Grommets, i-cords and findings. And contentment.

Today I finished the final details on 4 purses. (It's the finishing touch that I usually put off until a deadline - now I have one.) The "Findings" the pendants, or stones or final touch jewelry that I add to each piece, usually is the first piece I start with, and then I make the bag. I mean we find some awesome stones as we travel, and I'm always looking at old jewelry for purse inspiration.

I knit one in color blocks a heathered teal and golden wheat, very cute combination of colors.



I fastened the cord to a vase shaped purse, a miniature of my market bag, and hung a high dollar stone on the front for a sweet finish. It is in natural earth and purples, so it is dark, but tailored, almost looks like a tabletop decoration with handles.

A soft baby blue and mesa tan stripe bag ended up with wooden beaded handles, this one is a unique shape also.

And one of my favorites to make is one I call "neopolitan meltdown." the colors literally look like a bowl of neopolitan ice cream (strawberry, chocolate, and vanilla) stirred into stripes, it is delicious.

I'm displaying (AND/OR SELLING) them plus my soft mauve large purse, and southwest inspired computer bag at the Mt. Olive Women's Retreat this weekend. I've also put together 4 kits to make your own bag, which includes all the necessary yarn, the needles, grommets, and a pillow case to use in the felting process, and a free on-line pattern that I enjoyed working with when I was learning, now I embellish my stuff so much they don't look like the original.

I've met a lot of my goals for knitting this year, and I've succombed to some "Life In-Between Delays." But, I titled my blog, 3 knitting sisters, and life inbetween for a reason. Life has it's way of interupting the great plans of man. (woman)

I read the neatest devotion today, cannot get it off my mind, maybe it is for one of my readers.

"The present moment, this burning instant of time, was all that I or any man could ever really possess or command - and I was allowing it to be ruined by anxieties of my own making. It came to me powerfully, that if I could be content at this moment, I could be content." Grayson (Found clipped to pages of his Bible.)

My mother recently gave me her mother's Bible. My maternal grandmother was my favorite person in the world the 39 years I knew her. Inside the Bible were several hand written notes. Lots of little reminders that God loved "even her." She overcame a lot of trials in her lifetime. Gave birth to 11 babies, only 5 survived to adulthood. The father of all her children left after the birth of her 11th child, she made every attempt to make it on her own, and did quite well, I'd say from my perspective.

I spent my 16th summer with her, traveling the state of Illinois helping her present Pomeranians to County Fair Prize recipients. She raised prize Pomeranians and sold them all over the mid-west. She taught me many crafts, cooking, gardening, small farm animals, and we had lots of real simple times, reading together sitting on the swing watching the summer sunset.

In that Bible I found a poem. It wasn't just any poem. It was a poem I discovered in 1978 and asked my hubby to put to music as soon as I found it. He has been known to sing it on occasion to this day. I had no idea MY GRANDMOTHER Geneva Pryor, carried that poem in her Bible. Here it is:

THE WEAVER

My life is but a weaving between my Lord and me,
I cannot choose the colors He worketh steadily.

Oft times He weaveth sorrow, and I in foolish pride
forget He sees the upper but I the under side.

Not till the loom is silent and the shuttles cease to fly,
shall God unroll the canvas and explain the reason why.

The dark threads are as needed in the Weaver's skillful hand,
as threads of gold and silver in the pattern life has planned.

Wonder if this is why I signed up for a WEAVING CLASS today!! It starts this summer.