How to Make a Charming Knitted Felted Mini Purse — Easy Felting Tutorial

The Knitted Little Felted Purse is a delightful, compact accessory that adds handmade charm to any outfit. This simple project uses super-bulky wool and felting to turn a quick knitted piece into a sturdy, finished purse. Below you'll find materials, step-by-step knitting and felting instructions, plus finishing tips so your purse comes out evenly felted and neatly finished.

Materials:
Yarn: Filtzwolle recommended for felting in the washing machine (manufacturer guidance notes 40°C)
100% virgin wool (super-bulky weight) — example shown: color 22, lot 15645
Needles: 8 mm

Knitting instructions:

1. Cast on 42 stitches and continue in stocking stitch (stockinette) for 20 rows.

2. Cast off 21 stitches.

3. Continue in stocking stitch for a further 5 rows (working with 21 stitches).

4. At the beginning of the next and following 15 rows (16 rows in total) decrease one stitch by knitting two together each row, until there are only 5 stitches remaining.

5. Cast off the remaining 5 stitches.

Felting (washing) and shaping:

1. Place the knitted piece inside a pillowcase and secure the pillowcase end with a knot. Add a pair of jeans to the wash to increase agitation — extra friction helps the felting process.

2. Follow yarn manufacturer's temperature guidance (often 40°C), but you can also start with a cooler setting (the author used a 30°C wash) and repeat cycles as needed. Use an economy/quick wash setting and monitor progress; the author ran the cycle twice to get the desired effect.

3. Each time you stop the machine, remove the item and reshape it while damp. Continue until the fabric has felted to the solidity and size you want.

4. Once felted, leave to dry completely. Drying may take a couple of days depending on thickness and humidity.

Finishing:

1. Add a button for closure. Cut a small button hole with a seam ripper through the felted fabric where the button will fasten; felted fabric holds buttonholes well so you don't need to leave a knitted hole beforehand.

2. Sew the button securely, trim any loose ends, and reshape the purse if necessary while still slightly damp to get smooth edges.

Tips and notes:

- Monitor the felting process rather than relying only on time; different machines and yarn lots felt at different rates.
- Reshaping between wash cycles helps keep the purse symmetrical.
- If you want a firmer purse, add more agitation (extra garments) or run an additional short cycle; for a softer finish, reduce agitation and shorten cycles.

Enjoy your little felted purse — it's a quick, satisfying project and makes a lovely handmade gift.