If you’ve been around the blog long enough you’ll remember that I went to Vermont in September 2005. While I was there I spent some time shopping with Norma and she helped me pick out yarn to make Kaleidoscope Yarn’s “Project Bag,” a rather large felted bag. The yarn had been marinating in the stash ever since but last month I pulled it out and wound it up and cast on. I finished knitting it last Friday and was anxious to felt it. But I also really wanted to take a photo that would show you just how ginormous this bag was pre-felting. Alas I was home alone and not really coming up with creative photography ideas.

I tried draping it on the back of our computer chair. But that doesn’t really convey the feeling I was hoping for. I tried a couple of other things like attempting to get the cat to get inside or bribing the dog sit on it but none of that worked. I finally settled on this:

Yup. I put the bag over my head and took a photo. The things I do for the blog, eh?

Once I pulled that sucker off my head, I threw it into the washing machine and set about the felting process. After a lot of hot water (sorry, Al Gore) and a bit of agitation and twenty minutes time, I had this:

Quite a drastic difference! It shrunk up nicely and the fibers felted together and made for a very strong bag. It took from Friday afternoon until Sunday evening to dry. Technically, it was done at that point but I decided I really wanted to line this bag so I went trolling through my fabric stash to see if I had anything that matched.

Look at that – I couldn’t have done better if I had purchased the fabric specifically for the project! And I’ve had that fabric even longer than I had the yarn – I’m pretty sure I bought it at Keepsake Quilting about 4 or 5 years ago.

Monday night I met up with Lois and she helped me make a lining.

We started by measuring the bag and then calculating how to cut the fabric for the lining. We cut a rectangle the size of the bottom of the bag plus 1/2 inch all the way around for the seams. Then we cut a long rectangle for the sides. We seamed the rectangle into a tube and then pinned the bottom onto that. We also made a pocket for my camera and put in a D-ring for my keys. We pinned the lining in place and then turned the bag inside out to sew the lining in place – by machine, thankyouverymuch. The felted fabric on this bag is so thick that the machine stitches don’t even show. Once the lining was sewn into place, we threaded the handles through the slots and tied them in a knot. It only took about an hour to make a really beautiful lining for this felted bag.

It’s quite large and can hold both current knitting projects along with a spindle.

And I absolutely love it! Thanks to Norma – for the inspiration. And thanks to Lois – for the finishing details. I now have a great new knitting bag