Presenting the felted tote!
It’s tougher than it looks – I took it shopping tonight, with my wallet, cell phone, palm, a small book and my keys, and it held up really well. It’s quite roomy, and could easily hold a knitting project or three…
I finally had to give in and hand-stitch the straps. Nothing was going to convince my sewing machine to sew those straps on. Oh, well.
Oh, and while we’re on the subject, I also finished the cross-stitch for my Godson. Four finished projects in one week – this might be a record for me!
oooo, the bag looks marvelous! i am not excited to hear that about the straps however as i have mine to look forward to. i was thinking of sending them to my mom and asking her to use her serger on them? i don’t know, we’ll see. it looks great! i’m sure you’re going to use it all the time!
How long did you put it in the washer? did it shrink up much? I was reading you should knit with two yarns before felting if you want good density, so that’s what I’m trying with my bag. It looks like it lost it’s original waviness as well and became more uniform.
Carolyn:
I don’t know what happened with my sewing machine – I can take a pile of fabric the same thickness and stitch it just fine, but it wouldn’t handle the felted wool… Maybe I should get it looked at.
Greta:
The details are on my project page: 1/4 cup of baking soda, a small amount (maybe another 1/4 cup) of detergent, a towel or two for extra agitation. Then put it on the lowest water setting and the longest hot/cold cycle on the washing machine (I think mine is a 16 minute wash). I fished it out a couple of times before it got to the rinse cycle to see if I needed to give it any more time in the hot water…use something like tongs, because it’s HOT! If it doesn’t need shaping, you can throw it in the dryer, too, but it does shrink a little bit more. (How much probably depends on the exact yarn and blend.) Good luck!
oh my gorgeousness! I love the bag. Another wanna-do. And the cross stitch – quite impressive!
Hi, Sarah – I’ve got a new URL, and I was hoping you could update your link. I’ll post a doggy pic just for you! New url is http://mindlessknitting.com – thanks!
Damn that is toooo cool, Sarah! *:)
Great Market bag! I am doing that one with friends and love seeing other’s color choices.