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at the request of jenn and q, i have drawn up the pattern for the handbag i used in the experimental felting project. for your visualization:
it's a basic tube with strategic slits for handles and a flat base. see how simple the pattern is:
yarn: 1 skein of reynolds lopi
needles: 16" circular us size 13
gauge: hm?
1. cast on 62 stitches.
2. knit 1x1 ribbing for 4".
3. next round: knit 7, bind off 11, knit 20, bind off 11, knit 13.
4. next round: knit 7, cast on 11, knit 20, cast on 11, knit 13.
5. continue ribbing for until total length is 6".
6. stop ribbing. start knitting stockinette for the next 12".
7. next round: knit 25, bind off 6, knit 25, bind off 6.
8. next row: knit 25, turn.
9. purl 25 back. turn.
10. repeat steps 8+9 three times, creating a flap for the bottom.
11. sew edges and weave live stitches to close up bottom.
12. darn in all loose ends.
this pattern could be knitted bottom up by knitting the bottom flap first. the bags i've seen at the java station are all knitted that way. personally i don't like to pick up stitches so i wrote this pattern top down. jenn commented that my bag looks a lot like the one in stitch-n-bitch. you might want to take a look at that book before using this pattern.
in retrospect, knitting is the easy part. the nail chewing part begins with knowingly putting a diastrously shrinking material into the washer, the hopelessness of which can only be surpassed by pulling out a wrinkled wad of stinky wet wool. this stiff amoebic mass then has to be wrestled into a recognizable shape of a bag. this process should be called traumatizing instead of felting.
overall, it was a good experiment. now i know to:
a. make a swatch and wash it to get a better idea of the shape+size of
the finished bag.
b. knit very loosely to allow yarn to felt. i knitted this one a bit too tightly
for effective felting.
c. expect drastic shrinkage in height.
d. watch for mismatching handle openings as bag felts. shape bag after
each wash to achieve better symmetry.
feel free to send me your questions, comments, and suggestions. good luck.
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