April 2006 Felted knitting bag

The French Market Bag seen on Knitty.com and designed by Polly Outhwaite was my inspiration. I wanted a bag crossed with a basket; rather shallow and open and yet easy to carry. The bottom grey yarn was Lion Brand wool and I double stranded it for a super dense bottom that needles would not poke through. The periwinkle blue yarn is Lamb's Pride. To add accent to the blue I added a few rows of Flora Trendsetter which gave nice little drops of color once the bag was felted. I added grey yarn with the blue at the tops of the handles which gives substance to the grip and it will camouflage discoloration from constant handling there. I added structure to the bag by using the same color of yarn and created a bead/seam around the bottom and up the sides at the corners. To add a little interest to the gray on the sides I took a strand of the periwinkle blue yarn and needle felted swirls on each end.

This was my first felting project and I learned some really great lessons:
Lesson 1: Some yarns felt much much more vertically than horizontally. (notice my bag is a rectangle while the bag on Knitty.com is a square)
Lesson 2: Use larger needles so that the knitting is loose and rather open. This helps the felting process by allowing the fibers to move easier and felt together.
Lesson 3: Have fun. If it does not come out like intended enjoy it anyway - appreciate its uniqueness. serendipity.