#154 Vermont Felted Bag

designed by Kathy Elkins

Inspired by a cute leather bag WEBS owner Kathy Elkins purchased in Vermont, this bag is a quick knit and full of style.

R47-50 Knit across. Fabric should measure 13 long. Bind-off all stitches. Strap (make 2) We recommend casting these handles on at the same time to ensure the lengths match. Cast-on 4 sts Knit in garter st until fabric measures 3. Change to Stockinette stitch for 15. Handle should now measure 18l. Knit for an additional 3 in garter st. Handle should now measure 21l. Bind-off. Finishing: Pin bag together, bringing the outer bottom edge points to the center of the bottom of the bag. This forms a nice flat bottom. Sew bottom and sides of bag and weave in any ends with tapestry needle. Felting: Set your washer to a small load on hot wash. Place bag and straps in a zippered pillow case or mesh garment bag and add it to the washer, adding in a few drops of hand dishwashing soap or baby shampoo. Check the progress every 5 minutes and continue to wash until the bag is thoroughly felted. It can some times take more than one wash cycle to felt properly. Our experience has been that Berkshire will felt completely with one wash. When its felted enough, let the washer cycle finish. Remove it from the machine. Let dry by stretching it over a form such as a cereal box. Sew the straps on the bag with the buttons.

Finished Size: Before felting: 12 w x 14 l x 4 d After felting: 10 long X 11 wide X 4 deep Materials: 2 100g sks Valley Yarns Berkshire Hand Dyed [85% Wool/15% Alpaca; 141 yds / 100 gl] color Antique or 1 250g skein 4 buttons #15 straight needles Tapestry needle Gauge: Approximately 12 sts/18 rows = 4 in stockinette stitch. Exact gauge is not important. Abbreviations: St st stockinette stitch co cast on bo bind off sts stitches Directions Bag The bag is knit in one piece. Cast-on 34 sts R1-4 Knit across R5-50 Stockinette sts or until fabric measures 13l. Bind-off 3 sts at the beginning of the next 2 rows. You should now have 28 stitches. This will create the bottom of the bag. Continue in Stockinette st until the bottom measures approximately 6 . Cast-on 3 stitches at the beginning of the next row. Knit across. Cast-on 3 more stitches. You should now have 34 stitches. Begin row counts again. R1-46 Stockinette sts