Finished Bag!

I started the French Market Bag last July with the purpose of using up stash. I have kept it as my "mindless" knitting project, so I guess I don't have a lot of time for truly mindless knitting or it would have been finished a long time ago. I have a fair amount of Lopi and knew it would felt well after testing it on a felted bowl from One Skein. I had no idea what I would use the finished bag for. It doesn't close so I wouldn't be good for yarn-too easy for cats to rob the contents.
Yesterday I was standing in front of my front loader remembering that I had read somewhere that white Lopi may not felt, something to do with the bleaching process. Did I knit a swatch and test this theory? Of course not. Crossing my fingers I hoped for the best. The bag had looked totally ridiculous going in to the washer. Huge, floppy, and a shape like the nose of an airplane. After about four wash cycles with a couple of pairs of jeans I took a deep breath and checked, all was well! Miraculously, the bag felted beautifully (even the white). Felting wool and blocking lace have to be the two greatest transformations for knitters. The bag is sturdy and most of the water had spun out. Gracie immediately jumped in, not bothered by the dampness in the least. She even matches the colors. Now I know what it will be used for.