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May 11, 2004
Ooga Booga
Okay, so we had nice learning experience making this booga bag (which is a euphemism for "narrowly averted disaster"). I knitted the light gray (grey?!) and dark gray shetland together which gave me this neat tweed effect. I decided that I wanted a big bag so I doubled the pattern (translated from Deb speak is "got greedy"). Even so, it knitted up very fast. I had a feeling that I would run out just before the bag was as tall as I wanted, so I planned to use some red wool (Reynolds) for a nice contrast at the top.
When I was all done, the bag was enormous, so big in fact, that my two year old fit inside of it! (don't worry, there are plenty of pictures in the gallery) I had never made i-cord before but found it ridiculously easy. I don't know who ever decided that spool knitting was fun but they obviously have never made i-cord before. Very satisfying. Both my seven year old and nine year old can do the spool knitting - I am going to teach them the i-cord method.
Felting came next. This is the exciting part. I wasn't worried about the bag being too big because I had been reassured that it will shrink up and there were even before and after pictures on the web to prove that other people have made it work. Liars. After the first hot water washing, my mistake was apparent. The gray wanted to felt like no tomorrow but the red wanted to take its toys and go home. I put it through a second wash and it was no better (except the gray's stitch definition was totally gone). Badwordsbadwordsbadwords creative thought morebadwords idea coming onemorebadwordforgoodmeasure. Where's the scissors?
I cut the red off, leaving a bare inch for decoration. I was sad to see that the red had prevented the gray from contracting all the way at the top, which made the top of the bag very floppy. I decided I would skewer the sides with a cool decorative chop stick or something (Brittany Birch #11 DPN to hold its place until I could find just the thing). Then I realized that another chunk of knotted i-cord would be just the thing.
Click on the picture to get into the gallery. Click on the individual pictures to see the full size version and to be able to comment on them.
Posted by DebC at May 11, 2004 07:42 PM
Comments
Gray is grey in the UK!
Posted by: cc at May 11, 2004 09:38 PM
It is huge! :D Felting IS addictive. Just watch. Now every non superwash wool you come across you'll want to see how it felts *obsessed cackle* Your little one in the pre-felt pic btw, priceless!!
Posted by: Wendy at May 11, 2004 10:41 PM
OMG... that is huge! I'm in the process of finishing up the i-cords for a felted bag myself, but it's nowhere near the size of yours! It looks great -- lots of room to put your knitting gear.
Posted by: Annie at May 11, 2004 11:53 PM
Its huge!! LMBO Seth looks sooo cute! I want to feel your bag, it looks sooo soft!But,Don't make mine that big,lol, Please
Posted by: Kim at May 12, 2004 01:16 PM
Now that is one great bag! I think the pic of your 2 year old literally in the pre-felted version is a true classic!
Posted by: Sheila at May 15, 2004 11:45 PM
Bwahahahaha, you've entered the world of fulling. In the past 2 weeks I've made 4 assorted bags, 3 of which are going for the silent auction at school.
I made a sweater that was too big widthwise (mumbles something about never checking guage) and I "lightly fulled" it to see if it would work. Nope. An entire sweater was lost because it shrunk UP instead of IN. Bah. At least the yarn was free.
Posted by: Lynn at May 30, 2004 05:25 PM
Deb,
I am glad you liked the Gray wool.always remember that not allyarns felt....but myShetland did eh! P>S Our fingerling weight felts as well, in record time! Bag is adorable
Eileen, Weston Hill Farm
Posted by: eileen at June 28, 2004 07:39 PM