Copper Scrolls and Green Bead Necklace

My new workbench is lovely and I have moved it into a different room in the basement.  I'm much happier now with its location, and to celebrate my new space, I created this necklace from 16, 20, and 24 gauge raw copper with some green beads.  It has been antiqued with liver of sulfer.

First Diantha Shawl

This was the first Diantha shawl I knit, and was set up as a mystery knit-along.  The yarn was handspun from a beloved natural gray fleece given to me by my friend Tammy.  The sheep lived in Colonial Beach VA on a small farm.  I spun the yarn and then knit it into this wonderful shawl, with a few pretty beads.  I sent it back to Tammy a couple of weeks ago,  as a surprise gift to her.

Pink Handspun Diantha Shawl

I spun this yarn almost a year ago from a mixed batt made by Beth, from Whorling Tides, and knew that this design was a perfect match for it.  I also was worried about running out of yarn and this design, Diantha, from Susanna from ArtQualia Designs was easy to change if necessary to conserve yarn.  It is the second one I made this year.

Crimson to Onyx Gradient Shawl

I finished this piece a few days ago.  The bottom braid shows the wool before I spun it into a 2-ply light fingering yarn.  I wanted to use up all the yarn so I searched in ravelry's database and found a gorgeous design called "Cloud Illusions" by Boo Knits and can be found through ravelry.  I used up almost all of the yarn and the shawl has been well-received by all who have seen it.   The lovely wool top is from Fiber Optics Yarn and is the merino/silk gradient.

Norwegian Star Cap

I have been in a hat-knitting mood lately, and this was the first one.  The yarn is handspun from a colorful batt which has been in my stash for a while.  I didn't like the colors as they seemed somewhat disconnected and didn't flow well, so I spun the black/taupe and then spun the lavender to brilliant blue.  I had in mind some sort of stranded hat.  I am so pleased at the outcome.  I used a pattern from "Hats On" by Charlene Schurch, and I want to make a lot more from that book.

Aqua and Copper Peapod Necklace

I finally got around to applying the patina to this necklace.  I am very fond of it.  When I was crafting it, I found that if the torch got too close to the beads, they would shatter!  I think they were not annealed properly, if at all.  I love the organic shape.

Vintage Cardigan Completed

Here is the cardigan I have been knitting for the last month and it is finally finished.  I bought the buttons at ACMoore and they are okay, although I'm not totally thrilled with them.  The yarn is alpaca, wool, and angora and is just lovely to work with.  Great stitch definition.  I will see how it holds up to wear though as angora does tend to felt somewhat.

I am thrilled with the finish on this cardi.  All the little details are so interesting to me, and I am also happy with the finishing I did on this.

The pattern is from Interweave Knits, Spring 2005, and is the Vintage Pink Cardigan.  The color in this post is more true to life than the previous post.  It is called Peapod and does resemble that color!!

Vintage Sweater

I am using some GORGEOUS yarn to knit myself a sweater.  I purchased the yarn from a fellow Raveler for about half the price of retail, since she was destashing.  It is comprised of alpaca, wool, and angora and is called Fresco,  by Classic Elite Yarns.  I'm using a size #3 needle and am getting about 6 stitches per inch.  The pattern is Vintage Pink Cardigan from Interweave Knits, Spring 2005, and designed by by Norah Gaughan.  It is a lovely pattern with some cable interest on the button band.

Can you see the angora halo in the second picture.  It is stunning.

Pod Necklace with Green Seeds

Here we have a copper pod necklace I just completed.   It is a little rough but will do for a prototype.  It doesn't quite rest flat on its back so I will have to figure that out.  I do like the heavy copper wire armature from which it hangs.  Fabricated from 24 g copper sheet metal and 16 g copper wire with a few beads for some color.

Playing with Copper

These copper pods were a blast to make even though I may have struggled a bit.  I used 24 g copper sheet and 16 g copper wire with a few assorted beads.  Chains need to be added now.

Ruffled Peyote Bead Necklace

I made a series of these circular ruffled peyote beads this summer while cruising on our boat and I put them together today to make this necklace.  I have a few more beads to make another piece, but that's for another day.

This pendant started out as my very first piece of copper fold forming and I just hated it.  I did not have a vision for it at all, and put it aside and promptly made another one.  However, I resurrected it and love how it turned out.  I is so leaf-like now, instead of just crumpled up copper.

Brass Cuffs

I have a Bill Fretz DVD which showed how to fabricate these simple, but lovely, brass cuffs.  They started out life as a 2" diameter brass tube and were cut to about a little more than 1" wide.  After hammering them, I cut the ring apart with a jeweler's saw and then polished them.  I am enthralled with my creations!  The plain cuff was made a few weeks ago, and became very tarnished after polishing, so I tried Renaissance Wax and that seems to be doing the trick so far.  Time will tell.  I have two more rings so I will be playing some more!

