Valley Yarns D Big Vermont Felted Bag Knitting Pattern

Valley Yarns D Big Vermont Felted Bag

What is Being Made

The Valley Yarns D Big Vermont Felted Bag is a large, functional tote bag created through the wet felting process. This knitted bag design produces a finished felted size of approximately 22 inches wide by 16 inches high, making it a spacious carryall suitable for everyday use. The bag features a distinctive colorblocked design with multiple yarn colors creating visual interest across the front and back panels.

Knitting Techniques Used

This bag is knit in one continuous piece, which streamlines construction and minimizes seaming. The pattern employs colorwork techniques, specifically stranded colorwork where different yarn colors are worked simultaneously across rows to create the colorblocked sections. The bag begins with a garter stitch border at the top, transitions into stockinette stitch for the main body panels, and includes a shaped base created by binding off and casting on stitches to form the bag's bottom. The two-strap handles are constructed separately using both garter stitch and stockinette stitch sections.

Stitches Used

• Garter Stitch: Used for the top border (8 rows) and for portions of the straps to create texture and structure
• Stockinette Stitch: Forms the primary fabric of the bag body and comprises the middle sections of the handles
• Colorwork (Stranded): Two colors are worked simultaneously across rows to create the colorblocked panels

Wet Felting Process

After knitting is complete, the bag undergoes a transformation through wet felting. The knitted piece and straps are placed in a mesh garment bag and run through a hot water wash cycle with hand dishwashing soap or baby shampoo. The felting process requires monitoring every 5 minutes, and multiple wash cycles may be necessary to achieve complete felting. Once the fibers have sufficiently matted and shrunk, the bag is removed and laid flat to dry. The top garter stitch border is then folded down to the outside of the bag for a finished appearance.

Materials and Yarn Specifications

The bag is constructed using Valley Yarns Berkshire, a yarn blend containing 85% wool and 15% alpaca. This fiber composition is ideal for felting, as the wool content provides the necessary scales for the felting process while the alpaca adds softness and luster. The pattern requires 3 balls of color A (Red Purple), and 2 balls each of colors B (Pale Lilac), C (Periwinkle), and D (Amethyst), totaling 7 balls of yarn. Each 100-gram ball contains 141 yards of yarn.

Tools and Notions

• Needles: #15 straight needles for knitting the main fabric
• Tapestry Needle: Used for weaving in yarn ends and sewing the bag bottom and sides together
• Buttons: Four very large buttons serve as decorative and functional closures where the straps attach to the bag

Gauge and Sizing

The pattern is worked at a gauge of approximately 12 stitches and 18 rows equaling 4 inches in stockinette stitch. This relatively loose gauge, combined with the felting process, contributes to the final dense, durable fabric of the completed bag. The finished felted dimensions are approximately 22 inches wide by 16 inches in height.

Construction Details

The bag body is divided into distinct sections. The first side features 50 rows of colorwork alternating between colors C and D, followed by 50 rows alternating between colors A and B. The base is worked in stockinette stitch in color A alone, with stitches bound off and cast on to shape the bottom. The second side mirrors the colorwork of the first side in reverse order. The two straps are knitted separately with matching lengths, featuring garter stitch edges and a stockinette stitch center section for flexibility and durability. Assembly involves sewing the bag bottom and sides with a tapestry needle, attaching the straps with the large buttons, and weaving in all yarn ends.