Knitting and felting

Hello.  I was at the mall and saw this cute little purse that also came with a pretty little price tag.  WOW!  Well, as always, being a crafter, a maker, I thought I can make it and make it the way I want it.  Let the journey begin.

Took a little trip through my yarn stash and realized I didn't have any 100% wool yarn,  so off to Joann's to pick me out the yarn I needed.  You will need 100% wool yarn and make sure it isn't the superwash type or you will not get the felting result that you want.  I used Paton's Classic Wool.  There are many many more colors to choose from, but I wanted grey and I thought the grey/white twist added character.  This project took just a little over 2 skeins.  I bought 3 so I still have enough yarn left to make an accessory of some sort.  Woo Hoo!!!!!  Love the price tag on these as well.  At $5.99 a skein, I can make others in more colors.

Let's get started.........

I cast on 80 stitches on a size 9 circular needle and joined to knit in the round.  I made a tube as the body and decreased stitches until I have roughly 20 stitches on the needles and bound off by joining all stitches together and cinching it closed. I then picked up 36 stitches on the cast on side to begin the flap. I began decreasing on each side equally once I had enough of the flap to cover the top opening.  Once I had 4 stitches left I begin the I-cord to make a loop for a button closure.  This will need to be as long or short depending on the size button you want to use.  You could also add other closure options by omitting the I-cord and doing a hook and eye method, or even a magnetic closure.
Now we need to think about a strap or handle.  I wanted straps and knitted these in I-cord and knitted a cord as tall as me so I had more than enough to work with.

Pre-washing

Now that the pieces are all done, let the magic begin.  Throw the body and strap into the washing machine with a small amount of detergent and the hottest water possible.  Depending on how hot the water is and the amount of felting you want, you might need to run it through a cycle more than once.  It took me 2 cycles to get to my end result I liked.

Lining added

Once you get it out of the washer, it is time to shape it.  I used 4x4 pieces from a previous project and cut them down to 8 in. long and put 2 pieces inside as my form.  It should fit snug, so you might need to play around with all sorts of items to get the snug fit or shape that you want your bag to have.  Let this sit until completely dry.  Once dry, time to embellish or whatever you want.  I wanted only a lining for mine and did a rough measurement by wrapping my fabric, from another previous project, around and adding 1/2 in.  I cut a small panel for the bottom and sewed all the pieces together.  Didn't look complete to me, so I cut another left over fabric for a panel on the inside of the flap.  Now I was happy.


Ok, how am I going to add my handles with one long strap.  I cut my long piece in half.  Wait, how am I going to attach them.  I used grommets and just poked a hole through the side of the bag in the front and in the back. Once I had all the grommets in place I threaded one end and tied a knot and held over  my shoulder and across my body to adjust the length for the straps.  Once all tied and knotted, trim the extra off.  Add your button for the closure or whatever you pick as the fastening device.

All the possibilities.  All the colors that are available I see many more being created.

Have a great day!!!!!