One of the things I was most looking forward to on our trip to Scotland was the chance to get some genuine Shetland wool yarn. In Edinburgh, I found three balls of Jamieson’s Shetland Heather, two black, one cream.
Shetland Wool Yarn
After our return, I found a free pattern online for a felted bag that used about the same yardage. This pattern called for just one color, but because I had two, I decided to do another Fibonacci stripe project.
Technical specs:
- Yarn: Jamieson’s Shetland Heather
- 101 yards Eesit colorway (cream)
- 202 yards Mirrydancers colorway (black)
- Needles: US 6 (5 DPNs, plus one 16″ circular)
- Pattern: Woolbale Felted Bag by Panda Handknitting Yarns
- New skills:
- Felting
- Modifications:
- The bag is knit from the center of the bottom out. Start with the main color (MC), and follow the pattern for the bottom of the bag. Once you reach the body of the bag, knit 13 rounds in MC.
- Begin Fibonacci sequence:
- Round 1 – contrasting color (CC)
- Round 2 – MC
- Rounds 3 & 4 – CC (2 rounds)
- Rounds 5-7 – MC (3 rounds)
- Rounds 9-13 – CC (5 rounds)
- Rounds 14-21 – MC (8 rounds)
- Rounds 22-34 – CC (13 rounds)
- Rounds 35-47 – MC (13 rounds)
- Round 48 – CC
- Round 49 – MC
- Rounds 50 & 51 – CC (2 rounds)
- Rounds 52-54 – MC (3 rounds)
- Rounds 55-59 – CC (5 rounds)
- Rounds 60-67 – MC (8 rounds)
- On round 61, *knit 43 st, bind off 25 stitches, repeat from *.
- On round 62, knit 43 st, cast on 25 stitches (I use the twisted purlwise cast on), repeat from *.
- Rounds 68-70 – CC (3 rounds)
- Rounds 71-72 – MC (2 rounds). Bind off on round 72.
Once done, your bag will look something like this:
Knitted Fibonacci Bag
Big, floppy, and boring. Meh.
Now for the fun part. Felting is what happens when your aunt accidentally washes her wool fisherman’s sweater, and then it fits you (and you’re six years old). But it really is fun when you do it on purpose. All you need is a top loading washing machine, your knitted item, a little water, and some agitation. I use a lingere bag to felt things in, to keep the washing machine from becoming clogged with wool fiber. I don’t use detergent or wool wash during felting, as it lubricates the fibers and (for me) makes the process take a lot longer.
With the washer set for a small load, drop the knitted item (inside the lingere bag) into the machine and let it go. For a bag this size, I started with 20 minutes of agitation. A few more 20 minute cycles, a little blocking, and the end result is this:
Felted Fibonacci Bag
It’s smaller, denser, and perfect for carrying my next knitting project (or my stash).
Sidenote: Here’s a closeup of the felted fabric. I love the Mirrydancers colorway. It looks black, but there are rainbow fibers spun into it. Overall Shetland wool is great for felting projects. Too bad that the rest of my Scottish yarn purchases were gifts for other knitters in the family (Mom & Greg, I’m looking at you).
Ready for my close-up
Damn! I knew this newfangled technology couldn’t be trusted. You can see us? Can you see this? And this? How about this? Don’t be looking between 8:00 and 8:30a.m. That’s when Greg is wandering from the bathroom (freshly showered) to the kitchen, sometimes with a robe, sometimes without. Look at your own peril.
So are you saying you would like the yarn back, for Christmas perhaps?
We haven’t used it yet, but we’ve been exceptionally busy lately. I’ve done absolutely no knitting at all in the last month. I’d say your chances of getting it back are slim to none. But I promise you when we go to Scotland, or Ireland, we will get you some really nice yarn. Okay? You’re getting some of my favorite shoes, does that help?
Actually, I was thinking it’s a good thing I sent the yarn when I did. If I still had it here (after finishing this project), I would have been tempted to claim amnesia and keep it. Stash enhancement is a serious disorder, and it’s contagious.