Child's Felted, Knitted Purse (Free Pattern)

Handles: Using double points- cast on 6 sts, leaving a tail.
Work back and forth in st st for 4 rows.
Begin (work in the round) working in I-cord on the 6 sts.
Work I-cord until total length from beginning is 10”.
Work back and forth on the 6 sts for 4 rows.
Bind off each set leaving a tail. Make second handle the same.
Set aside.

I-cord: Work I- cord on the 6 sts as follows:
*Knit across the 6 sts, then without turning needle, slide stitches to other end of the double pointed needle, wrap yarn around back of stitches and continue knitting from *.
Repeat this process until desired length is reached.

Body of Purse: With the circular needle, loosely cast on 17 sts. Knit 15 rows. Bind off loosely. Do not cut yarn.
Pick up 7 sts along each short side and 16 sts along each long side: 46 sts. Place marker.
Begin working in st st in the round (knit every round) until total length is 8”, or until almost out of yarn. Bind off loosely.
Weave in all ends. Sew the 2 handles centered along each long side, on the outside of the purse, with the ends about 3” apart.

FELT THE BAG AND LET DRY.
Felting: Set the washer to hot wash, cold rinse, and lowest water level.
Add a small bit of laundry soap. Do not put anything else in the machine with the purse-things can get tangled in the handles and can distort them. Check on the purse every 5 minutes.
Felting could take 20-25 minutes or so. Keep setting back the timer to make the wash cycle longer.
When desired felting is achieved, rinse and lightly spin.
Excessive spinning can set in creases. Remove purse, stretch it over 2 video tapes held back to back.
Place tapes in a thin plastic bag first.
Shape handles into a nice curve. Brush to remove excess lint.
Let dry, which may take up to 2 days.
Designed by JoAnne Turcotte.