Felted City Bag
by Barbara Rottman
Materials
Yarn: 2 skeins (100 grams each) medium weight 100% wool such as Paton's Classic Wool, Cascade 220, Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride. NoT superwash. Needles: 24" circular needles size 10.5. For convenience, you may also wish to have on hand 10.5 straight and 10.5 double pointed needles. Notions: four stitch markers, one 1" button or large snap
Gauge
Felts to approximately 80% of original size. Gauge is not vital for this project.
Finished Size
Approximately 14 x 4 x 2 after felting.
Pattern Notes
Hold 2 strands of yarn together throughout. Bag will be at a loose gauge until it is machine felted. Acknowledgement to Elizabeth Zimmermann for I-cord.
Abbreviations
PM Place Marker K2tog Knit two together as 1 stitch (creates a right leaning slant) KKnit PPurl
Instructions
Bag bottom
Using double strand of yarn and size 10.5 circular needles, cast on 56 stitches. Knit every row for 16 rows (8 garter ridges).
Bag body
Place marker (PM) number 1 at end of row. 56 stitches on needle Pick up 8 stitches or 1 stitch for each ridge along side. PM number 2 at side edge. Pick up 56 stitches along bottom edge or 1 for each cast on stitch. PM number 3 at end of row. Pick up 8 stitches or 1 stitch for each garter ridge along side. PM number 4 to designate end of round. 128 stitches total. Work even by knitting every round. The first round or 2 may be a bit tight on your needles. Work even for 6 inches or 23 rows. Decrease round 1: Decrease 8 stitches evenly spaced knitting two stitches together (K2tog) across bag front between markers 4 and 1; 48 stitches remain. K2tog between markers 1 and 2; 4 stitches remain. Knit 56 stitches between markers 2 and 3. K2tog between markers 3 and 4; 4 stitches remain. Total 112 stitches. Knit next round even. Decrease round 2: K2tog between markers 1 and 2; 2 stitches remair and between markers 3 and 4; 2 stitches remain. Total 110 stitches. Knit 3 rounds even.
Bag Flap
Beginning at marker 3, bind off all stitches between markers 3 and 4, markers 4 and 1, and markers 1 and 2. 56 stitches remain. Row 1: Knit 3 stitches, PM, work to within 3 stitches of end of row, PM, K last 3 stitches. Row 2: Knit first 3 stitches, slip marker, purl to within 3 stitches of end of row, slip marker, knit last 3 stitches. Repeat rows 1 and 2 for 5 inches or 20 rows. Knit 3 rows. Bind off all stitches as if to knit.
Bag Closure
Note: You may choose to omit the buttonhole (below). Simply work all rows omitting the buttonhole and use a snap or magnetic closure which can be attached to the bag under the button. Using double strand, cast on 10 stitches. Knit all rows for 24 rows or 12 ridges. Buttonhole Row 1: K 3 stitches, cast off 4 stitches, K last 3 stitches (including the stitch remaining after casting off the 4th stitch.) Buttonhole Row 2: K 3 stitches, cast on 4 stitches by using backward loop, K 3 stitches (10 stitches total). Knit 5 rows. Bind off all stitches as if to knit.
Bag Strap
Using double pointed needles and 2 strands of yarn held together, cast on 5 stitches. Make EZ's I-cord by sliding all stitches to opposite end of needle and knit. Repeat until strap measures approximately 36 inches. Be sure to save enough yarn for finishing.
Finishing
Securely attach I-cord strap to bag at each side of the bag body, centering over the 2 stitches at each side. Center bag closure on bag flap, about 1 12 to 2 inches from flap edge and with buttonhole (if applicable) centered at the front of the bag body. Whip stitch closure tab to bag flap at top edge, leaving all other tab edges free. Darn in and trim any loose ends.
Machine Fulling or Felting
Place the bag in an old pillow case or lingerie bag to protect your washing machine from lint. Fill machine at low level on hot water/cold rinse cycle. Add a drop or two of detergent such as Joy liquid soap, and run normal cycle. Check bag every 5 minutes or so to be sure strap is not twisted and that bag is felting to desired size. Stop machine after most water has been drained, but before the spin cycle has completed. This will prevent deep and sometimes permanent creases from forming in the felt. Remove bag from machine and shape bottom, sides and fold flap over front of bag. If not sufficiently felted, repeat machine cycle again. Allow bag to sit on a flat surface until completely dry. Since the felt is thick, this may take up to two days. You may wish to lightly stuff the bag with plastic bags or bubble wrap to maintain shape. To aid in shaping the bag bottom, cut to size a piece of Styrofoam or foam core board. Check your bag regularly as it dries, stretching and shaping as needed to ensure desired shape.
Finishing
Make small accordion fold in the closure tab to add a 3-dimensional effect to the tab. Be sure to extend the buttonhole past the bag flap so that you can close the flap. Fold the top of the closure tab toward the top of the bag. To secure the closure tab, hand-stitch the fold to the bag flap using a running stitch through the fold in the closure tab. Attach button (and magnetic closure if desired). For personal use only. This pattern may not be reproduced for sale or to conduct classes. Items made from this pattern may not used for any commercial purpose. Barbara Rottman and used with permission.
