Tree of Life Bag

I'm a day late with the beginning of our knit along. I had a very long and somewhat taxing day yesterday and I was just too tired to look at instructions. So please forgive me.
To my surprise, everyone wanted to do the larger version of the bag, so I will be knitting the larger version once again and posting the pattern for the larger version. Lucky me as I get a Christmas present made and off my list!!!

We'll begin with the end panels. They are really quite easy to do and it will get us very well versed in making the tree portion of the pattern before we tackle the larger front panels.

As you can see in the above picture, each tree consists of 4 branches and 4 bobbles.
The pattern;
(worked over 14 stitches)
Row 1:  Right Side. Purl 6, Knit 2, Purl 6.
Row 2:  Knit 5. CP2F. CP2B. Knit 5.
Row 3:  Purl 4. K2F. Knit 2. K2B. Purl 4.
Row 4:  Knit 3. (CP2F) twice. (CP2B) twice. Knit 3.
Row 5:  Purl 2. (K2P) twice. Knit 2. (P2K) twice. Purl 2.
Row 6:  Knit 1. SFPK. Knit 1. Purl 1. Knit 1. Purl 2. Knit 1. Purl 1. Knit 1. SBKP. Knit 1.
Row 7:  Purl 1. MB. Purl 2. Knit 1. Purl 1. Knit 2. Purl 1. Knit 1. Purl 2. MB. Purl 1.
Row 8:  Knit 4. (Purl 1, Knit1, Purl 1) twice. Knit 4.
Row 9:  Purl 4. MB. Purl 1. Knit 2. Purl 1. MB. Purl 4.
Row 10:Knit 6. Purl 2. Knit 6.
These 10 rows make up the Tree Of Life Pattern.

Abbreviations:
CP2F,    slip next stitch on to cable needle and leave in front of work. Purl 1, then Purl 1 from cable               needle.
CP2B,   Slip next stitch on to cable needle and leave in back of work. Purl 1, then Purl 1 from cable
             needle.
K2F,     Knit 2nd stitch into front loop, then Knit 1st stitch. Slip both stitches off needle.
K2B,    Knit 2nd stitch into back of loop, then Knit 1st stitch. Slip both stitches off needle.
K2P,    Knit 2nd stitch into front loop, then Purl 1st stitch. Slip both stitches off needle.
P2K,    Purl 2nd stitch into back of loop, then Knit 1st stitch. Slip both stitches off needle.
SFPK,  Slip next stitch onto cable needle and leave in front of work. Purl 1, then Knit 1 from cable needle.
SBKP, Slip next stitch onto cable needle and leave at back of work. Knit 1, then Purl 1 from cable needle.
MB,     Make Bobble. [(Knit 1, Purl 1) 3 times. Knit 1] all in next stitch. Slip 6th, then 5th, then 4th, then 3rd, then 2nd and finally 1st stitch over 7th stitch.

To begin, using U.S. size 10 needles, and 2 strands of yarn, cast on 18 stitches. Your side panels should measure approximately 4 1/2" wide. The length will be four sets of the Tree of Life pattern If your panels are turning out too large, use only one strand of yarn.
The first and last stitch will always be a Knit stitch. The second and second from the last stitch will be a Knit stitch on the right side and a purl stitch on the wrong side.

You can see in the above picture that by Knitting the first and last stitch of every row, you will make a ridge that makes the panel easy to sew to the front panels. The next stitch which is a Knit stitch on the right side and a purl stitch on the wrong side will form the nice ridge that you see on either side of the Tree Of Life pattern.
The side panels will go quickly. Since I didn't get the pattern posted yesterday, we will just go ahead and call Thursday our knitting day. So I will check back in with you next Thursday with my panels finished and I will try and answer any questions you might have over the next week while working on your side panels.
Good Luck. I think you'll enjoy this pattern. It looks more difficult than it actually is.