The summer of bead crochet ropes

I've declared this the summer of bead crochet ropes.  Or rather the summer I learned how to do bead crochet ropes!  I've loved bead crochet ropes for a long time, but I never learned how to make them.  I've seen beautiful necklaces and bracelets created by bead artists and I really wanted to make my own.  I'd always heard that it was difficult to master and it took patience.  Patience isn't my strong suit, but I could do a lot of other things with needles and hooks, why not this?  And, I could do flat bead crochet.  That didn't interest me.  It had to be the ropes. 

I never set aside time to learn until this winter.  With 70 inches of snow on the ground what  else was there to do?!?  Well, I got out the books and some size 6 beads and crochet cotton.  I was starting in kindergarten with the fat crayons and pencils.  But, no matter how many times I started and ripped out I never seemed to be able to get the beads to look the way they were supposed to.  I would walk away and then go back to it a few days later.  But, nothing seemed to work.  I tried using a knitting needle as a support for the first few rounds, because as with most things, the first few rounds are the most challenging.  Didn't help!  Well, the snow melted and the weather improved and the garden beckoned.  Bead crochet ropes were put aside for the time being.  If winter brought us snow, summer has brought us heat!  Like 104 degrees for two or three days at a time! More time inside and less time in the garden.  Time to revisit bead crochet ropes.  And, I decided to make a real commitment to learning it.  So, one day I sat down with all my books, beads and a hook.  I followed the suggestion to use at least three colors of beads, and I had my trusty knitting needle with me should I need the support.  I was ready.  And, once again I had problems.  I walked away for a couple of hours, but this time I went back to it  that afternoon rather then days later.  I  began by rereading all the directions from the beginning.  And, finally I realized my biggest problem.  I didn't position the working thread in the correct place.  It needs to come over the bead that your working into!  I started again, and wonder of wonders, it worked!!  I decided to work on it everyday until I felt comfortable with it and could graduate from kindergarten to first grade.  After a few days, I realized I needed to work on a bracelet because I could only crochet and rip out and crochet again the same  short piece for so long before I would go stark raving mad!  So, I gathered  three colors of beads I love and started a bracelet.  This is the result.

I was very, very pleased!  It took a while to complete but the finished product was wearable and looked like it was supposed to look!  I decided to start another one so I wouldn't lose the momentum, or forget what I was doing.  This time I decided to be brave and I used size 8 beads with a size 6 thrown in for comfort!  And, this is the result of that effort.

Once again I was pleased with the bracelet.  And the best part is that as I worked on it I could feel myself becoming more relaxed and comfortable with the technique.  It didn't take as long and I did less ripping back! 

After these efforts I think I can safely say that I know how to make bead crochet ropes.  I'm certainly not a whiz at it, but I'm going to continue my travels through elementary school, and as the summer progresses I hope to graduate from 8th grade with a project done with size 11's and top stitching thread.  You know, like the big kids!

Hope you have a wonderful day.  Thanks for stopping by.

More from the garden

One of the reasons I love summer is the garden and sharing it with friends.  So, here are just two of the daylilies that are blooming right now.  Hope you enjoy seeing them as much as I do!

When I'm not working in the garden,  I'm beading.  I've come to realize that beading is mostly what I do now.  If I use fiber or fabric at all, beads are involved with it.  So, what I'm working on when it's too hot to be outside is this...

It's another free form necklace.   I'll tell you more about it when it's completed.  But, I love working with these colors.  They're so summery and fun.  I keep thinking of melons! 

Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you have a wonderful summer day and that you take time to enjoy it.

Something different

I've been playing around with something that's new to me, kumihimo.   I had been interested in kumihimo for many years.  When the braiding technique first became popular in the U.S. the woman who owned a yarn shop in the area began offering classes.  She also sold the equipment to create the braids.  I always thought I would take a class, but the cost of the equipment was steep and I kept putting it off.  Eventually, she sold her shop and the new owner didn't get involved with kumihimo.  Fast forward several years and a very inexpensive foam disk for creating kumihimo braids appeared on the market.  I had seen it at the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival for two or three years but I never bought one.  Finally, last year I broke down and bought starter kit which included the disk, bobbins, and enough ribbon to make one braid, along with detailed instructions.  The vendor who sold the kits,  Oak Grove Studio, also had kits for kumihimo necklaces and bracelets made with ribbon and beads.  Well, I had to have one!  I mean they had beads included!   I made the basic braid with the ribbon and liked the process.  The disk made it very easy to figure out and it was very portable.  But, I didn't work on the necklace kit until last month.  What really spurred me on was that I bought another necklace kit at Sheep and Wool this year!  I wasn't going to let a little detail like not working on the first one stop me!  But, I thought I really should try making one of the kits.  I began with the kit I bought this year.  It used hand dyed silk thread that was comparable to # 5 perle cotton, and the new long magatama beads.   This is the result.