Fold Formed Copper Necklace

This is my latest creation from playing at Tada's Artisan Boutique.  We were fold forming copper sheeting and I just loved how this one came out.  The copper reminds me of a petticoat.  I had no idea how I was going to finish it off, but it sort of just came to be once I started putting things together.  The straight pieces of copper in the necklace part were about 3 inch pieces of 12 gauge wire which I balled up on each end and then hammered flat and pierced.  Too bad I broke my two-holed screw punch though.  Sigh.

But I am loving this piece and the addition of the turquoise bead is excellent.

Monika was wondering about the button mold process for polymer clay, from my previous post, so I thought I'd take a moment t explain. I bought the putty from Michael's for around $20 I think. It made all these molds with lots left over. It's as easy as could be and the molds come out very flexible, like rubber. Place the polymer button material into the mold, pop out, and bake. I buffed the finished button with my denim jeans. I have made several batches of polymer clay buttons over the years because I couldn't find the right color for my projects.

This cute baby kimono was made with Trekking XXL sock yarn and should be machine washable. The buttons are handmade polymer clay buttons I just made this morning. I made about three skinny snakes of three different colors and twisted them together over and over and then broke off button size pieces and pressed them into a button mold I had made a while ago and then baked them. I buffed the finished buttons on my jeans to make them a little shiny and reamed out the holes, since they were too small. All in all, it's an adorable little sweater! The pattern is Cheryl Oberle's Little Hanten and is published in the wonderful book called Sock Yarn One-Skein Wonders.

I finally completed this piece with the addition of the double link chain of copper. I recently read about a new tool (be still my heart!) called Koil Kutter which is an attachment for my Dremel tool which cuts rings!! I wind the 18 gauge copper wire around my old size 4 knitting needle to make the coils and then use the Dremel to saw them. The price is right and it works so well!! I tumbled them afterwards to work harden and make them pretty.

This gorgeous cuff is from my latest class at Tada's in Gloucester Point VA. The large stone is a fire agate stone and the smaller rounds are probably agate or jasper. Don't know for sure. The wire is sterling and gold filled square wire with some half round thrown in there too. Cindy, our instructor, is a pure genius about making these types of objects and is so much fun too.

Here is an funky wire necklace I just finished up. I do not know what the nugget stones are and the smaller round beads are most likely some sort of glass, but again, not sure. The wire is 16 and 18 g raw copper wire which was given a patina of liver-of-sulfer. The necklace design is from the cover page of Wirework Fall 2011.

Another Wirewrapped Cabachon

The third in a series, this particular one does not have the twisted wire like the first two. I prefer a simpler, cleaner look.

I purchased some inexpensive chains to go with these so they will be a nice present.

Wire Wrapped Cabachon Pendants

I took another wonderful class at Tada's Artisan Boutique, here in Gloucester Point, VA, where we learned to make these lovely sterling silver wire wrapped pendents. Next week we will be making rings!! These cabachons are wrapped with 21 gauge sterling square and 1/2 round wire.

Baby Shrug

Isn't this garment the most adorable thing you've ever seen? It was a very fast knit, even if I did have to rip it out a couple of times since it appears that I cannot count. I also did not pay close enough attention to the directions for the ruffles either, since my version is much fuller. However, I LOVE IT!!

The yarn is superwash wool, which I normally detest, but this is really nice and it has a great twist. It is Serendipitous Ewe Fate sport weight, purchased at Frivolous Fibers in St. Michaels.

Fold Formed Copper Pendant with Sea Glass

This is from another fabulous metal class with Barb Claytor, here in Gloucester Point, VA, at Tada's Boutique. We just played with manipulating 24 g copper sheet by folding it and twisting it with firing with a torch in between to soften it. I can't believe how gorgeous it turned out and the sea glass is PERFECT for this piece. Thank you Tammy!

Scrunch Beads Revisited

I was recently asked about the pattern source for these glorious coral beads I made last summer. The directions come from a wonderful book, The Art and Elegance of Beadweaving by Carol Wilcox Wells and are designed by JoAnn Baumann and Tina Bloomenthal. The book is definitely worth the money. I am inspired to make more now.

Antique Jade Bead Treasure Woven Necklace

My friend Heather presented this gorgeous bee made of jade as a reward for teaching her some wire techniques! I am hoping that she will be totally hooked on jewelry by now!

I found some matching jade beads and had the perfect C-lon thread to match. All the time I was making this, I kept thinking of tootsie rolls!! I am extremely pleased with my creation.

May Mystery Knitalong Shawl

This is made from fine wool and silk Helen's Laces. I used the entire skein of 1200 yds and had to cut it short. It is very large and light and sheer. It was a mystery with clues published every week for 5 weeks and was quite easy to do. It was just a lot of knitting.