I do Crochet. Baby Christening Gown from YouTube Video.

It was a Christening.  I was asked to make her gown and hat.  There will be better pictures.  Here's the dress.  It was 34" long, and size 9 months to 12 months.

Crochet Christening Dress for Baby Girl

I made the entire dress from a YouTube video.

Here's my finished piece.

And here's our sweet granddaughter in her dress and hat.

The hat can be gathered by a ribbon and has the slightest brim in front.  The dress has a ribbon around the bodice, and can be gathered if needed.  I'll post other pictures as they are received.  She was perplexed by all the excitement at church.  She's almost 7 months here.

My Union Loom 36 and My First Rug

When I was given this Union Loom 36 I had no idea I would be able to leave the warp on the loom and weave more than one rug.  I was used to dressing the loom for one specific piece and having to start the dressing process again after that piece was removed.

Strands of warp thread moving through the heddles (needles) and then through the reed are each individually warped to a board at the back.  I warped 20 yards for this project, and proabably used 2 MAX!!  The finished rug is 26" by 50"  about a 2' by 4' rug with short fringe.














I couldn't for the life of me figure out what these loops of fabric were made from, until I did a ton of research on rag rugs online.  Finally I realized that it is mostly socks, cut in strips making loops.  Maybe some shirts and some robe sleeves, because there seems to be a lot of chenille wrapped into this ball of scraps.

Below is a picture of the finished rug that I gifted the people who gave me the loom.

Frankie and Rebekah's rug by the door.

You can see the warp threads in the rug and going through the reed and behind that the heddles in this photo

You can read more about setting up a weaving area and my first loom and projects here.

Boo the Min Pin Puppy

Boo, our 45th wedding anniversary gift to ourselves.  She has on a "felted" cashmere sweater sleeve, with little holes cut on the sides for her legs.  She is so cold in the mornings, she lays in the sun in her sweater, on her blanket.  Too funny how many little habits she has already.


To the left is a picture of her the first week we had her, that is a 12" tile in a back yard.


And below is a picture of her with another felted wool sweater sleeve, the rounded section down  her back is the upper sleeve where it sets in at the shoulders.  I just hold it up to her tummy to determine where to cut holes for the sleeves.  A felted wool sweater cuts without fraying.  She practically climbs into her sweater in the mornings, she's shaking so bad on her first AM outings.

A Collection of Free On-Line Knitting Patterns

I've collected several FREE on-line knitting patterns and written about the results with lots of pictures in this article.

• Read a review of patterns I've used.
• View pictures of many items I've made.
• Find resources for FREE patterns.
• Discover step-by-step YouTube videos
• Bonus pattern included 

When you go to the article, please click on LIKE if you like it, as I'm rated for the quality of the article by the number of LIKES I get and a half-dozen other reasons.

You can write original content on Squidoo, too.

I got started writing on Squidoo in April 2011.  I have 77 articles that are published.  I started with a "bucket-list" of topics that I hoped to complete in my lifetime, I've accomplished many.  My goal is to have 100 articles by the end of 2012.  Several have a knitting theme, but most are about life and experiences along the journey.

I recent took this picture of an older home in Indianapolis.  It reminded me so much of my childhood home, I got carried away with thoughts, memories, and tons of nostalgia.  So, I took several pictures on the block of homes that age, remodeled.  Beautiful city block.

I'm currently writing an article about these homes on Squidoo.

Purse Straps - Handles for Knit Felt Purses

Today I had an inquiry on options to attach straps to purses.  I guess I didn't realize how many methods I've used in my purse designs.  I've listed several here with pictures.  Let me know if you have any questions.









This is the most common way to add an i-cord to a purse.  After the base is knit and felt, punching holes in the fabric and adding an i-cord strap.  See my video of making an i-cord here.

In the Coral stripe bag, the strap is attached by sewing belt buckles to each side attaching the middle bar of the belt buckle to the purse anchoring it, then running the handle through each belt buckle and poking a hole in the flat felted knit/purl strap, made from the same yarn as the bag.  I believe this was a 9 stitch, knit 2 - knit RS and purl WS - Knit 2 pattern for the strap, to avoid curling.

I called this bag Camo because of the distinct browns and tans I used in the design.  The strap was sewn directly to the purse just folding over the ends and attaching to the outside edges.  It was handwoven on a loom using the same yarns as in the bag itself.  But this strap was not felted after woven.  When you enlarge the picture you can see detail better.

I used macrame to tie half knots in leather strapping for this shell shape bag.  Then I punched holes in either side of the opening and slipped the strap through, a larger knot on the inside holds it in place.

Another handwoven strap added after the piece was felted.  The closure strap is also handwoven and added later, I sewed it to the back and let it hang as a closure to the front.  The straps are attached with closed rings.  I designed a larger flap on either side of the felted bag to attach at the bottom of each ring by folding over from outside - in, then sewing in place with matching yarn.  The handwoven strap was sewn by wrapping it around the top of each ring in the same manner as the tabs on the sides.

