My mother is an active and avid quilter.  Ever since I was a child she has been doing piecework either by hand or machine and teaching her techniques to others.  As much as she may have wished it, none of her 3 daughters ever picked up the craft to carry it on.  But one of her daughters did deviate on the piecework theme.  That would be me.  I like to think of the modular technique as the knitting equivalent to quilting.  And when a knitted piece is felted, you've got the thick, warm comfort factor added in as well.

This bag is worked one square or triangle at a time.  Stitches for neighboring pieces are picked up in the squares they are adjacent to.  This method can be quite addictive.  The sides of the bag are worked using short rows and the bottom of the bag is worked in simple garter stitch stripes.  Fringe is created when the bottom is attached to the front and back panels.  There is minimal finishing to this bag.  Stitches for the sides are picked up along one edge of the front and back panels and the bottom is picked up at the base of the side panel and worked back and forth.  There are only 3 seams to sew up and the bottom is attached using short pieces of yarn that are double knotted on the outside and create fringe after felting.  The handles are sewn on after the felting process.

The pattern consists of 14 pages (yah, that's a lot to print out).  The first 6 pages are the written out instructions, the next 2 pages are additional photos showing before and after the felting process.  The last 6 pages are diagrams and schematics.  I've included a drawing that you can use with colored pencils to work up your own color schemes.  The last 3 pages of the diagram section show the individual modular square anatomy and how the pieces work up together to form the bag shape.  If you've never worked the Modular technique, there should be sufficient information to get you started right up.  Keep in mind that you are in control of how many sheets you actually print out.  I recommend not printing out the pages with just photos since they can be viewed best when the file is open on the computer monitor (you can zoom in closer if you want).  And you may choose not to print out all of the diagram pages also.

Materials: Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Worsted (2 skeins in the MC and 1 skein of six different colors)   Needles: US #10 (two 24" circulars and 2 dpns if desired)                                  

Finished Bag Size: 13 inches wide by 13 1/2 inches high (size may vary depending on the felting process)

Skill Level:  to Experienced (don't let this scare you though, its easier than it sounds)

This file is available for purchase in PDF format.  Click on the button below and follow the instructions to receive your copy of the pattern.

$6.00