Our Felted Handbags...

A felted handbag can take several weeks and hundreds of hours to produce. First, the artist chooses a pattern and yarn that are complementary in size and shape. Next, fine, 100 percent wool is knit—sometimes with a contrasting novelty" yarn to add interest or texture—into a shape that is approximately 50 percent larger than the final handbag. Then, the handbag is immersed in hot water and agitated until it shrinks and the strands of yarn felt together into a solid material. The bag is shaped and dried. Finally, a special button—handcrafted from glass, wood, or horn—is selected to complement the handbag and every bag is finished with a magnetic snap.

Many of our handbags are created with a hand-spun, hand-dyed blend of wools made by a women's cooperative in Uruguay. As the yarn is dyed in kettles over wood fires, a marbleized coloring emerges, sometimes combining several colors on a single strand. This means that no two skeins of yarn are exactly alike and there are no dye lots, so the artist making the handbag must blend and match for the best effect.

Each handbag is a unique piece that represents hundreds of hours of work, offering the bearer a special accessory that is truly her very own.