This has a similar strap to the one above only I left a fringe on the handwoven strap, so I threaded the strap through rings on both sides and sewed the straps in place so that the fringe decorated the sides of the bag, matching the closure.

Last but not least, I've designed a pattern for this bag which has the strap built-in, when the piece is felted the bag is finished!!  Here's another view, and a link to the pattern.

THE KNIT PATTERN FOR THIS PURSE

Embellish your purse.  That's the topic of this published article on-line.

I read this the other day and decided I'd like to quote it:  Earth without ART is just "eh."  Get creative!!

Furoshiki 1 Basic knot & Wrapping

Furoshiki - Purse

Posting from my iPhone.

I started making furoshiki purses. Here are a few photos.

Knit felt baby booties from Baby Drops.

I found the cutest pattern for baby booties.  I was on a hunt for some "simple" baby booties I could knit or crochet, because for some reason my fingers rebel when I start making tiny pieces.  Oh my goodness, I found a pattern to knit and felt these.  (Yes Jenn, a boy or girl 0-6 months could wear these.)

Enjoy the progression from knit to felt in photos:

I placed the finished piece on a magazine so you could see the size of the item before felting.

Here's the link to the FREE online pattern.

This is what I call "shrinking on purpose."  Too fun.  The soles are 3.25" long.  That's baby shoe size 0 to 1.5 (yeah!) 0 to 3 months - but getting them wet and stretching them they may go as big as 4".  So cute.

Buy the knit felt handbag pattern at 80% off on Etsy.

I'm so honored to be the 1st ever Spotlight interview at Squidoo, for their So Crafty on-line magazine.

A few years ago, I set a goal to get published.

Yes, I was published once in a weekly magazine, called the Pentecostal Evangel.  A copy of that article can be found here.

So, today, because I not only have several articles published on Squidoo, but also because the article that launched  me into the "spotlight" is about knitting and felting purses, I have offered my $4.99 pattern for these purses on Etsy for $.99, when you mention Squidoo in the comments at checkout.

That's an 80% savings!

This pattern is for sale on Etsy for $4.99. Step-by-step knit and felt handbag.   

 

Get 80% off the Etsy price by mentioning Squidoo in your order.

I you would like to receive this .pdf pattern for $.99 to print and keep, order below. When you checkout, there is a comment section. Tell me you found it on Squidoo and I'll refund $4.00 when I email the pattern for your use.

PATTERN for the Glistening Starry Sling Knit Felt Bag | Price: $5

This is a pattern. I will email the .pdf file to you once I receive your payment. I'll send a test email to make sure your email does not reject... ORDER HERE

Remember the code for your $4.00 refund is SQUIDOO.  Just say you found me on Squidoo in the comment when you checkout.

I'll email your pattern once I see the payment.  I'll refund you which happens as soon as I see the order, then the .pdf is yours.

If you can knit you can make these purses. Step-by-Step how to knit and felt a purse

If you cannot knit, there are amazing online videos at knithelp.com and on YouTube that teach you to knit.

Social media and me, a plain ordinary knitting grandma.

Funny, strange, weird, normal, I don't know how to categorize myself.

I have gotten so enmeshed with social media and search engines.  I actually have earned nearly $100 recently just from Amazon sales and Ads that run on my articles.

It is exciting to know that out of millions of blogs and online articles, spouting their expertise on everything from homemade doggie treats to how to grow Kentucky blue grass, I've made a small mark.

It all started with this blog here on Blogspot.  I learned how to write online, learned some HTML, experimented with adding modules, included interested readers inviting them to "follow" my posts, and have met a lot of interesting people that I now follow.  This blog is "connected" or backlinked to several web pages.

A LIST OF SOME OF THE PLACES YOU'LL FIND ME ONLINE:

Pinterest: Judy Cockrum

Zazzle: bikerministry

Etsy: BigSis2

Amazon

iTunes

Squidoo: bikerministry

Blogspot: 3 knitting sisters

Facebook: Judy Cockrum

Twitter: Bikerministry

Linkedin: Judy Cockrum

Zulilly

Ravelry: jcockrum

A year ago I discovered Squidoo, the place to write articles online, each article, called a lens, is a stand alone blog.  I now have 66 of them.

Many of the lenses I write are related to my knitting and felting, but other topics include my faith, my life story, our travels and various assorted interesting topics.

Please feel free to go to this link and see where I've been since April 2011.  And if you choose to join me on Squidoo, I'd so appreciate it if you would use this link to join.  It's free, and you have a personal coach that steps you through the entire process, writing online.

Click here to see some of my great articles I've created over the last 10 months.

USE THIS LINK TO START WRITING ON SQUIDOO

My latest lens has many photos or watercolors I've painted with scripture quotes.  Here are a few samples just in time for Easter.