Felted bag pattern

I've been meaning to write up some more patterns recently so here is the pattern for my little felted bag. It takes no time at all and is ideal for a last minute gift!

Yarn: Debbie Bliss SoHo (1 ball)

Needles: 1 pair 6mm for bag and 1 pair 5.5mm for handle

Other materials: Button or toggle

Bag:

Cast on 30 sts.

Knit 6 rows

K14, YO, K2 tog, K to end of row (creates buttonhole)

Continue in garter stitch (Knit every row) until knitting measures approx 26 cm or desired length. NB make sure you have enough yarn left for the strap.

Handle/strap:

Using 5.5mm needles, cast on 3 sts. Knit until strap measures approx 50 cm.

To make up:

Fold up about 10cm from bottom of bag. Sew up sides and turn right side out. Sew ends of strap
to either side of bag.


Place inside a pillow case in the washing machine with an old towel or pair of jeans. Wash on short cycle at 40 or 50 degrees. NB felting is a trial and error process! This worked for me. It left some stitch definition but made the bag much more sturdy.
Attach button when bag has dried out. I placed newspaper inside the bag to help it dry.

Variation:

The blue bag was knitted using the same pattern but I omitted the buttonhole. Instead, I added a loop afterwards and attached the button this way. I also forgot to use different needles for the strap so the whole bag uses 6mm needles.