Felted Bags

Felted bags are easy to make, particularly by a beginner knitter as they are made from yarn with a high wool content using large knitting needles.  It's a good project for a beginner knitter because it goes together quickly. When the yarn is thin, two strands are knitted together. Once the bags are finished and sewn together, they are put in a washing machine and washed to achieve the felting. The wonderful thing about felted bags is that they are not not only beautiful but economical to make.  They are also strong and secure.  I use mine for keeping projects in, but they could easily be used as handbags. In fact, if I don't find a new light weight winter bag soon, that's what the charcoal grey bag will become. These were made by a friend who buys old sweaters and cardigans in charity/thrift shops, unravels them and re cycles them into bags.  You can find lots of patterns and tutorials on line if you google 'felted bags'. 

This bag was made from a heather coloured wool and trimmed with a little bit of fluffy wool very popular for making scarves.

Here is a close up of the trim.  The colours are very effective.

My friend also included a strap for fastening and a button (now misplaced!)  I decided I didn't really need the strap, but I would use it for security if this were a handbag.

I love charcoal grey and this is my favourite.   You can see that she added a strip of a lighter colour for effect.

This little heart is made by needle felting.  You can probably find out more about the technique on line.

I think the heart and the stripe complement each other very well.

I have not yet returned to the knitting group this fall, but I may try a felted bag as one of my projects this winter as I am a slow and not very accomplished knitter.  (Sewing is my thing.) It would be good to have a project that moved quickly and had a good end result.