FELT SO GOOD Felting a knitted object is a great way to hide any little mistakes you may have made along the way: if your gauge was slightly off for a few rows, if you accidentally purled on the right side, if your colorwork stitches are uneven. But you can’t unfelt something—once it’s shrunk, you’re stuck with it. Here are a few tips for achieving perfect results: • Felting takes in more lengthwise than widthwise. Felt a sizable swatch before you start knitting the bag. If you want a taller bag, try repeating a few of the Fair Isle motifs in the pattern until you’ve reached the desired height. Note: You can later use this swatch as an inside pocket. • Put your finished bag in a washable zippered bag such as a pillowcase or mesh bag for delicates. • You may need more than one runthrough the washer to get your bag down to the size you’re looking for. (You don’t have to run full cycles each time—the wash cycle alone will get the job done.) • After felting, shape the piece and let it dry naturally. Snaps, buttons, beads, buckles and any other accouterment should be added after the fabric has been felted.

Nicky steps back from the edge (for a little while, at least) to explore felting in all its glory. The result? This berry fine Fair Isle confection.

I’ve always been partial to Fair Isle, using it frequently in my designs. It’s a bit simpler than other colorwork techniques, since you use only two colors in any one row, and the results are always stunning. Traditional Fair Isle sweaters—which get their name from the Shetland island where the technique originated—are usually made with fairly muted and/or natural colors, but I like to give things a twist by bringing in brighter hues and adding beads or an interesting edging. Though I’ve made Fair Isle sweaters and hats by the dozen, I’d never tried the technique with a felted bag. I figured I’d give it a whirl.

I’d been experimenting with felting for my upcoming book Knitting Never Felt Better (Sixth&Spring Books, Summer 2007), and a recent trip to Scotland started me thinking about how a Fair Isle pattern would look when felted. I tried it on a swatch and just loved the subtle quality it lent to the design. The patterning takes on a rich, heathery look, and the combination of the stranding and the fulling of the fibers creates a strong, sturdy but lightweight fabric just right for a bag. So I started knitting what was essentially a larger version of the swatch, using beautiful berry colors that reminded me of the color-rich Scottish landscape. And since I can never resist icing the cake (I’m a firm believer that the more icing, the better), I added a few pretty embroidered flowers and centered them with beaded knitted flowers.

Knitting On, Over and Beyond the Edge and Knitted Flowers (all from Sixth&Spring Books) are available online. For more about Nicky Epstein, visit nickyepstein.com.