In my ongoing effort to organize my crochet empire/guestroom I have been using yarn from the vast stores that have accumulate over the years to make stash bags to sort and store the yarn that remains.

My most recent stash bag effort was made of vintage wool from Banbry Crossing in a color known a camel, but which to my eye, more closely resembled peach.

Today, shortly before it was time for dinner, I finished crocheting the bag:

I then soaked it in warm soapy water while I put the finishing touches on dinner:

Right before I sat down to eat, I prepared a large pot of water and emptied 20 packages of Berry Twist Kool-Aid into it. I then added the bag to be felted:

and brought the pot of water, stash bag and all, to a gentle boil.

After dinner, I set up the pressure washer I use for felting on that table that comprises my outdoor office. I also prepared three large cups of ice to give the fibers a little added shock to assist in the felting process:

I poured all of the water that had been used in the dyeing process along with the wet, wool bag into the pressure washer along with 5 tennis balls for added agitation. I then dumped in the three large cups of ice, secured the top of the pressure washer and began to turn the washer.

To my amazement, the bag was felted in half-an-hour’s time. I do not know if this was a result of the type of wool or if the added ice speeded the process. In any event, I was able to wring the water out and get these photos before the sun set:

Another view of the fully felted stash bag:

I always think I know what I am going to learn from a project, but invariably a lesson I was unaware of awaits me.

I had very nearly set this project aside and worked on something else when the bag was not ready to be felted by mid-afternoon. Instead, I succumbed to inertia and kept working on the stash bag because anything else would have required more effort.

Sometimes, the path of least resistance gets you where you wanted to go.