Pattern description from Bag Style: “Carry your important files and papers comfortably in Joshua Eckels’s manly messenger bag. Joshua knitted five separate pieces for the bag - a front, back, flap, gusset, and shoulder pad. He felted them down to a dense, indestructible fabric in his washing machine, trimmed them square, then sewed them together. Under the foldover flap, Joshua added a heavy-duty zipper to keep the contents secure. The gusset gives the bag depth and provides a handy channel for the heavy nylon-webbing strap. Joshua added buckles to give the strap an adjustable fit, and he added a soft pad at the shoulder for comfort.”

Finished Size: About 16” (40.5 cm) wide, 11” (28 cm) tall, and 2½“ (6.5 cm) deep after felting.

Yarn: Worsted weight (#4 Medium). Plymouth Galway Highland Heather (100% wool; 210 yd (192 m)/100 g): #704 gray (MC), 4 balls; #710 burgundy (CC), 3 balls.

Needles: Size 8 (5 mm): straight and set of 4 double-pointed (dpn). Adjust needle size if necessary to obtain the correct gauge.

Notions: Markers (m); tapestry needle; sharp-point upholstery needle with large eye; 2 yd (2 m) 2” (5 cm) heavy nylon webbing for strap (available from fabric stores); 18” (45.5 cm) heavy-duty zipper; sewing thread to match zipper; two 2” (5 cm) single bar slide adjustable buckles.

Additional Gauge: 24 stitches and 44 rows = 4” (10 cm) after felting.