Bag End felted mushroom bag

Bag End Felted Mushroom Bag

Project Overview

The Bag End felted mushroom bag is an advanced knitting project designed by Susan Pandorf as part of the Lord of the Rings Collection from Sunflower Designs. This downloadable PDF pattern creates a whimsical felted accessory inspired by hobbit aesthetics, combining traditional knitting techniques with felting to achieve a finished mushroom-shaped bag.

What Is Being Made

This pattern produces a felted mushroom bag—a functional accessory that combines decorative appeal with practical use. The bag is constructed through knitting and then finished with felting, a process that transforms the knitted fabric into a denser, more structured material suitable for bag construction.

Craft and Primary Technique

The primary craft is knitting, with felting as the finishing technique. Felting involves washing and agitating knitted wool fabric in hot water to cause the fibers to lock together, creating a compact, matted surface that gives the bag its characteristic texture and shape.

Knitting Stitches and Methods

This pattern employs mosaic knitting, a two-color knitting technique that creates intricate patterns without the complexity of traditional colorwork. Mosaic knitting works by alternating between two colors of yarn across multiple rows, with specific color changes occurring at designated intervals.

• The pattern uses a two-color technique requiring colors designated as A and B
• Every right-side row begins with a new color
• The first right-side and wrong-side rows are worked with color A
• Colors are dropped and picked up in sequence: two rows of color B, then two rows of color A, continuing this alternation throughout
• The technique distinguishes between right-side and wrong-side rows to maintain pattern integrity

Materials and Yarn Specifications

The pattern calls for worsted weight yarn, though the original design specifies Unique Sheep Anna's Yarn in five colorway options. Crafters require 250 yards each of two colors, with suggested combinations including Amber Ale, Fire Thorn, Stout, Golden Ale, and Lager. Equivalent yardage in other DK weight yarn may be substituted.

Tools and Gauge

Size 8 (US) needles are required for this project. Notably, the pattern indicates that gauge is not critical for this particular design, allowing for greater flexibility in needle selection and tension management.

Difficulty Level

This pattern is rated as advanced, reflecting the combination of mosaic knitting technique proficiency required and the additional felting process that follows the knitting phase. Crafters should have solid foundational knitting skills before attempting this project.