My First Felted Bag

I will admit to a small amount of disbelief and uncertainty when it comes to the felting process. I had invested a lot of time knitting the most enormous bag. I mean, my whole family could fit inside. My family spent time (too much time, if you ask me) laughing and pondering the fate of said bag. Would it really get smaller? Won't your stuff fall out through the knitting? Everyone, including me, was concerned. I wondered, does this felting thing work? Of course, I did not reveal my own doubt. Instead, I spent time explaining the wonders of the felting process and how I would end up with the cutest little bag ever -- a functional bag. I secretly prayed it would be so because I was making this bag for my Knit Sock Kit Pal. I didn't want her to be disappointed. I meticulously set the settings on the washing machine -- heavy wash, hot water. I threw in some old jeans and the gigantic bag. I waited anxiously. I checked on progress after approximately 10 minutes. Thought, oh crap!! This bag is still GIANT. Patiently decided to have faith in the process and allowed wash cycle to complete. Checked again. Amazing progress, but still too big. Set for another wash cycle. This time, I allowed the wash cycle to complete, having faith that this was going to work. I should note that I did not allow the bag to go through the rinse cycle. I checked on the bag the final time! What a magical process -- this felting. I give you my first felted bag.



The pattern: Felted Striped Tote from One Skein: 30 Quick Projects to Knit and Crochet