A Felted Water Bottle Carrier

Waldorfmama put this pattern out on Earth Day this past Spring and since then I have seen many beautiful versions on her blog. A few nights ago, inspired by a crochet cover my mom made for a glass container to use as a water bottle, I decided it was time to make one of my own for a water bottle I stopped using because of the pattern on front. I just wasn't into it anymore.

This was a very quick knit. If you know anything about my knitting experiences, you know that it takes me several months to finish any project. I got through this one in two short sittings, which means most knitters could probably bust it out in just a couple hours.

One thing I was worried about with this project was the felting. I have an LG front loading washer, and I've heard felting just does not work well in these things. I decided to try it out, using tips I picked up through a quick google search. Here's what I did: I put the project inside a cotton pillow case and threw it into the machine along with a pair of old sneakers to help with agitation. I set my washer to a hot wash, cold rinse, and added only a tiny bit of soap. For the cycle, I used water plus (to make sure the project was thoroughly soaked through rather than just wetted) and no spin.

After running through one cycle the carrier was felted a bit, but it had not shrunk enough, and all of the stitches were still highly visible. I ran it through again, and it was the perfect size. The stitches are still more visible than I was hoping for, especially on the handle, but I think it turned out pretty well considering.

This was also a project full of new knitting experiences. First time knitting a square bottom and picking up stitches all around, first time knitting an i-cord bind-off, and first time felting a project I had made myself!