down along the fold line. Re-insert the lining into the bag and with needle and thread, lightly sew the top edge in place as follows: Tie a knot in the thread and bring the needle through the lining—from wrong side to right—at the side seam, very, very close to the folded edge. *Take a little stitch on the knitting at the same point, then bring the needle point up through the lining at the folded edge again about ½" to the left of the first stitch. Continue from * until you’re back where you started. Take a few tiny stitches to secure your sewing and there you have it—you’ve lined your bag!
Try out Lining a bag: Here is a free pattern where you can try out lining a bag: • Caitlin's Bag
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