The kit directions had you braid about 6 inches plain and then begin adding the beads.  There was enough in the kit for a necklace and bracelet.  Well, I was hooked.  Once the beads are strung on the thread the whole thing is so portable.  I could braid out on the patio, out on our back porch, anywhere!  And, I thought it looked great. 

I loved the way the smooth braid erupted into a cluster of beads.  The bracelet has very little plain braid, just enough to allow the end caps to go on easily.

Well, I immediately decided I had to make the kit from last year.  This kit had two types of beads and a beautiful nylon knitting ribbon.  I decided I loved the ribbon color and the purple beads, but I didn't like the other beads that were included in the kit.    The pattern for this necklace was  plain braid with clusters of beads every two inches.  I didn't have enough purple beads to use them alone, so I decided to make it the same way I did the first one.  The beads in this kit were size 6 round seed beads, and the purple ones were silver lined, frosted beads, which I think are so beautiful.  I once saw this finish referred to as "ghost" beads.  

 I really love the finished necklace.

Well, of course I was hooked big time now!  I happened across directions on the Interweave Beading Daily newsletter for a bracelet done with wire and beads.   I was intrigued.  How would it be to braid with wire instead of yarn or thread? Had to try it!  I really loved using the wire.  I used 26 gauge Artistic wire in turquoise with size 6 seed beads.  I thought the wire would be too stiff, or would damage the disk, but it worked like a dream.  This is the wire/bead bracelet.

Kumihimo is now  a permanent part of my jewelry making repertoire.  I can see a lot of uses for it in mixed media pieces and on its own.  It's a lot of fun to do, it doesn't take a lot of time to create a necklace or a bracelet and it's so portable once the beads are strung.  Great fun!

Thanks for visiting today.  Hope your day is a good one.

The Transformation Completed

As I posted a few days ago, I decided to remake this necklace.  I had never been happy with it even though I always got compliments when I wore it. 

One of the things I liked least about the necklace was the string of beads that the triangles were suspended from, so I started with that.  The original necklace was cream colored size 11 Delicas, size 8 hex beads, and 4mm cubes strung in a pattern.  I liked the cream color with the summery colors of the triangles.  So, I decided to stitch a spiral rope, one of my favorite stitches, out of the same Delicas and the same  hex beads.  I eliminated the cubes.  I think it makes a more substantial looking necklace.  Then I auditioned several ways of attaching the triangles.  This is the result.

I decided to make chains of triangles.  I used the hex beads to attach the triangles together and then used a hex bead to attach the string to the spiral rope. 

Here you can see the rope and the attachment of the triangles.  I had spent several weeks last year making the triangles after seeing an article in Beadwork magazine's December 2008/January 2009 issue about Phyllis Dintenfass and her geometric beadwork.  The project offered to go along with the article featured these triangles.  I love geometric beadwork so I pulled out some beads and started making triangles.  One triangle led to another triangle!  Each one is a different color on each side.  So, this necklace is actually reversible, which is very cool,  I think! 

I'm happy with the reworked necklace.  I think I'll enjoy wearing it more than I did before.  In fact, I think I'll wear it today, just for fun!

Thanks for visiting today.  I hope you have a wonderful and creative day.

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Playing with the blog!

I've been playing with the appearance of my blog.  I'm not the most tech savvy person, actually that's an understatement!  I'm not really tech savvy at all.  But, blogger presented these new backgrounds and I liked this one.  It's orange, after all, and it has flourishes, which I love!  And, I think it looks appropriate for a Gypsy's blog!  So, we'll see.  I'll live with it for a few days and see if I really like it.  Feed back is welcome!

Transformation

I'm in the process of taking this necklace and remaking it.  I love the peyote stitched triangles, but I've never been happy with the necklace.  I put it together quickly in order to wear it to an event, but I was never happy with it.  So, it's being transformed!  Stay tuned...

Where have I been?

I've not been around the blog or the studio much the last few weeks.  Part of the reason is petty things that life throws at you.  But, most of the reason is this...

the roses...

and these...

the fushias and mopheads...

the lollipop lilies...

and the clematis...

And so much more.   It's garden time for me, and this year Mother Nature has blessed us with an abundance of beauty.  Certainly, she's making up for 70 inches of snow! 

But, I've not abandon the studio entirely.  I'm playing with kumihimo, with beads (of course).  The results should be ready for showtime soon!  But, in the meantime, it's back to the garden!

Make sure you take time to stop and smell the roses!  Thanks for visiting.