D'vorahDavida
Yetzirah

Mmmm... those are yummy, I've seen them before. I love the little ones on the bottom. And I owe you another comment, so I'll be back in a few minutes. ;o)

Perfect combination for a gloomy day.

Shalom

ah peace be with you two
love and light ichandra

It was foggy much of the day though it cleared to bright sunshine this afternoon. I was supposed to be studying, but decided to tackle some much needed cleaning instead and then went and bought yarn.

I've been trying my hand at crocheting with chenille yarn this afternoon using the P hook. It is taking me some time to get the feel of the heavier yarn and larger hook. I have yet to decide if I like working with it or not, but the color is very pretty. (deep wine)

This is the felted bag pattern, you'll need approximately 16 oz of worsted weight wool:

With K hook, Chain 61

Row 1, hdc in 2nd ch from hook and in each remaining ch, ch 1 and turn (60 stitches)

Row 2 - 19 - hdc in each stitch across, ch 1 and turn.

Round 20 - hdc in next 59 stitches, 2 hdc in next stitch, hdc in each stitch on the short side (16), 2 hdc in next stitch, hdc in next 59 stitches, 2 hdcs in next st, hdc in next 16 st on short side, 2 hdc in next st. Join with slip stitch to 1st stitch on long side.

Round 21 - hdc in each stitch around in BACK LOOP ONLY, join with slip stitch to the 1st stitch.

Round 22 - 57, hdc in each st around, join with a slip stitch to 1st hdc.

Round 58 - work reverse single crochet in the back loop only when finished, work reverse single crochet in front loop only and fasten off.

Straps, make 2. Make a chain 70 inches long using 2 strands of yarn held together and then slip stitch in each stitch back to starting chain.

Washing the bag:

Was the bag inside a pillow case that has a zipper on it (or tie a knot in the end of the case). This will prevent the fibers from getting into your washer and clogging it up. Set your washer on a low water level on the longest wash cycle and at the hottest temperature. Wash with a few towels or a pair of jeans to add to the agitation. Add a small amount of detergent and start the washer. About halfway through the wash cycle check the bag. Turn off the washer and be careful, hot water!! If the bag is felted to your liking take it out, if it is not felted enough go ahead and run it through the rest of the wash cycle. You may run it through another cycle if you want a smaller and tighter weave. It will shrink each time you run it through, so be careful and be sure to check midway through each cycle. You can make the bag smaller but you can't make it bigger again. It is not recommended to run it through the spin cycle but I'm not sure why. Dry the bag outside if possible, there is a lot of water. Shape the bag as best you can over a form, one of those Rubbermaid containers work great. Ad the straps after the bag is dry.

Once you've got the basic idea of the pattern down, it is fairly easy to adapt it to other bag styles. I've got wool to make another purse, smaller than this one, I just need to sit down with it and get started.

Needless to say, if you have any questions shout them out at me. If you've been surfing patterns you might have found plenty of tips and things for doing this. Check out the board at Crochetville too, there are quite a few posts from people who've done it and others asking for tips.
http://p084.ezboard.com/fcrochetvillefrm35

Julie

Wow, I love those purses, too. Very cool. I hit 13,000 plus on my NaNo novel this morning. ;-)