Felted Purse in Plymouth Galway Worsted - F319

Felted Purse Knitting Pattern – Plymouth Yarn Galway Worsted F319

This free downloadable knitting pattern from the Plymouth Yarn Design Studio guides knitters through creating a charming felted purse using Plymouth Galway Worsted yarn. The finished bag is a sturdy, textured accessory that shrinks and transforms through the felting process into a dense, fabric-like structure. With its distinctive raised ridges and I-cord handles, this project is an excellent introduction to both colorwork construction and wet felting techniques.

About the Finished Bag

After felting and blocking, the purse measures approximately 8 inches wide, 4 inches deep, and 6 inches tall, not including the handles. The felting process significantly reduces the size and tightens the fabric, so the pre-felted dimensions are considerably larger. The bag features a structured rectangular base, three decorative raised color ridges around the body, and two attached I-cord handles made in the contrast color.

Materials Required

• Yarn: Plymouth Galway Worsted – 2 skeins total; 1 skein in Main Color (MC) and 1 skein in Contrast Color (CC). Each skein is divided in half and used double-stranded throughout the entire project.
• Needles: 24-inch circular needles in US size 13 for the purse body; double-pointed needles (DPNs) in size 11 or 13 for the I-cord handles.
• Notions: Stitch marker, tapestry needle for weaving in ends, and a box slightly larger than the finished purse dimensions for blocking after felting.

Gauge

10 stitches = 4 inches in stockinette stitch on US size 13 needles, measured before felting with yarn held double. Because this project is felted, precise gauge is less critical than in fitted garments, but working to the stated gauge ensures the pre-felted dimensions are large enough to yield the correct finished size after shrinkage.

Techniques and Construction Overview

I-Cord Handles

The handles are knitted first using the I-cord technique on double-pointed needles. I-cord produces a narrow, tube-like rope of knitted fabric and is worked by casting on a small number of stitches, knitting across, and then sliding the stitches back to the opposite end of the needle without turning the work. The yarn is then carried across the back and the row is knitted again, drawing the edges together into a seamless cord. For this pattern, 6 stitches are cast on in CC and worked in I-cord until the handle measures 14 inches in total length. Two identical handles are made and set aside until the purse body is complete.

Rectangular Base

The base of the purse is worked flat using the contrast color (CC) on circular needles. Stitches are cast on loosely and 22 rows of garter stitch (knit every row) are worked before binding off. This flat rectangle forms the foundation of the bag.

Body Worked in the Round

Stitches are picked up around all four sides of the base rectangle using the main color (MC) — 21 stitches along each long side and 11 stitches along each short side, for a total of 64 stitches. A stitch marker is placed and the body is then worked in the round in stockinette stitch (knit every round) to build the sides of the bag.

Raised Ridge Colorwork

A distinctive textural element is created through a repeating ridge sequence worked three times total. After an initial 8 rounds in MC, the pattern switches to CC for 4 rounds, then returns to MC. On the first MC round following each CC section, knitters pick up the back loops of the stitches four rows below — the first row of the CC stripe — and knit them together with the live stitches on the needle. This technique draws the fabric upward, creating a pronounced raised lump or ridge that adds both visual interest and dimensional texture. This sequence is repeated twice more, producing three CC ridges in total across the body of the purse.

Top Edge