Checking Back In With Your Tension

Before I leave you to finish the rest of your bag on your own, I want you to take a look at your stitches one more time.

I know we are going to be felting the finished product, but how your stitches look is going to be important on future, non-felted projects, so take this opportunity to notice what you do and don’t like about how your stitches look and feel.

• You shouldn’t be having trouble getting your needle into the stitches to knit them – this would be a sign that you are pulling the working yarn too tight.
• You also shouldn’t be able to see the background yarn peeking through between the stitches – this would be a sign that you are pulling your floats too tight or that you are not switching colors consistently.
• Lastly, the fabric should not look bumpy or puckered – this would be a sign that you are pulling your floats too tight or that you are not switching colors consistently.

Finish Knitting the Bag and Handles

You now know enough tips and tricks to keep you occupied and knitting correctly through the rest of the chart.

Keep following the chart, reviewing the videos if you need to, and move on to the next videos when you’ve finished the entire chart.

A Note About Felting

You can actually make the bag as tall as you want to – if you want to alter the height of the bag, just know that when you felt a knitted piece, it always shrinks more noticeably in the up-and-down direction than it does in width or circumference.

So you’ll want to make the bag taller compared to the other dimensions that you’ll want it to be when it’s finished.

Garter Stitch in the Round Without Purling

We are again to work garter stitch in the round, but this time I’m going to teach you a trick.

Following along with your pattern and the video below and starting with color B, work in Garter stitch stripes for eight rounds (4 stripes of each color).

When you knit garter stitch in the round, you normally need to alternate between knit and purl rounds.

I use a special trick called the wrap-and-turn so that I don’t ever have to purl when I do garter stitch in the round. Here’s how to do it.

Final Rounds

It’s time to finish the top of the bag. Here I demonstrate the decrease round and final steps.

Weave Ends

Now, weave in your loose ends. This step doesn’t have to be perfect – just secure the ends on the wrong side (WS) of the work.

Make The I-Cord Handles And Purse Handle Loops

You can use your circular needles or your DPNs to make these i-cord handles.

If you’ve never made an i-cord before, it’s just a skinny tube that you make by not turning your work. I’ll also take this opportunity to teach you another skill you will be able to use in the future: how to count rows on Garter stitch.

Here’s how to make an i-cord and count rows on Garter stitch.

To make the loops that will attach the bag to the handles, you get to practice counting rows on garter stitch once again. Make four “hardware attachment loops” according to your pattern.

Felt the Bag

This step is really simple.

Put all the knitted pieces into a pillowcase and throw them in the washing machine with the temperature set to hot. Use detergent.

If you have a top-loading washer you are in luck, because it’s easy to stop the cycle and check on how the felting is going. Top-loading washers also use more agitation, which is one of the key ingredients in the felting process.

If you don’t have a top-loader, that’s okay too – just set the cycle to regular or heavy wash, use hot water and detergent, and throw in some towels or jeans for extra friction.

You’ll want to continue the washing cycle until you can’t see the individual stitches in the purse anymore.

Once you get to this point, stop, because if you keep going, the purse will keep shrinking, and the shrinking happens faster once the stitches disappear.

One regular wash cycle should do it – it might take two if you have a gentle washing machine.

When you take the knitted pieces out of the wash, lay the small bits and the i-cord handles out flat to dry, adjusting their shape with your fingers.

I recommend that you put the bag over a box to dry – this will ensure that the bottom and sides are nice and flat.

Assemble The Bag

Insert the handle attachment loops through the purse rings.

Using a tapestry needle, sew the handle attachment loops onto the top edge of the bag and then fold and sew the i-cord handles onto the purse rings. Attach the feet to the bottom of the bag.

Here are the final purse-assembly steps.

You did it! Not only did you learn Fair-Isle in the round, you learned to knit garter stitch in the round without purling, make an i-cord, count your rows on garter stitch, felt projects in the washer, and do Fair-Isle on Magic Loop or DPNs. Great work.