Felted Cocoon Bag

A knit-then-felted bag with a soft, graceful shape, our Felted Cocoon Bag celebrates the metamorphosis of wool and hot water into a fabric imbued with new strength and rich beauty. Our Till yarn makes this transformation super satisfying. 100% Andean highland wool, Till’s stunning heathered colors meld and deepen as loosely knit stitches felt into a dense, wonderfully sturdy fabric.

A top-down, seamless construction makes knitting the bag a breeze. You start with the handle, using a provisional cast on to end up with live stitches at both ends, then cast on stitches for the top edge of the bag. Knit the body of the bag in the round, tapering down to the bottom with easy decreases. Then it’s time to felt!

You might be surprised to learn that felted projects are great for beginners. Felting evens out your stitches, hides mistakes, and is easier than it looks. Simply keep a close eye on your finished knit as it goes through the wash cycle of your machine and marvel as your knitting shrinks and softens into beautiful felt. Our pattern’s detailed instructions will help you close the door on your washing machine with confidence!

Choosing the right yarn is key, and our 100% Andean highland wool Till yarn felts into a remarkably soft and supple fabric. Riding the line between worsted and chunky weight, Till’s tidy, plump spin gives the bag a pleasing density and crisp, clean lines. You have a veritable rainbow of colors to choose from, including this Giant Sequoia, a mesmerizing deep reddish brown.

Pick up 4 balls of Till and cast on… A fantastically sculptural Felted Cocoon Bag is waiting to emerge!

Yarn lovers, if you adore the yarn used in this project, you’ll love exploring all of our other yarn collections! Discover over 55 thoughtfully designed yarns in nearly every natural fiber and in every spectacular color you can imagine. Only available here at Purl Soho’s online yarn store, where every skein is created with care and your creativity in mind!

Pattern designed and written by Purl Soho designer, Gianna Mueller. See even more of Gianna’s work on her Instagram!

Story written by Andrea Lotz for Purl Soho.

Want to print this pattern? On desktop, find the “print” icon in the right margin, and on mobile, scroll to the end of the pattern for it. Use the on-screen instructions to remove anything you don’t want to print!

Materials

• 4 balls of Purl Soho’s Till, 100% Andean highland wool yarn. Each ball of this worsted- to chunky-weight yarn is 136 yards/ 100 grams; approximately 445 total yards required. We used the color Giant Sequoia.
• US 10.5 (6.5 mm), 24-inch circular knitting needles
• A set of US 10.5 double pointed needles OR US 10.5, 32-inch circular needles for Magic Loop
• A spare circular needle, US 10.5 or smaller
• A size H-K (5-6.5 mm) crochet hook and scrap yarn of a similar weight for Provisional Cast On
• A stitch marker    

GAUGE

15 stitches and 20 rounds = 4 inches in stockinette stitch, unfelted

SIZE

UNFELTED

• Finished Circumference: 28 inches
• Finished Height: 21 inches
• Finished Handle Width: 5½ inches
• Finished Handle Length: 28 inches
• Finished Handle Drop: 14 inches

FELTED

• Finished Circumference: 23 inches
• Finished Height: 13½ inches
• Finished Handle Width: 3½ inches
• Finished Handle Length: 23 inches
• Finished Handle Drop: 11½ inches

NOTES

GAUGE SWATCH INSTRUCTIONS

Cast on 27 stitches.

Row 1 (wrong side): Purl to end of row.

Row 2 (right side): Knit to end of row.

Repeat Rows 1 and 2 until piece measures 10 inches.

If you want to turn your swatch into a pot holder…

With right-side facing you, bind off knitwise to last 2 stitches, k2. [3 stitches remain]

With remaining 3 stitches, work an I-cord for 6 inches.

Bind-Off Row: K1, knit two together, pass first stitch over second stitch and off right needle.

Cut yarn, leaving an 8-inch tail. Pull it through remaining stitch.

Thread tail onto a tapestry needle. Make a loop with I-cord and weave tail into fabric at base of I-cord, then weave it through looped I-cord and back into fabric.

Follow Felting instructions from Pattern below.

When felted, your swatch should be approximately 7 inches square, perfect for a pot holder and you’re ready to cast on for your bag!

CABLE CAST ON SET-UP STITCH

This is a preparatory step before you begin your regular cable cast on. It helps keep your cast on tidy and ensure there are no gaps between your stitches.

Knit the next stitch, but do not let it drop off the left needle. Here’s how (see Larkspur Bandana for photos of these steps)…

Insert right needle into next stitch knitwise and wrap working yarn like you would for a normal knit stitch. Pull the stitch through onto your right needle, but don’t let any stitches drop off left needle. Then, without twisting it, slip the stitch from your right needle to the left needle, as you would for a normal cable cast on stitch. That’s all there is to it… you’re ready to complete your cable cast on!

