In the bag

I finally *felted the Hold It All Handbag. I finished the knitting several weeks ago, but had not felted it, because I thought the handle might be too short.

Here it is after knitting, and before felting. The cd is there as a size reference.



For some reason, my bag ended up a lot longer than the one in the pattern picture. The handle looked too short, but I was resisting cutting, lengthening, and grafting it to make it longer.

Two Old Bags had a bag on display at Stitches, and the proportions were definitely different from my bag. I quietly decided to lenghten the strap as soon as I came home. I pulled the bag out this weekend, though, and it must have relaxed, because the handle looked perfect. So I took a deep breath and threw it into the washer.

*Felting (or more accurately, fulling) for non-knitters: Did you ever ruin a wool sweater by throwing it in the washer with too-hot water and agitating it for a while? It shrunk and got thick and matted. You can also do that intentionally, by knitting something at a loose gauge, and washing it to make a thicker, more durable fabric.

Here is the bag after about 15 minutes in the washer.



The Cascade 220 felted beautifully, and quickly, and the bag ended up being a perfect size. I bought a brooch from one of the vendors at the star party, and am using that as an accent on the bag. If I had it to do over, I might make the handle a couple of stitches wider, but all in all, I'm happy with the way it turned out.

I'm also happy to have one big project out of my knitting bag. Next up: finish the soldier socks before Christmas, and finish the sweater so I can wear it this winter.