Here is my first booga bag for Norovember. I actually finished in November, but didn't get around to the picture-taking until the weekend.
I really like how the colors turned out, but I'm not so sure I like Kureyon for felting bags of any substance. It is a yarn that has thick and thin areas, and it is not a very "solid" or thick felt. The bottom is a bit too soft to hold up solidly with contents inside, so I bought a piece of plastic cross-stitch-type sheet, cut to fit inside the bottom of the bag, and it's now much sturdier and holds contents without bowing out on the bottom. Normally I would just double the yarn, but with the beautiful striping pattern of the Kureyon, that isn't possible without ruining the effect. I love the color effects, but will probably reserve felting this yarn for smaller bags and other felted projects. While in Victoria, BC last weekend, I bought a skein of Paton's SWS, which is a wool/soy blend. I saw a felted sample in the shop I visited there, and it looked so lovely felted. The variegated colors blend softly into one another, and it felts up very thick and sturdy, with a nice little "bumpy" textured effect.
I knit two mini-bags from a pattern called "Special Companions," a pattern available for free on KnitKit.com. They are a super-quick knit, so I came home from my weekend away with two bags done and ready for felting!
I made a felted bag previously from this designer (Janet Scanlon) called "My Little Companion," which I absolutely love and use constantly. (If you haven't tried any of Janet's patterns for felted bags, you really should try one----the patterns are well-written and the bags are well-structured and come out beautifully!)
I made these from one skein of the 'geranium' colorway, and had plenty left over for the handles with some extra to spare!
The bag on the right is shown without the handles applied yet. They look cute either way, but I love them with the handles, as they look like an exact miniature of my larger bag. I placed business cards inside so you can see the approximate size scale.
After felting and while still wet, it is easy to slightly change the shape of the bag before drying, so it can be molded into more of a round, basket-type shape as well. The top edge felts with the slight edge-curl of the stockinette stitch still intact, giving it the look of an I-cord rim.
I loved these little bags so much when they were finished, that I bought some more SWS in other colors to make some more. This yarn is less than $6 per skein at Michael's, and easily makes two bags, making the bags a cute and inexpensive project. I think they will make great gifts, or even holders for other gifts. I'm going to try making some in slightly larger sizes to see how they turn out. I would have never known that a wool/soy blend would felt if I hadn't seen the sample in the yarn store!
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