Designed by Reenie Hanlin Bag measures approx. 18 in. tall pre-felted and approx. 12 in. tall after felting.
Materials:
\~1 skein of Material Whirled Handspun Yarn \~ 2 skeins of a commercial feltable wool yarn, bulky weight \~ size 17 circular needles, 29 in long \~ 4 stitch markers, \~ Crochet hook size J or larger
Bottom:
\~Using 2 strands of commercial feltable yarn held together: Cast on 14 st \~Knit 22 rows back and forth in garter stitch \~Pick up stitches around edges (pick up the nub at the end of each row) until all 4 sides are on the needle, placing a marker at each corner. You will have approx. 72 stitches on your needles. \~Connect and knit in the round. \~Knit until it measures 6 inches from where you picked up stitches.
Handspun Section:
\~Hold handspun yarn with one strand of commercial feltable yarn. (this helps handspun felt more evenly with commercial yarn sections) \~Knit one round and place a marker at each corner. \~Knit until handspun section measures 1 inch. \~Next row knit 2tog at each marker, making 1 decrease row. \~Knit normally for 2 more inches. \~Next row knit 2tog at each marker making 1 more decrease row. \~Knit normally for 1 more inch until handspun section measures 4 inches total.
Top Section:
\~Switch back to commercial feltable yarn (holding 2 strands together) \~Knit until top Wool section measures 3 1/2 inches. \~Bind off loosely.
Scalloped Edging
\~Using Handspun only: \~Join handspun to bound edge on any stitch \~Crochet \~Round 1: in same st (ch 1, sc, ch3, 2 tr),\* skip 2 sc,in next sc (sc, ch3, 2 tr),rep from \* around edge of bag& end.
Straps:
\~Crochet chains-- 3 for each strap measuring 48 inches. You may want to make 1 chain in handspun and 2 in commercial feltable yarn. If you are running short of either handspun or commercial yarn, vary your ratios. \~Braid 3 chains for each strap and knot at ends. \~Leave unattached from bag to felt. \~lf you do not cut off the strand ends, they look like dreads and tendrils when felted, which can be very interesting. \~lf you do not like a braided strap, make an icord strap instead.
Felting:
\~Throw into washing machine with a pair of jeans or some towels (this wil knock the bag around harder). Place in a pillow case if you are concerned with your washer getting all fuzzed up. \~Fill washer with HOT water and a small amount of detergen..l use regular laundry detergent-- any will do \*\*Please realize that every yarn felts differently. Even different colors from the same manufacturer do not felt the same. You need to keep a close eye on the entire felting process\*\* \~Remove the bag every few minutes to check to see if it has reached your desired size. Once it has, spin out the soapy water and rinse, not agitating for long (more agitation and temperature change will felt the bag even more). Spin out water and block to dry.
Before Felting:
After Felting:
