Felted Lunch Bag

SUPPLIES & TOOLS:

• Lion Brand® yarns:
  1 skein Fishermen’s Wool®, Oak Tweed (A), or color of choice
  Vanna’s Choice®: 1 skein Olive (B), 1 skein Espresso (C), or colors of choice
• Knitting needles: size 4, size 10
• Large-eyed blunt needle
• 4 small red buttons for apples
• Sewing needle & thread

DIRECTIONS:
GAUGE: Exact gauge is not essential for this project.

NOTES:
1. Due to the nature of the felting process, the size of finished pieces can vary.
2. Lunch Bag and Base are worked with 2 strands of A held tog.
3. Lunch Bag is felted; Tree design is not.
4. Because the Lunch Bag includes small buttons, it is not suitable for young children.

STITCH EXPLANATION:
kfb (knit into front and then back)
An increase worked as follows:
1. Knit the next st through the front loop, but do not remove the st from left hand needle.
2. Knit the same st once more, this time inserting needle through the back loop of the st. This creates 2 loops (sts) on the right hand needle.
3. Drop the st from left hand needle – this increases 1 st.

LUNCH BAG:
Beg at lower edge, with larger needles and 2 strands of A held tog, cast on 72 sts.
Row 1 (RS): *P19, k1, p1, k1, p11, k1, p1, k1; rep from * once more.
Row 2: *K1, p1, k1, k11, k1, p1, k1, k19; rep from * once more.
Rows 3-48: Rep Rows 1 and 2.
Rows 49-52: *P1, k1; rep from * to end of row.
Row 53: (P1, k1) twice, bind off next 11 sts, k1, (p1, k1) 12 times, bind off next 11 sts, k1, (p1, k1) 10 times.
Row 54: (P1, k1) 10 times, p1, cast on 11 sts over the bound-off sts, (p1, k1) 12 times, p1, cast on 11 sts over the bound-off sts, (p1, k1) twice.
Rows 55-58: *P1, k1; rep from * to end of row.
Bind off.

BASE:
With larger needles and 2 strands of A held tog, cast on 19 sts.
Rows 1-14: P1, *k1, p1; rep from * to end of row.
Bind off.

TREE TOP:
With smaller needles and 1 strand of B, cast on 4 sts.
Row 1: (Kfb) 4 times – 8 sts at the end of this row.
Row 2: Kfb, k to last st, kfb – 10 sts at the end of this row.
Row 3: Knit.
Row 4: Rep Row 2 – 12 sts.
Rows 5-13: Knit.
Row 14: K2tog, k to last 2 sts, k2tog – 10 sts.
Row 15: Knit.
Row 16: Rep Row 14 – 8 sts.
Row 17: (K2tog) 4 times – 4 sts.
Bind off.

TREE TRUNK:
Beg at base of Trunk, with smaller needles and 1 strand of C, cast on 8 sts.
Row 1 (WS): Purl.
Row 2: K2tog, k to last 2 sts, k2tog – 6 sts at the end of this row.
Beginning with a WS (p) row, work even (without increasing or decreasing) in St st (k on RS, p on WS), for 13 rows.
Bind off.

FINISHING:
From RS, seam sides of Lunch Bag to form a tube. Sew lower edge of Lunch Bag to Base.
Felt: Machine wash on a hot wash/cold rinse cycle using detergent and including several pieces of clothing to agitate. Pull Bag into shape.

With sewing needle and thread, sew Tree Trunk to felted Lunch Bag, lap Tree Top over Trunk and sew to Bag. Sew 3 buttons to Tree, and 1 button beside the Trunk. With C, stitch a small loop (for leaf) at top of “fallen apple” button. Weave in ends.

ABBREVIATIONS: beg = begin(ning), k = knit, k2tog = knit 2 together, p = purl, rep = repeat, RS = right side, st(s) = stitch(es), St st = Stockinette stitch, tog = together, WS = wrong side

Finished size approx. 10½"x6", after felting