Knitting and felting your own bag

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What you’ll need

  • 2 x 100g hanks Colinette Point 5 Chunky Pure Wool
  • 1 pair 15mm knitting needles
  • Bodkin with large eye
  • Long length pins
  • Tape measure
  • 3 buttons (optional)
  • Washing machine
  • 1 teaspoon mild detergent
  • Small old towels

Note
Yarn amounts are based on an average tension. More may be required if tension is loose or if embellishments are to be made using the yarn. Colinette yarn is hand-dyed and therefore has some brilliant colour variations.

Tension
Can be variable: these bags are creative and individual so it doesn’t matter if a row or two more or less are knitted. Stitch Garter stitch – every row Knit.

To make
Handle: Cast on 4 stitches.
Knit 71 rows. Cast off .
Finished length approx
78cm/30in.
Bag: Cast on 44 stitches.
Knit 29 rows. Cast off .
Finished size approx
60x30cm/24x12in.

 The Bag
The Handle
TIP
When joining yarn, knit the two yarns together for three or four stitches near the end of a row. Yarn ends can then be threaded neatly into seam edge.
Making up
Pull gently into rectangular shape.
Take short end and fold up 23cm/9in to create the pocket, leaving 14cm/6in for flap.
Pin sides together using long length pins (shorter ones might get lost in the yarn) as shown in picture above.
Stitch edges together with a bodkin and yarn taking care not to pull too tightly as this might distort the fi nished shape.

Attaching the handle
Place one end of handle over side seam about 4cm/1½in inside the bag. Stitch firmly through knitting.  Attaching the handle

Felting – the exciting bit!
This is an unpredictable art so every bag will turn out quite differently, depending on the temperature of the water, the tension of the knitting and how long it’s in the washing machine. The bag illustrated above was put in on Cotton cycle for 30 minutes or so with the mild detergent.

After about 20 minutes, I suggest you stop the machine and review the effect. The longer the bag stays in the machine, on a hot wash, the smaller it will become. When you’re satisfied, switch to spin cycle and when it’s completed, retrieve the bag and pull it carefully into shape.

The bag featured was pulled down in the middle of the flap for added interest.
Place a soft towel inside the bag to keep it in shape, then lay it on another towel and leave to dry naturally – the airing cupboard is a good place for this.

Note
It’s very easy, when the wool is damp, to pull the bag into any shape or form – just ensure that it’s supported while drying out.
The yarn itself is highly decorative but the bag can be personalised with the addition of buttons, as shown on the previous page. These should be stitched on after the bag has completely dried out. Or you could choose other fastenings – tassels, ribbons, cords or crocheted or knitted motifs. Now you have the basic technique you can let your imagination run wild.		Style 2

Try other stitches, such as stocking stitch or moss stitch, and consider other yarns, though for felting they do need to be wool.
The bag is knitted in two parts – pocket and handle. See it, finished on previous page. Alternative styles below WI Craft.
Yarn supplier
Colinette Yarns, Banwy Workshops, Llanfair Caereinion, Powys SY21 OSG. Tel: 01938 810128, website www.colinette.com.
Bag shown on previous page: shade 55 Toscana,Purple bag: shade 83 Lilac Pink/red bag: shade 35 Raspberry.

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