Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Small Felted Bag

I made a felted bag for my dear friend Jody's (no blog) birthday...


I used 2 balls of Patons Classic Wool in color #225, Dark Grey Mix. Size 15 needles, 2 strands held throughout. I found a pattern, and then did my own thing (which for some reason seems to be the case when I felt. This really isn't the norm for me, I am a direction follower.) If you want to know the original pattern and my changes, just leave a comment and I'll post them :)


Here is the before pic (after knitting, before felting.)


And here is the after (after felting, ie washing.)


In case you aren't familiar; felting (or fulling) is purposely washing a knitted wool object in hot water with lots of agitation. Have you ever accidentally washed a sweater, only to have it shrink up to fit a 2yr old? That's felting. It doesn't have to be just wool, it can be almost any animal fiber (alpaca, llama, mohair, etc.) The degree of felting will vary though. Felting is always an experiment!!! Here's a terrific site to check out with lots of patterns and tips :)

30 comments:

doris said...

Learning to felt has been one of my fondest desires! Thanks so much for link and for sharing your finished product! Now let's see ... can I put down my stitching long enough to improve my knitting skills?

Julie said...

That little bag is so cute, but I can't knit. I love the buttons with red thread. Just darling!

Carolyn said...

Now that is really cool!!! I didn't realize that's what felting was, but I love the look of it. Jody will LOVE it!! Great job, and I love your vest, too! You've been a busy girl.

Talk soon,
Carolyn :)

Rima said...

Lovely lovely. I rarely felt, and this bag makes me want to felt. ASAP.

Anonymous said...

I would like to know the original pattern you used plus the changes you made to it please. :) I love your bag!!!

Cathy B said...

Very cool! I bought a purse like this a few years ago for my daughter - she loves it! Wish I knew how to knit!

Anonymous said...

Staci, that is so cute! i love it. I have only learned to knit very slightly and the scarf I did was very wonky. Knitting is on my "to learn" list for 2009 and I love how felted things turn out. I've washed dozens of sweaters (on purpose) and turned them into felted goodies and that is so fun.
Your bag is way too cute though...you did a great job.

Annemarie said...

It is gorgeous, Staci!!! Wowie. WOuld you be a dear and tell us exactly how you did it? I have some lovely red wool that I want to use on a smallish project, and this sees like the perfect project!

Anonymous said...

Wow! It's great bag, Staci! It looks just wonderful - very elegant and at the same time very cosy and cute. I love buttons with red threads :)
And big thanks for link! :)

Unknown said...

How cute, I bet she loves it! I haven't tried my hand at felting yet but looks like fun. :)

Brigitte said...

I love the look of felted bags but have never made one myself. Thanks for sharing the link. Your little felt bag is lovely.

DovilÄ— said...

nice bag:)

Annie said...

You have so many hidden talents! That came out really well. As you said, felting is always and experiment. Yours was a great success!

Wendy said...

Nice bag! I have never done felting, but this sure looks great!

Nicole said...

Adorable bag Staci! I love the buttons, they are just perfect for it! Congrats on a great finish! :)

Wendy said...

I love how the bag turned out. I have been wanting to try felting for a while - even have the wool ready to use. Thanks for posting the website :-D

Nancy said...

This is such a cute bag, and I love the button detail!

Stitcher said...

What a sweet handbag! I must try felting with my crochet! Love the soft overall look achieved.

Jean said...

Wow!! Nice bag!! My first thought was - where does she get the time! This woman does NOT sleep- I'm sure of it. In the first picture, it's looks like a regular size tote bag and they are about the size of a bathtub to shrink down to that size! Then I saw the keys in the bag and it made a little more sense. I love the idea of 2 strand and size 15 needles - that goes pretty fast. I haven't felted INTENTIONALLY, but know how it's done - just love it!!
You are one talented lady!

The one thing I am learning from following your site is to think outside the box. For instance - using red thread on the buttons - little touch, very creative. A few posts ago - white scarf, multicolored fringe- very cute! So, thank you for inspiring me to think a bit more creatively!

Anonymous said...

Would love to have the pattern and changes for the cute felted bag, came out really nice.
Thanx

Tammy said...

What a great little bag-turned out gorgeous!

Cindy F. said...

This is absolutely too cute!! I love it! Good job girl!

mainely stitching said...

It is adorable!

Olga said...

A nice bag!

Solstitches said...

Love the bag. Felting is one of those on my "to try someday" list.

SandraRee said...

Love the felted bag! It's good to visit your wonderful blog again Staci. I have so missed your awesome talent and I love, love the new look of your blog. Hugs to you my friend.

Creative Chaos said...

Hi Staci , I got a couple of awards waiting for you on my page :-)
And i love your felted bag !!
Patti xx

Anonymous said...

Great bag!

Solitary Raven said...

Have you ever considered opening an etsy shop... your felted bags are just awesome!!!
I do not knit either.. only crochet...
Laura

Anonymous said...

Staci, that is just beautiful. I would be tickled if you posted the directions for this one, providing that a novice like me will be able to stitch it. The more I read your blog the more I want to branch out and do other things. Your blog is very inspiring. To me you just do your thing and that is very refreshing. Keep it up. That is an awesome way to be. Take care.

Lei