Water Lilies Tote

Impressionism is about emotions and sensations, capturing the changing light from the passage of time or a cloud casting shadows, the natural movement of the body and nature. An Impressionist painting pulls at our hearts rather than our heads.

Monet created about 250 paintings of his garden. We can guess what time of day he’s painting, what the weather must have been like, what his mood must have been as he brushed the paint on the canvas. One painting is grays and light pinks, another focuses on the greens and blues, and yet another on unexpected yellows and oranges. Each time you think you’ve seen every color in a piece, he surprises you with a stroke of another.

Create your own masterpiece tote bag inspired by Monet’s Water Lilies series. The flecked color and faint halo of Felted Tweed yarn give the piece the soft, feathery look of Impressionist paintings.

Materials
Yarn Rowan Felted Tweed (50% merino wool, 25% alpaca, 25% viscose), DK weight, 191 yd (175 m)/50 g: 2 balls of #178 Seasalter (dark blue, MC); 1 ball each of #213 Lime (CC1), #199 Pink Bliss (CC2), and #181 Mineral (mustard, CC3).
Note: The sample project uses 2 full balls of MC. To have enough for swatching, differences in gauge, or pattern adjustments, purchase a third ball.

Needles: size 5 (3.75 mm) 8" (20 cm) set of double-pointed (dpns), three 24" (60 cm) circular (cir) needles, optional, or size needed to obtain gauge

Notions Markers, including 1 in contrasting color for beginning of round, Waste yarn or stitch holder, Hand towels or facecloths for blocking, Tapestry needle

Gauge:
24 sts and 28 rnds = 4" (10 cm) before felting;
30 sts and 34 rnds = 4" (10 cm) after felting.

Finished Size:
14" (35.5 cm) wide and 14" (35.5 cm) tall (measured from the slipped sts edge of the bottom of the bag) before felting; 11¾" (30 cm) wide and 12½" (31.8 cm) tall after felting.