Moonlight bag

Moonlight Bag by Paola Albergamo

Project Overview

The Moonlight bag is an intermediate-level knitted accessory designed by independent designer Paola Albergamo. This downloadable knitting pattern creates a striking circular bag that transforms dramatically through the felting process. The unfelted bag measures 56 cm (22.4 inches) in diameter, while the finished felted dimensions reduce to 40 cm (16 inches), creating a structured and durable everyday carryall.

What is Being Made

This pattern produces a knitted bag featuring a two-color design with a main color and contrasting color work. The finished piece includes a button closure, making it a functional and stylish accessory. The felting process is an integral part of the construction, as it significantly alters the bag's final appearance and structure, creating a more compact and firm finished product compared to the initial knitted fabric.

Yarn and Materials

The Moonlight bag requires 600 meters (656 yards) of bulky weight 100% wool yarn for the main color (MC) and 137 meters (150 yards) of bulky weight 100% wool yarn for the contrasting color (CC). The pattern specifically recommends Cascade Yarns Ecological wool, with Night vision (color 8025) for the main color and Platinum (color 8017) for the contrasting color. The use of 100% wool is essential, as wool's felting properties are crucial to achieving the intended finished dimensions and structure.

Needles and Tools

Construction requires US 9 (5.5 mm) double-pointed needles (DPN) and/or circular needles, or a size needed to obtain the correct gauge. The pattern notes that gauge is not critical for this particular project, offering some flexibility in needle selection. Additional notions include 8 stitch markers for tracking pattern repeats and shaping, and 1 button for closure (the pattern recommends purchasing the button after felting to ensure proper fit).

Gauge and Sizing

The recommended gauge is 14 stitches by 19 rows in stockinette stitch over 10 by 10 centimeters (4 inches). However, the pattern explicitly states that gauge is not critical for this project, allowing knitters some flexibility in their tension and needle choices while still achieving a successful finished bag.

Knitting Techniques and Stitches

The Moonlight bag is worked primarily in stockinette stitch, the foundational knit fabric used throughout the pattern. The construction employs several essential knitting techniques and abbreviations:

• Knit (k) and purl (p) stitches form the basic fabric structure
• Increases using Kf&b (knit in the front and back) to add stitches for shaping
• Decreases using k2tog (knit 2 stitches together) and ssk (slip 2 stitches as if to knit, then knit those 2 stitches together) for shaping and finishing
• Stitch markers placed and slipped (PM/SM) to track pattern sections and increases
• Through back loop (tbl) stitching for specific stitch variations
• Cast on (CO) and bind off (BO) techniques for beginning and finishing the piece

The pattern incorporates two-color work using a main color and contrasting color, creating visual interest and definition in the finished felted bag. The use of double-pointed needles or circular needles allows for working in the round, which is typical for circular bag constructions.

Difficulty Level and Felting Process

Rated as an intermediate-level project, the Moonlight bag is suitable for knitters with some experience beyond basic techniques. The pattern involves working in the round with stitch markers, managing two colors, and executing various increases and decreases. The felting process, while not a knitting technique per se, is a critical finishing step that transforms the knitted fabric into a more structured, durable material. Felting involves washing the wool in hot water, which causes the fibers to lock together, resulting in the significant size reduction from 56 cm to 40 cm in diameter and creating the bag's final appearance and firmness.