Booga Bags

When I first started knitting, I happened upon a website of "Booga Bags." The pattern, designed by Julie Anderson, call be found here. I immediately wanted to make this bag and hunted down three skeins of Noro Kureyon in colorway 95. The bag was really my first project after a few scarves and a rug (since ruined by a squirrel). I didn't quite know yet how to pick up stitches or "knit twisted stitches," but somehow made the bag. Luckily, Julie Anderson now includes a little Google search at the bottom of the pattern to help one find help or instructions on-line.

This project was a great introduction to felting for me and to Noro yarn. I learned that Noro yarn has a lot of knots in it and that sometimes you need to start a new ball to maintain your colorway. Sometimes, you have to start in the middle of the new ball to pick up a certain color and not disrupt your color way. Sometimes, no matter have many balls you have, you can't maintain your colorway at all because the skein either doesn't contain the color or the yarn knots into a new color variation just where you would need that certain color! But, alas, the stripes are beautiful, even when they aren't as gradual as you would like.

Here is my first Booga Bag:

I've since made another one in the same colorway that looks much better, but I haven't felted it yet and I put it in a bag in my closet and have not been able to find it. I was going to give it to my older sister as a birthday present today, but it looks as if I'll have to wait until Christmas or another birthday.

Here's a Booga Bag that I made for my little sister last year:

This bag used Reynold's Lopi, which is a good yarn for felting. It felts up nice and thick, so much so that this bag really stands up on its own. The lime green, however, is Lamb's Pride Bulky. I also striped the i-cord and bottom in all four colors.

The Reynold's Lopi and Lamb's Pride bag only needed to go into the wash once! I had to felt the Noro bag a few times and still wasn't satisfied. So I did it by hand in really hot water and used a nice scented bubble bath. The bag felted up beautifully and smelt really nice for months.