Felted Knit Tote Bag Pattern

    Last week, I had fun felting my bucket bag, and I love how it turned out! I especially enjoyed working with Noro Kuryeon—the hand-dyed, color-changing yarn makes every project unique, and this might be my favorite colorway yet. So, with that as an excuse, I made this tote bag! Here’s how to make your own:

Gauge & Finished Size:

Gauge isn’t critical for this project, but different yarns and tension can affect the final size after felting. My pre-felted bag measured about 14 inches wide, 5 inches deep, and 11.5 inches tall. My bag after felting measures about 10 inches wide, 3 inches deep, and 8.5 inches tall. The final felted size may vary—see notes in the felting section.

Materials:

• Yarn: ~350 yards of worsted weight 100% wool yarn suitable for felting (I used Noro Kureyon)

• Needles: 6.5mm circular needles (14” cord used throughout) 

• Optional: Quilting clips or pins for shaping while drying

Pattern Instructions

Base 

Cast on 52 stitches and knit in stockinette for about 5 inches.

Building the Sides

Pick up stitches around the edges:

• Short sides: Pick up 1 stitch every other row (the felting process will shrink the bag’s height more than the width)

• Long side: Pick up 1 stitch per cast-on stitch

You should have around 128 stitches in total, but the exact count isn’t critical.

Now, knit all stitches in the round in stockinette for about 11.5 inches.

Bind off.

Straps 

(Make 2)

Cast on 7 stitches and work in stockinette stitch until the strap measures 24 inches or desired length.

Bind off.

Attaching the Straps 

Lay the bag flat with the long sides centered. Position each strap so that its ends are 3.5 inches apart. Make sure the straps are evenly spaced from the bag’s side edges before sewing securely along the top edge.

Felting Process

1. Weave in all ends before felting. 

2. Pre-soak (optional): If using highly pigmented or multicolored yarn, soak the bag in cold water with a little bit of white distilled vinegar for 10 minutes to help prevent color bleeding. 

3. Boiling: Heat a pot of water to a boil, then let the bag soak for about 10 minutes.

4. Machine Felting: Transfer the bag (along with the boiling water) into the washing machine. Wash on a hot cycle with agitation—adding towels, jeans, or sneakers in a pillowcase helps. (If you’re concerned about fabric shedding, you can wash the bag in a pillowcase or mesh garment bag, but I found the felting to work better without it.)

5. Repeat if necessary: Some yarns take multiple cycles to full felt, so check after each wash and repeat as needed. 

6. Shaping: While the bag is still damp, shape it to your desired structure. You can clip it to a box or similar container with quilting clips, or stuff it with paper towels to help it dry in shape. If the straps have rolled, gently use your fingers to pull them open, working along the length to flatten them out.

*Felting results can vary depending on water temperature, agitation, and yarn. If the bag is still too large or flimsy after the first wash, repeat the felting process. If it shrinks too much, stretching it while damp can help.

Final Touches

After the bag has dried completely, trim any fuzz from the felting process if desired. 

And that’s it! Your felted tote bag is ready to use. 

If you have any questions, feel free to DM me on Instagram @funkyfreshfibers. If you make one, I’d love to see it—feel free to share your project and tag me so I can check it out! 

Thanks for checking out my free pattern! If you’d prefer a clean, easy to read PDF or just feel like supporting the biz, you can purchase it on my Etsy shop. Happy knitting!