Lunch Sack Saga!!

Well, I have finally done it! I have completed my first felted bag!  I got the idea because my local yarn shop is having a Knit-a-long in April using this pattern.  Because of my change of shift at work, I can't attend.  However, while at work I noticed everyone has these super cute lunch sacks.  Unfortunately, my lunch usually makes it to work in a walmart sack.  But, as a crafter, that is just silly.  So, I took on the task of a felted lunch sack! 

My first attempt I used Berocco Ultra Alpaca yarn.  It knitted up really quickly and I was so excited about it.  It is a little intimidating because when you felt something, the pre-felted size is HUGE!! Check out the bag before it took a tumble in my washing machine!

Seriously, this super floppy giant bag is the size of my couch cushion.  So, in to the hot tub....er...washing machine it went!  Now, everything that I read on the internet about felting objects talked about how you need super hot water and not a lot of spin.  Well, fantastic.  My front-loading washer can get SUPER hot!  Around and around and around it spun.....

And fabulously felted it came out!!  Well......almost fabulously.  See that cute little circle towards the middle of the bag??  Yeah....it fabulously fused together in the center!!
Here is where I went wrong:
1.  The bag is the only thing I put in the washer.
2.  I used the sanitize mode which has A LOT of spin!
3.  I never checked it, I just let it go for the whole cycle...which happened to be about an hour.

So, with that knowledge in mind, I set off to try again. 

This time I used Cascade 220, which is closer to the same yarn that the pattern calls for.  I actually was really excited because I liked these colors a lot more then the blue and purple.  Welcome to the stage, please, bag numero dos!!

Yay for turquoise and orange! My favorite colors! And, as you can see, it is again as large as my couch cushion.  This time I used the express wash setting on Hot/Cold with low spin.  I also threw in a few towels that needed washing anyways.  Each cycle lasted 20 minutes (and I did four of them to get the size/look that I wanted).  In to the washer this one went....after I did a felting dance and crossed all my fingers and toes and held my breath till I was blue!!

And then I checked on it.....

And then I checked on it....

And then I checked on it again....

And then......

WAHOOOOO!!!!!!

Operation cute lunch sack, accomplished!!! 

I can't wait to take this to work tomorrow to show it off!!  I love the striping sequence, it just turned out so cute!!!

So, now I can un-cross all of my fingers and toes and hop off to bed!!