From Lyn: Here is the felted FMB.

From Lyn: I've just finished another French Market Bag to give as a gift. I used handspun wool, which was a natural mid-grey dyed with pink. Due to the variations in the yarn itself, I just used it straight, rather than adding different colours. I made the handles a bit longer than the pattern stipulated, which turned out much better I think.

From Lyn: Part 2: The felting went really easily, although I used my washing machine, without putting the bag inside a pillow case, etc. Thankfully the wm still works! Next time I'll remember the precautions. There will certainly be a next time though.

From Lyn: Part 1: I used my own grey handspun wool, which was too coarse to use as a clothing article. But first I dyed it with food dyes, and as they were all on the grey wool, the colours turned out to be quite harmonious. I knitted it a bit larger than the pattern said, which seems to be common with me, and although I followed the pattern re the handles, they turned out to be a bit short.

From Suzette: Behold the finished product! I'm really happy with how this turned out. The colours worked really well, I think (the bottom band of purple is actually a little deeper than the photo suggests). I was going to give this away as a gift, but I've decided that I really, really need another knitting bag!

This took one cycle of hot wash/cold rinse in the top loader to reduce by about two-thirds.

From Suzette: This is my version of Sophie, as in, I sort of followed the pattern.

I used two strands of Bendigo Rustic on 10 mm circulars. I had the idea of dark at the bottom grading to light at the top, which looks a bit harsh in the pre-felted form.

I was a little random in the decreases - they were meant to be every ten rows, however I often forgot and found myself doing them after about twelve rows and then whenever it looked appropriate.

The original handles didn't grab me so I knitted two I-cords using double strand and four stitches across and then sewed them on after felting.

From Cindie: Ah - what can I say - quick, easy and every 4year old girls dream! Suits me, especially for a quick knit fix, a completed product and birthday pressies! And more of the fun felting stuff!

The inspiration came from wanting to felt a bag and for want of a better design, making a Sophie. Although happy with the felted result I hate the handles (and knew I would), so bag 2 was an amended Sophie - then I thought - why not make a bit more of an amendment and really shrink it and see what happens! That is when I became hooked and 5 mini-bags later I’m still going - making up patterns as I go!

From Catherine: I am *so* pleased with this bag that it is now my Everyday Holdall of Choice. It carries all of my usual trash, then contains at least 8 items at the supermarket checkout, including two standard loaves of bread - haven't tried it with the biblical fishes.....yet :D

I'm no psychic, but I can see at least one more of these in my future, not least because it is an object of awe and admiration to my non-knitting friends. More than one has offered in excess of $120 if I knit one for them :O

From Kat: And loaded up to go to SnB GJ's meet! Overall I am pleased with the finished bag, although I thought it would come out a bit stiffer. It shrunk quite a lot, but is still quite deep as I added an extra inch to the pattern, and made the handles a little longer too, which was just as well as they shrunk the most! This project has inspired me to make more felted items, and has even got my husband interested in making a felted bag for his camera.

From Kat: Drying after three times through the washing machine and pummelled to death in the sink by hand.............

From Kat: Bag before felting.........