Success!

Yes! I felted the bag without destroying it. I'm not thrilled with the bottom edge, but I can re-block it later if I have to.

This afternoon I chucked the whole thing in the washer and let it go for about ten minutes, and unlike before, stopped every two or three minutes to check on it. I got it out after it was 'felty', but before it was a centimeter thick and unbendable. In the midst of it, I was interrupted by the arrival of this:

My friend Allison (sadly blogless, or I'd hook you guys up), made the baby a LOG CABIN QUILT! Magnificent, isn't it? I was oohing and ahing and suddenly remembered the bag in the washer and ran out to check on it, but all was well. So I oohed and ahed some more. Can't wait until the baby gets into a bed so I can tuck her in with this.

Anyway, I eventually fished the bag out and hauled it into the house and dumped it in the kitchen sink, because my house is without a laundry sink. (Will not rant about the landlord... will not rant about the landlord...) I rinsed everything out and found this joyful blob in the midst of things:

That is the six miles of I-cord, felted into a ball. I managed to untangle it with a minimum of tugging and swearing, and found that the cord in the middle of the snarl actually hadn't felted. Which means it needs another trip through the washer. (I'd hand felt the damn thing, but more on that in a second.) Is there some trick to felting I-cord that I've missed, or do I just suck at it?

Then, I'm trying to skewer in the large knitting needles to make holes for the straps (those are the largest of my Denise points), and got fed up and made the mistake of getting out a knife. (The husbeast is kind of a knife fiend, and keeps everything in the house wickedly sharp. Stupid, stupid me. I am such a dumbass.) The inevitable happened, and I slit my finger open, which required sitting around doing direct pressure with my hand over my head, which is why the strap holes are kinda crooked, which is why I'm not going to hand-felt the I-cord. (The cut could probably use a stitch or two, so getting it wet like that would be really dumb.) It's always something, right?

So that concludes today's blood-curdling adventure. (I called the husbeast to pick up medical tape and gauze on the way home from work and he sighed at me. Always a sign of a good day.)

My friend Allison, of the quilt, lives in Texas. Any suggestions on a knitted gift for someone in a warm climate? Anyone? I'm thinking it deserves a damn doily.