Sweetheart Bag

This small bag is just the right size for money, keys and cell phone on that special Valentine’s Day date. The felted fabric is firm enough that lining is optional. Embellish to your heart’s content!

Difficulty Level: Simple to intermediate. Skills needed: cast on, bind off, increases, decreases, felting, hand sewing.

Materials Needed: One skein Brown Sheep Lamb’s Pride (shown in Blue Blood Red), one pair size 9US needles, yarn needle, embellishments (optional – shown are flower buttons and small amount of white sport-weight yarn).

Yarn substitutes: Any worsted-weight yarn that will felt well (wool, alpaca, etc.) in color of choice.

Size: One size. Finished measurements = approximately: 8”wideX9”high not including strap (may vary due to felting techniques and choice of yarn).

Pattern:

• Front:

*Cast on 3 stitches.
Row 1: K1, yo, K1, yo, K1
Row 2 (and all even-numbered rows): Purl across
Row 3: K2, yo, K1, yo,K2
Continue in this manner, increasing one stitch on either side of center stitch, until there are 43 stitches on needle.
Work 22 rows evenly in stockinette stitch (Knit on rs, Purl on ws).*
Bind off. Cut yarn. Weave in ends.

• Back:

Work as for front between **
Next row (rs): SSK, K to last two stitches on needle, K2tog
Each ws row: Purl across
Continue in this method, decreasing on stitch each side of rs row until 3st remain; sK2P. Cut yarn. Weave in ends.

• Strap:

Cast on 200 stitches.
Bind off. Weave in ends.
Tie a knot in each end of strap.

Finishing:
Felting: Using zippered mesh bag and small amount of soap or detergent, run all sections through hot wash/cold rinse cycle in washing machine. Check for desired felting results. Some yarns and some washers will require more than one cycle. Allow sections to dry flat, shaping as needed. (A steam iron may be used to assist in flattening the strap, etc.)

Sew front and back together along bottom edges. Allow top point of back section to lap over the front. Sew ends of strap (at knot) firmly to bag at seam on each side.

Optional: Embellish if desired. Add a lining if you like.

This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License.