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Web-Letter, Issue 51 – Falling Leaves Felted Bag Embroidering on knits is a good way to turn a mindless knitting project into something colorful and interesting.  Embroidery on felted knits is particularly satisfying because the fabric is stable—there are no stretchy holes to work around. Thus, for a simple project that anticipates September, try the Falling Leaves Bag. Worked in two of the many shades of CEY Renaissance, the basic bag provides breezy, pick-up-and-put-down summer knitting. After summer company has gone home, you can felt the pieces and turn your attention to the bag’s embellishment. Use whatever whimsical colors or motifs strike your fancy.
The Story: The Falling Leaves Bag is worked in two identical pieces. Each piece is a rectangle, half blue, half brown. Make the handle by binding off in the center of the piece on one row, then cast on again in the next row. I debated whether to make the bag bright and cheery—in red and yellow—or moody in black and gray. I opted for the blue/brown combination, inspired by a rug designed by Angela Adams. For the embroidery, I chose a simple leaf motif because the smooth rounded shape is easy to work and embellish with simple, straightforward stitches. On the first go ‘round, I simply outlined a template that I’d cut out and pinned to the bag. But the outline seemed skimpy, so I worked another set stitches on one side of each motif to give it more heft. Then I filled in with a few stitches to suggest veins and a short stem. Leaves are a classic design motif—they can be scrolly and ornate or clean and simple. No need to follow mine; check out botany books, textile encyclopedias, and most especially, the real thing, for inspiration. The Yarn: Renaissance — 100% wool Renaissance is a 3-ply, 100% wool yarn in a worsted weight. It’s a classic wool yarn, soft, but not so soft that it goes limp and mushy in stitch patterns; firm, but not so firm that it’s uncomfortable to wear.  It’s perfect for traditional colorwork and textured sweaters, and it’s perfect, perfect, for felting. Because it comes in 50 gram hanks, it’s great for projects that require more than one color—you won’t have a lot of leftovers. It felts easily in the washing machine, but if you want to try hand felting as I did, you’ll be rewarded with a fabric just as smooth and firm as any your washer could produce. Learn more about choosing yarns for felting. The Stitches: I used intarsia to join the blue and brown sides of this bag. If you’re new to intarsia, this bag is a great practice piece. The straight vertical line between the two halves of each rectangle is the easiest kind of intarsia—and should any of your joining stitches be less than perfect, the felting will smooth them out.  learn how to do intarsia.	more photos The Pattern: Here is the free downloadable Falling Leaves Felted Bag pattern.
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