Purses & Bags

Felted Purse

My first felting project!! :)

Pattern is Lion Brand Felted Tote and I used Lion Wool in Ebony and Flower Garden.

I had no idea how fun & easy it is to felt! You just use an all animal-fiber yarn (wool works wonderfully) and wash it on high heat! Thats it! The photos show a before and after felting and you can easily see how it went from easy to see stitches to almost non-existant ones! Another great part about felted bags is you can just wash them and "re-felt" if they're dirty or you just want to clean them. Very durable and low-maintenance. I just recommend spraying with fabreeze or something similar while they dry because otherwise your purse will smell like a wet dog. :P

Fishie Purse

Pattern from the Spring 2006 issue of Knit 1 Magazine and the yarn is from Jelly Yarns in Blue Taffy and Lemon-Lime Ice.

I adore this purse. Its so cute and just the right size to fit my wallet, cell phone, and a lipstick (but not much else). I will say it was rough to make. The Jelly Yarn looks super cool and makes it a *very* durable bag, but knitting it takes patience. I ordered it directly from the Jelly Yarn people and they were kind enough to include a cloth lubricant for metal needles to help make the 'yarn' slide better. That definitely makes a HUGE difference, but was still rough on my hands. The yarn is super cool so if you're interested in making something with it, do it! Just be aware you might be limited to only doing a little bit at a time. I know I can't handle marathon knitting sessions with this. I do have plans for other projects with this yarn and can't wait to start on them! squee!

Circle-Bottom Purse

Pattern written by me, yarn is Knit Picks Shine Sport in Orchid.

I wrote this pattern as a potential bag for her Bridesmaid gifts. In the second picture I put a piece of paper in the bag and flipped the bottom up so it would be easier to see the design and the bottom. I think this is a really pretty bag and I love the design of it. Unfortunately, the "holes" in it are a bit too impractical for a purse so small items could potentially slip out. A little lining would fix that, but for the purposes of the wedding gift that wasn't something I was about to do. I also considered using a smaller crochet hook, but I was already using a smaller than recommended one for the yarn and I don't even know if a smaller one would work.

Candy Corn Purse

Pattern from Lion Brand, yarn is Lion Brand Lion Wool in Winter White, Pumpkin, Goldenrod, Cocoa, and Ebony.

I found this pattern while doing a search for something else and it was too cute not to make. Every time I look at it I want to giggle. It really does look like a giant candy corn! :D The only downside is there isn't much space in the purse. I can fit my cell phone, lip balm, and a pen and thats about it. Definitely more decorative than functional.
This was a crazy easy and super fast, I think it took about 1-1.5 hours plus felting time. Its a great intro to felting and to circular crochet. I highly recommend it! :)

Peppermint Candy Purse

Pattern written by me!. Yarn is Caron Simply Soft in White and Autumn Red.

I saw a peppermint candy tape measure in a yarn newsletter and immediately thought "wow! that would look so cute as a purse!" This large one I made for a co-worker in our 2007 secret santa gift exchange (lets hope she likes it!) I think smaller ones will make for awesome little change purses. If I can find some good bright white felting yarn this would probably look really really cute felted too.
I had wanted to line the purse in some way too but really had no idea how and I ran out of time. I'll keep trying as I tweak the pattern. So far though its a pretty fast gift, all crochet except for the spool knit strap, and then the sides are sewn to plastic canvas to give it support. I'll probably post the pattern once I get it a bit more perfected. :)