Felted Bags, another stash busting project!

I felted some slippers as gifts, the Christmas of 2011. I have plenty of 100% wool yarn left from the slippers, and other projects. So, I decided to knit some bags and felt them as gifts for Christmas of 2012. Felting is an extraordinary experience. I watched the knitted big floppy bag transformed into a fuzzy, dense, smaller bag! I have tried felting with a few brands of 100% wool yarn,  in the end, I prefer Patons Classic Wool. It is affordable, and your projects will felt nicely. Here are a few bags that I made. You can get the yarn and project information by clicking on the link to my page on Ravelry.

http://ravel.me/SJSEAL/sfb

http://ravel.me/SJSEAL/sbbfb

http://ravel.me/SJSEAL/sgawb

Small Felted Bag Pattern

Material: 100% wool 

Needle: US 11, 24" circular needle

Instruction:

Cast on 55 stitches, with two strands of yarn held together. Join, to knit in the round, and be careful not to twist the stitches. (You will knit the entire bag with two strands of yarn held together.)

Row 1: [K1,P1] to the last stitch, K1

Row 2: [P1,K1] to the last stitch, P1

Row 3: Repeat Row 1

Row 4: Repeat Row 2

Row 5: Repeat Row 1

Row 6: [K 10, inc] 5 times (60sts)

Row 7: Knit 10 rounds

Row 17: K3, M1, K24, M1, K6, M1, K24, M1, K3. (64sts)

Row 18: Knit 12 rounds

Row 30: K4, M1, K24, M1, K8, M1, K24, M1, K4. (68sts)

Row 31: Knit 14 rounds

Row 58: K4, K2tog, K22, K2togtbl (knit 2 together through back loop), K8, K2tog, K22, K2togtbl, K4 

Row 59: K3, K2tog, K22, K2togtbl, K6, K2tog, K22, K2togtbl, K3. (60sts)

Row 60: K2, K2tog, K22, K2togtbl, K4, K2tog, K22, K2togtbl, K2. (56sts)

Row 61: K1, K2tog, K22, K2togtbl, K2, K2tog, K22, K2togtbl, K1. (52sts)

Row 62: K2tog, K22, K2togtbl, K2tog, K22, K2togtbl. (48sts remaining)

Use another US 11 circular needle, and slip 24 stitches onto this needle. That way, you have divided the 48sts to 24sts evenly on each needle. Turn bag inside out, and bind off using the 3 needle method.

Handles (make two) :

Cast on 55 stitches, holding two strands of yarn together. Knit 3 rows back and forth, then bind off loosely.

Finish:

Attach handles to bag. Lastly, felt it.

Salad Scarf, a stash busting project.

I have a lot of bulky weight yarn left from previous projects. I wanted to create something out of these yarn, something quick and easy, but elegant. I don't like long and heavy scarves. So, I was thinking about a simple keyhole scarf that is not too long, and I wanted to show the colors of all the yarn I had for this scarf. Nothing better than good ole Garter Stitch to show off the colors in stripes on the scarf. I called it, "Salad Scarf" because the colors resembled a Spring veggie salad mix.

Salad Scarf Pattern

Material: 
About 108 - 112 yards of bulky weight yarn.

Needles:
Circular needle US size 10, 29" or 32".

My gauge:
3 stitches across = 1" and 6 rows = 1" (in Garter stitch)

Instruction:
Cast on 110 stitches.
Row 1 - 11: Knit
Row 12: Knit 20 stitches, bind off 9 stitches, knit the rest of 81 stitches.
Row 13: Knit 81 stitches, cast on 9 stitches (I used Crochet cast on for this, so that it is tighter, and the edge is the same as the bind off edge. See **note below for instruction.) Knit the rest of 20 stitches.
Row 14 - 24: Knit
Bind off loosely.

**Note:
After knitting 81 stitches, I put the last stitch knitted on a 6.00mm crochet hook.

Hold the right needle (circular) on the left of the crochet hook with yarn in the back of the right needle, draw yarn and pull through loop. This make one loop on the right needle.

Repeat until you have 9 loops made, then put the stitch that is on the crochet hook back on the right needle.

http://ravel.me/sjseal1234/eks