Warring States Necklaces

I adore these necklaces and wear them with wild abandon. Frank calls them 'Halloween' necklaces but I don't care.

Warring States Beads

Wow, these beads took me most of the day but they sure were fun to make. They are rather crude but I am liking them a lot. I made a few smaller plain beads from the leftovers.

I used Sculpy Liquid clay to attach the first layer of the horns, since I had prebaked the base beads. I have no idea if it will hold together well or not, but I guess I will figure that out.

Warring States beads are originally from China and have quite a history. If you're interested you can google them. Many lampwork bead artists make them now, and I have always loved them and only recently learned about their history.

These are destined for a necklace.

More Wire Mania

Even though my photography has been improving, I can't seem to get the right light conditions for these objects. I am averse to using lights but I tried a lot of other things, including my light box, but I'm still not happy with the shots. But since I'd rather play with beads and wire than experiment with my camera setup, here it is. (NOTE: I just uploaded a couple more pictures which are better.)

The polymer clay beads I used for this necklace and earring set are quite psychedelic, because of the red to purple skinner blend I used for part of the cane. They are very interesting to me.

I used 20 gauge copper wire and my jig to make the links. I don't have much experience with using the jig but it was a lot of fun and quick, in addition. I realize that the copper will tarnish quite quickly and that's okay with me, as I don't think the copper is really the right color wire. I would have preferred gold, but didn't have any.

Chicago Lopi Sweater

Here are the pictures of the finished Lopi sweater I knit for my son, who is trying to stay warm in cold Chicago. I know that the package I sent to him was delivered so it's safe to post the pictures on my blog. I can't believe how fast this progressed because of the large gauge. I used size 10 needles. I figure it was about the same as knitting a pair of socks on teeny tiny needles! Seriously!! It consumed almost 11 balls of Lopi and it looks really nice. The yarn is very hairy but it is Lopi, after all. I purchased the yarn from Webs and they provide excellent prices and service.

Since my son is 6'4", but thin, I knit the large size but added the rows for the XL size. Frank tried it on, and it fits him fine, except for the length, so it should fit my son. I always like to get a sanity check by having someone try it on for size, and to confirm that it actually fits over a head!!

Red/Violet Wire Bracelet

I actually do not belong to any Red Hat group but I certainly do like the colors. The beads were made quite a while ago, but after purchasing the purple 20-gauge wire, I got inspired enough to make this funky, fun bracelet. I was following Connie Fox's video from her website to make all the wrapped loops and it was great. However, since I am sort of self-taught, I had to modify some of my habits and this bracelet has dings on the wire from my 'death-grip', especially the hook. I'm sure that in the future I will get better about this, but I'm not sweating it now. It's great to wear.

Preview

Here is a peak at one of my current projects. It is intended for a gift so I'm publishing only a small picture.

Wire Mania

Okay, I'm obsessed. I admit it. But it's so much fun to make things out of wire and beads! I made a bunch of rings like the reddish flower ring, but I don't really like wearing them. They were, however, fun to make.

The silver and turquoise bracelet is made with 20 gauge silver wire and 6 mm turquoise beads. They are composed of simple wrapped loops and split rings with a hammered S-link clasp. It is very delicate and lovely. Too bad I didn't use sterling, but maybe next time.

The copper and rose charm bracelet is from a tutorial by Connie Fox, one of my heroes of wire working. I've never met her but her designs really appeal to me. I've done a couple of her other designs too. The main links are 14-gauge copper S-links, hammered slightly, and linked to together with 18-gauge copper split rings. The beads are sitting on 18-gauge spiral head pins and then connected with jump rings. My skills are improving, finally.

Matching Wristwarmers

These wristwarmers match my beret! I made them on #0 dpns, and cast on 64 stitches around, just like socks! The yarn is a luscious color called Scottish Lichen from Interlacements, and it is a merino/silk blend which I spun up a few years ago. My spinning leaves a lot to be desired and is quite inconsistent. I got about 18-22 wraps per inch depending on where I measured. Sigh.

I made these to wear inside when it gets cold. The pictures above show the front and the back of the mitts.

I have another skein of this yarn, and it is spun even finer. I'm thinking that I may knit some socks. The silk makes it quite strong.