CABLE CAST ON

For a video of how to do a Cable Cast On, visit our Cable Cast On Tutorial. Make sure you work this technique extremely loosely for this pattern!

PATTERN

HANDLE

FIRST HALF

NOTE: For help with the Provisional Cast On, visit our Provisional Cast On: One-Step Method Tutorial.

With crochet hook and scrap yarn, use a Provisional Cast On to cast 20 stitches onto 24-inch circular needles.

With main yarn…

Row 1 (wrong side): Purl to end of row.

Row 2 (right side): Knit to end of row.

NOTE: Place a removable stitch marker or piece of scrap yarn on previous row to indicate the right side.

Continue in stockinette stitch, repeating Rows 1 and 2, until piece measures 8½ inches from cast-on edge, ending with a wrong-side row.

Increase Row (right side): Knit 2, right lifted increase (RLI), knit to last stitch, left lifted increase (LLI), k1. [2 stitches increased]

Continue in stockinette stitch as established, repeating Increase Row every 4^th row 4 more times, then every right-side row 5 times, ending with an Increase Row. [40 stitches]

Cut yarn.

Place stitches on spare needles and set aside.

SECOND HALF

Carefully remove scrap yarn from Provisional Cast On, slipping stitches onto main needles as you go.

Join main yarn.

Repeat First Half section, beginning with Row 1, but do not put stitches on spare needles or cut yarn at end.

BODY

With right side still facing…

Joining Round (right side): Place marker (pm) for end of round, *turn work so wrong side is facing you, make a cable cast on set-up stitch (see Notes), then cable cast on 11 more stitches (see Notes), turn work so right side is facing you**, knit across 40 stitches on spare needles, repeat from * to ** one more time, knit to end of round. [104 stitches]

Working in the round, knit every stitch until piece measures 18 inches from cable cast-on edges.

BASE

NOTE: If using 24-inch circular needles, change to double pointed needles or longer circular needles (for Magic Loop) when necessary.

Decrease Round 1: *K2, knit two together (k2tog), repeat from * to end of round. [78 stitches remain]

Knit 7 rounds.

Decrease Round 2: *K1, k2tog, repeat from * to end of round. [52 stitches remain]

Knit 5 rounds.

Repeat Decrease Round 1. [39 stitches remain]

Knit 5 rounds.

Repeat Decrease Round 2. [26 stitches remain]

Knit 3 rounds.

Next Round: *K2tog, repeat from * to end of round. [13 stitches remain]

Knit 1 round.

Next Round: K1, *k2tog, repeat from * to end of round. [7 stitches remain]

Cut yarn and thread tail onto a tapestry needle. Sew tail through remaining stitches.

Pull extra taut and bring tail to inside of bag to weave in.

FINISHING

Weave in remaining ends.

FELTING

Set washing machine to a hot water, no-spin cycle (if able). Add one tablespoon of Sweater Soap or a mild liquid detergent.

Before putting bag in washer, place in a zippered mesh bag or pillowcase to protect washing machine from excess fiber that will be released during felting.

After 5 minutes, check progress, making sure there are no creases in fabric, and bag is smooth. Continue to check progress every 5 minutes. If your machine does not have an option for a no-spin cycle, be sure to remove bag and end wash before spin cycle begins. Leaving piece in during a spin cycle can cause permanent deep creases in the fabric.

If you are using a top-loading machine, one cycle will likely be enough. If you have a front-loading machine, you may need to repeat the washing cycle a few times. It really depends on your specific machine. Several of us knit up swatches to test: one of us washed their swatch for 18 minutes; one of us washed their swatch for 30 minutes; and one of us washed their swatch for nearly an hour!

If you are using a dyed color like our Giant Sequoia sample, one cycle will likely be enough to sufficiently felt your bag. If you are using an undyed color like Heirloom White or Winter Grass, you may need to repeat the washing cycle a few times. With our Heirloom White swatch, we repeated the washing cycle twice.

Once bag is felted, remove from mesh bag or pillowcase, and roll the bag in a towel or two to remove as much water as possible.

Shape bag and lay out to dry!

Share your progress and connect with the community by tagging your pics with #PurlSoho. We can’t wait to see what you make!

Looking for more inspiration? Explore all of our knitting patterns (including tons of free knitting patterns) and knitting tutorials, buy one of our many knitting kits and yarn bundles, and shop for beautiful yarn. We have over 55 gorgeous natural fiber yarns in 100’s of magnificent colors, designed to bring integrity, beauty, and joy to your next knitting project and only available at Purl Soho!