First things first. Lori, do not read this post, just go do something else for a couple of days till your package gets there. Don't peek, now...


For the last year or so, my terrific SIL and I have been talking about me opening up an online store. She was going to design it, and I was going to sell yarn, maybe roving and finished items. To pay her for the work, she wanted a felted purse. More specifically, She wanted the felted purse from Bags: A Knitter's Dozen. I spun the yarn up for it ages ago, and here in the last couple of weeks, I knitted it up. I felted it in the washing machine. I needle felted the design. It was finished!


I changed the design some, and I also needle felted the button instead of wet felting it. I made a little ball of yarn and just kept using the needle felting tool until it held together.

I still had a ton of yarn left. Hmmmm..... well, the obvious thing to do was to make Lori's little girl a little bag that matched her moms! I followed the directions for the full size bag, except I cast on half the number or stitches, did half the number of rows, etc. I got a little more adventurous with the needle felting on the little bag. I used roving instead of yarn, and it really made a difference in how the finished bag looks. I'm not an artist, but I tried hard. I hope the little princess likes it.



Ultimately, I decided I just didn't want to try and make a business out of my spinning and knitting. I know a lot of people are doing really well at it, but whether it is a lack of confidence in myself or the fact that I don't want to make my fun into work, I never once had any doubts that Lori would have done a wonderful job with the website. I really appreciate all the work you did, Lori! You're the best SIL and your an even better friend!

All that felting has really got me inspired. I am spinning up roving left over from the blending experiments for possible use in future bags, and I am thinking about trying to make a sheet of felt . I also have to finish reloading everything on the computer so I can do the church bulletin tonight.



There are more changes on the horizon around here. We have been praying that DH would soon find a radiology job. People from the class that graduated this past spring have been having trouble finding jobs, and we were really getting worried that after all this schooling, he wasn't going to be able to find a job when he graduates next spring. Hubby applied to various area hospitals, and we kept praying. So I'm really glad to tell you that he starts this weekend as a student tech at the hospital he has been doing clinicals at all summer. They were really impressed with his work during clinicals and have bent over backwards to give him a job. Plus, they're giving him benefits, which means after a year of being terrified someone would get seriously ill, we will once again have health insurance! As always, all good and perfect gifts have come down from above, and we are so thankful that He has provided for us again. God truly is good, all the time.

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. --John 14:27