I wanted to make something for the Sit & Knitters. I knew I wanted to make something felted, and that it had to be somewhat small...so I came up with the Teeny-Tiny Felted Tote pattern. I'm still debating whether to publish the pattern or not, so for now I'm just posting pictures. I've decided that trying to sell the pattern is way too much work - I'd rather spend that time knitting - so enjoy! (If you're looking for another free pattern for a single skein of Noro Kureyon, you can check out my Teeny-Tiny Felted Gift Bag pattern.)

Here are the unfelted bags. From the top center, clockwise, the colors are: 36 (there are two of these), 89, 74, 128, 75, 95, 33, 91, 80, 81. In the very center, the proof-of-concept bag is color 52.

And here are the bags all felted and buttoned, with cord handles. The order of the colors is the same except for 74 and 89, which I swapped somehow...

The Pattern:

Supplies: 1 skein of Noro Kureyon (or equivalent feltable wool), 24" circular needles - US 10 or whatever gives you a loose gauge, crochet hook size J (or whatever you have handy), tapestry needle.
Gauge isn't particularly important, as long as it's loose - I was getting about 12 sts/20 rows to 4"

The Bag:
- Cast on 24 stitches.
- Knit (garter stitch) 24 rows.
- Turn and knit one more row, then pick up and knit 12 stitches on the short sides of the rectangle, and 24 stitches on the cast on edge. There should be a total of 72 stitches on the needles.
- Place marker, then knit in the round until the side of the bag measures about 7 inches, ending 18 stitches before the end-of-round marker. You'll need approximately 10 yards to cast off and knit the flap.
- Use a k2tog bind off (k2tog, put resulting stitch back on left hand needle, repeat around) to bind off the 18 stitches before the marker, then 42 stitches after the marker. There should be 12 stitches left on the needles.
- Knit across 12 stitches. Turn, ssk, k to last 2 stitches, k2tog.
- Work 16 rows garter stitch over the remaining 10 stitches. Bind off.
- Using yarn end and a crochet hook, slip stitch in first 3 stitches of bound off edge, chain 15, skip next 4 stitches of bound off edge, slip stitch in next 3 stitches of bound off edge, pull yarn through. (This creates the button loop at the end of the flap.)
- Weave in the ends.

Felting:
Now, felt it. My washer takes two 16 minute cycles to adequately felt Kureyon (as in, there's no more stitch definition). I set it to hot wash/cold rinse, extra agitation, lowest water level. I throw in a small dollop (technical term) of laundry detergent. With stuff like this, where finished size isn't particularly important, I just let it go through the entire wash cycle, including the cold rinse and the spinning. Find a suitably sized box to block over - or make your own blocking form out of styrofoam.

Finishing:
For handles, make a 3'-3 1/2' length of twisted cord out of coordinating crochet cotton, yarn, etc. Use a tapestry needle to pierce the bag about 1" from the top and 1" in from the corners on all four sides. Thread the cord through the holes. Knot the ends of the cord on the outside of the bag, on one short side. (If desired, you can cut the cord on the other short side and tie it in a knot as well for symmetry.) Finally, sew on a vintage button so that the flap can be buttoned shut.

Celebrate your Teeny-Tiny Felted Tote by taking it out for a night on the town!

(But what was inside the bags I gave away....? Well, the 10 that went to Sit & Knitters contained these fun beaded stitch markers, made by my mom:)