A few years back, I made the Entrelac Five-Pointed Star by Jay Petersen as part of my annual dishcloth donation to my local foodbank. It's a fun, well-written pattern, and I learned a few new things from it, including how he did the increases. If you're looking for something quick, easy, and novel, I highly recommend you go check it out.
However, what really caught my attention was the shape produced. If you fold the points toward the center, you wind up with a circular pouch, and the way the points meet creates a pinwheel. So, I used the concept to make a felted purse. I did not copy Jay's pattern, and I did not use his interesting technique for increases. Instead, I borrowed his concept of combining entrelac with knitting on the bias and worked with the resulting shape--a five-pointed star. Then I kept on using entrelac to close the star into a bag as I went. It's a little awkward here and there, but the overall process isn't difficult.
The purse itself is made in a modular fashion, with no sewing. The button loop and shoulder-length strap are made using smaller needles than the purse to give you better control over their finished length (a smaller starting gauge can't shrink as much). And the strap is sewn to the purse after felting it.
As you might have seen from some of my other felting patterns, I prefer to felt with thinner yarns, not worsted or chunky. Felt made from thicker yarns has a look that reminds me of Claymation, and the resulting fabric is very thick. This bag is made using fingering weight yarn and size 6 (4 mm) needles for the bag and size 3 (3.25 mm) needles for the strap and button loop.
This post has been linked to Busy Monday, Senior Salon, Inspire Me Monday, Wonderful Wednesday, Stitchin' Mommy, Thursday Favorite Things, and Create-It!
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