Electrictrees

The snazzy colourwork on this felted bag was inspired by electricity and nature!

Felted handbag

“THE DESIGN of this bag and its name were both inspired by a friend,” explains Barb Brown. “Her personality is electric and energized, plus she owned a yarn shop of this name. Electric sparks, electric shafts, mixed with traditional flowers, and not exactly identical from the left side to the right, all evoke her inspiring personality!” Barb’s bag is knitted in the round from the bottom up, and then felted.

PATTERN NOTES

For this project, 100% wool yarn suitable for felting must be used - do not use superwash wool. It is recommended to knit a swatch and test it for felting before working the project. Tension is not critical, but it may affect the final size.

BAG BODY

Using 6mm circular needles and yarn A, cast on 130 sts. Join to work in the round, being careful not to twist sts. Rnd 1: K65, pm (mrk 1), K65, pm (mrk 2). This marks front and back chart placement. Join in yarn B. Next rnd: Work row 1 of Chart for bag front, slip mrk 1, work row 1 of Chart for bag back, slip mrk 2. Cont in chart pattern as set until all 78 rnds of chart are completed.

TOP

*With yarn A, purl 1 rnd, knit 1 rnd. Rep from * once, then purl 1 rnd. With yarn B, purl 1 rnd, knit 1 rnd. Break off yarn B. Next rnd: With yarn A, P30, cast off 5 sts, purl to end of rnd. Next rnd: Knit, casting on 11 sts over the cast-off sts from previous rnd.

HANDLES

Cast off 10 sts, K10, cast off 25 sts, K10, cast off 10 sts (bag front), cast off 10 sts, K10, cast off 31 sts, K10, cast off rem 10 sts (bag back). With RS facing, attach yarn A to first 10 sts of front of bag. Knit 140 rows back and forth on these 10 sts. Using the three-needle cast-off, cast off these 10 sts with the other 10 sts from the front, being careful to check that the handle is not twisted. Work handle for back of bag in the same fashion.

FINISHING

Loosely sew up the bottom seam and weave in all ends. Felt to desired texture as follows: Place in washing machine with washing detergent and run the hottest cycle available, then rinse in cold. Spin at the highest setting. Check result and repeat if desired. You can also felt by hand using soap, agitation and a hot wash with a cold rinse. For further guidance, see our masterclass on page 66. Lay out to dimensions to dry. Sew button and handles in place.