My needle felting purse

The company I purchase my needle felting supplies from sends out a newsletter every week. This week my needle felted purse is featured on it, with a link to their blog. On the blog they have the same 4 photos I have below. I can't figure out how to get the newsletter linked here, but you can click here for the link to their blog to see my purse on their blog.

I 'had' to add a bead for the eye. We need that shine in the eye when we photograph them, so I wanted it in my needle felting.

I put a pocket on the back of the purse (thanks, Wendy of It's Just Me for the idea) and added sead beads in the center of the dogwood blooms.
The purse is listed on Etsy, to see my Etsy listing click here. From there you can go to 'shop' on the right side and see all my needle felted purses that I have currently for sale. I have sold 3 locally.

In the needle felting world the thing to try is 3D. So after needle felting a few of my felted purses I decided it was time to try my hand at the 3D of needle felting. My first (and only, so far) is pictured above. This is a very time consuming art form. Not sure how many of these I will do, but it does have my interest right now. This little bear has moving parts. His head, arms and legs move. Notice the eyes are also beads.

The link to Living Felt for needle felting supplies is http://www.livingfelt.com/ they are great. Real fast shipping. and they accept Paypal.

By the way....here in East Tennessee we were teased by spring last week. Although I was way too sick to get out in the pretty weather. Now I am feeling much better and it is gloomy and cold again. Hopefully before too long Granny Sorrells' daffodils will be blooming and they will drag me away from knitting and needle felting to photograph them.

This weekend is a fiber festival in Townsend, Tennessee. The quiet side of the Smokies. I hope to go and photograph the sheep, some as they are sheared. I am also going to Stitches South in Atlanta late April to learn more about knitting and needle felting. If any of you that knit are going to Atlanta please let me know, maybe we can meet up there.

My knitting projects update

Well, it is VERY COLD here for the Tennessee Valley. It has not reached 32 in the last 8 days, and no chance of it in the next week. Thinking we are going to break the record of 12 days. The edges of the lakes are frozen, and all the ponds are frozen. I am not out taking photographs of the snow we received yesterday because I HATE the cold! So I continue to knit, and thought I would show you some of what I have been knitting.

The first photo is Mason showing off his cap.

These two are Noah showing off his cap. The male adults think the caps are cute on backwards. Me? I like it on the correct way. And Mason in his newest cap. This one has the earflaps and ties. It was hard to keep him still to take any photos. It has been cold and he was so excited about being outside.

So here is the cap laying on the sofa.
After I made my first pair of fingerless gloves (for Lindsey) I decided for myself they need to be a little larger. I designed this pattern myself. I am currently knitting my 6th pair of fingerless gloves.
The first sweater I sold on my Etsy site.

The 2nd sweater I sold on my Etsy site (to the same customer).

I have labels I ordered from another Etsy person. I also have labels that say "designed and hand knit by" for the items that I design. Although I don't put any labels in the gloves, don't figure they will be very comfortable in there.
My "Big Orange" purse. I designed this one, and have enjoyed it more than I thought I would, because I don't normally wear alot of UT orange clothing. I have been stopped in the stores when I am out and about with it. What an opportunity to give out business cards. One lady wanted to know if I would be willing to make her a Kentucky one. She got a business card, but I have not heard from her yet.

Still tweaking the design and will be making more in other colors.

Been doing alot of other knitting too, it is TOO COLD here to be outside with a camera, even for snow photos.

Hope everybody is staying warm, no matter where you are. Miss everybody, but life is still busy, and yes, alot of the busy is knitting.

Hand knit baby bags

Mason's sweater is the first sweater I have ever made. I have made shawls in the past, but never those sleeves and attaching. Whew! That is why I am going to class to make this sweater. I have learned so much already, but I am not ready to show Mason's Wallaby Sweater, so I thought I would show you some of my past knitting.

This one is my own design and with all designs there is a story behind it. When we learned we were expecting Mason, as all expectant grandmothers are, I was excited. I bought a little blue lamb with "The Lord is My Shepherd"stitched on the front. I also bought a little bag that said "Peep A Blue". Didn't have a clue what I was going to do with it. The baby showers came and went and I still had the little lamb with the "Peep A Blue" bag. So when the call came that Lindsey was headed to the hospital I took off with my little blue bag in hand. Very early they put the blue lamb in the bed with Mason, and it became part of his bedtime 'have to'. So I decided maybe I should buy a 2nd one. Just in case something happened to the first one, but I couldn't find another one, but I did find him a little blue bear with "Bless This Child" stitched on the front, by the same company, so they look like a match. Oh, and the little blue bag. It also stays in Mason's crib, they use it to keep extra pacifiers in. When he drops one out of his bed he doesn't cry, he just reaches in there and gets himself another pacifier.

About this same time we found out we were expecting Noah, so I had to find Noah's lamb and bear. No blue ones to be found but I did find a beige one of each. Well, if Mason had one of each then Noah was going to have one of each. And to hold down on confusion, beige wasn't a bad idea. I had already made one of Noah's baby blankets in a green variegated, regular yarn. So I just changed a little about the pattern and created a bag for his lamb. So far Noah hasn't taken to a pacifier, but I am sure he will find something to do with his bag. Noah's bag is shown at the top. And I was even able to stuff both the lamb and the bear in his bag when I took it to the hospital.

The lambs and bears were hard to find, so I went on line. Ended out with all 3 colors of the lamb and bear. Now what to do with a case of lambs and bears? Make bags for them. When I showed Noah's bag to friends it was suggested I make bags with the lambs or bears to sell. So what you see is the first bag I made to sell. It is so very soft. I started to say awesomely soft, but as Pastor Scott has pointed out to us the only thing in this life that is awesome is our Lord and Savior. I am breaking my habit of using awesome about things around us, but it is ultra soft. I had never used this yarn before, but I will in the future. I bought it to make preemie caps, so it had to be soft.

I joined Etsy about the time I finished this bag, and I found these great labels on Etsy from another crafter. If any of you knitters need labels for your knitting projects please check her out at http://www.rememberwynn.etsy.com/ . I contacted her and she made a sample of 3 different label designs for me and displayed them for me to choose. Can even choose the color of the labels you want. I had them within a week. If you do check her out, please be sure to tell her Leedra sent you. And of course, this bag is available on Etsy at http://www.leedrasheirloomgoods.etsy.com/

The preemie caps are a challenge between our yarn store and a yarn store in Alabama. The challenge ends in October when the University of Tennessee plays the Crimson Tide. Naturally the winner is the yarn store with the most preemie caps. The pattern is extra easy, and I will show them before I turn them in. So far I have only made 5, so I am not in the running for the most made. The caps will then be given to the local hospitals, here and in Alabama.