It turns out that one skein of Patons Classic Wool is just enough to crochet Merri Purdy’s Felted Make-up Bag. (You can find the pattern as a free download here):

My crochet day was a bit puppy challenged.

My dog, Clooney, was not satisfied with any of the sticks in his stick collection, and when he was not complaining to me about being in the the house, he was in the yard, with me at the other end of his leash while he spent an inordinate amount of time looking for the perfect stick.

Eventually he found one that pleased him and possessed the elusive qualities that make the perfect stick perfect, and we were able to return to the kitchen where I continued to crochet the body of the make-up bag.

I was impressed at the clarity of Ms. Purdy’s directions which were flawless and easy to follow. While I found myself having to frog (unravel) two rounds at one point as a result of my own inattention, the rest of the project proceeded without any major crochet incidents.

Here is the body of the bag with the loop for closure:

and here it pictured with the two straps that will be attached:

I have two goals in making this bag:

One is to fully embrace what I think of as the “crochet aesthetic” and make a marvelous bag from materials that I have on hand.

The other is to demonstrate the joy and ease of felting crocheted items.

My hope is that by documenting this process and breaking it down into manageable pieces, someone somewhere will be inspired to craft something that she (or he) did not think could be done, and that that success will, in turn, will inspire another.