Button, Button, Who's Got The Button??

Well, with my new fibre addiction I decided to start making glass lampwork buttons again.  I've made them over the years, but I have so many beautiful colours of roving and yarn now I just had to see what I could come up with to coordinate with them.

So I started making buttons to match...

 Brown, Copper, and Beige Handmade Lampwork Glass Button

 Spring Garden Handmade Lampwork Glass Button

Brilliant Blue Lagoon Handmade Lampwork Glass Button

I can see this being a great addition to a sweater or a neckwarmer...more to come!

Discovering the Joy of Fibre

I've done a bit of needlefelting over the past couple of years, mostly round beads to incorporate into jewellery, and so I've accumulated a stash of small balls of brightly coloured roving (combed sheep's wool).

Just before Christmas I purchased a drop spindle to try spinning some of this roving into yarn.  My family and I went on a fabulous trip to Peru over the holidays and the Andean women are expert spinners and weavers.  I was hooked! I bought a whole lot of alpaca fleece to comb and spin into yarn.

 This is one of the Peruvian women in our hotel, with her lamb...that's milk in the Coke bottle.

 This is a display of some of the plants and insects that the natural dyes are made from.

I also purchased some natural Corriedale roving from an Etsy friend, Uli of KnittersNook, and spun my first roving into a chunky yarn single.  Using the Andean method I plied it back onto the spindle..woohoo!!

Well, excited as I was, this little bit only measured 16 yards...not enough for knitting anything yet. So....spin, spin, spin.
I bought some acid dyes from Dharma Trading Company and dyed my natural yarn to a rich brick red.

Finally, I knit a simple hat using a free pattern from Ravelry, crocheted a scalloped edge around the brim, made a chainstitch flower and a matching handmade lampwork glass button, and voila! ....my first, handspun, handyed project was complete.

Love is in the Air....Valentine's Day

I have to admit that I always forget about Valentine's Day until the last minute.  It's not that I don't want to do something special for my wonderful husband, but we do loving little things all year long for each other. 

For example, I'm really not "gaga" over chocolate or roses, I'm much more of a practical gal.  I make my own jewellery so he doesn't buy it for me.  A new, cool tool, or a wedge of really nice cheese is more up my alley.

I like to make red jewellery but I don't really want it to scream "Valentine's Day", I want it to be worn year 'round.

Here are some pieces I currently have made up...see what you think.

 Genuine Garnet & Antiqued Silver Chandelier Earrings

 Red & Black Handmade Lampwork Glass Beaded Bracelet

 Deep Red Lampwork & Swarovski Crystal Hummingbird Earrings

Candy Apple Red Enameled & Silver Beaded Necklace

I'm a Little Batty I Think

I don't do a lot of sculptural lampwork but when a customer asked me to make some "ghoulish" beads for a Goth friend of hers I thought I'd give it a try.

Here's a set which is destined to be a necklace, maybe with a pair of earrings.

The bat is designed to hang upside down (like bats do) from her red toes...and the black spacers have raised red dots that are "blood droplets".

Now, I know it's February, the time of Valentine's Day...not even close to Hallowe'en, but I hope she'll enjoy her "spooky" necklace all the year 'round!

Big Hole Beads...The Trend Continues

The fashion trend using glass beads with large holes continues....wear them on European-style bracelets and necklaces, put them on a thick leather cord, string them one at a time or in groups on an existing chain you own, mix and match and change things up to suit your mood or your outfit today!

The holes on these big hole beads measure 4.2mm in diameter so they are very versatile and even slide over a small clasp or jumpring to make changing them easy. 

Here's a selection of big hole beads that I made recently, shown on a Pandora-sized bracelet.

 Look Deeply Ocean Blue Handmade Glass Bead

 Pink & White Swirled Handmade Glass Bead

Sea Blue Swirls Handmade Glass Bead

These big hole beads are great for designing jewelry with, or as an accent on an existing bracelet or chain.  They make wonderful gifts.

Trend Alert: Chan Luu Style Wraparound Bracelets

I'm seeing these double-wrap bracelets everywhere and decided to make some up and see how they look on the wrist.

Well, I LOVE them!  Of course I've now purchased 15 different colours of cording to coordinate with the beads I'm using, and I'm making lampwork bead toggle closures for them.  So much fun to make!  The beads need to have large enough holes to accommodate at least two passes of the C-Lon cord, plus the needle eye...so gemstones don't work as the drilled holes are too small.

Here are some that I've done recently...

 Natural Wood & Leather Chan Luu Inspired Wrap Bracelet with Lampwork Bead Closure

Caramel & Copper Chan Luu Inspired Wrap Bracelet with Floral Lampwork Bead Closure

The added bonus is that they work out to be about 15 1/2" in length for two wraps of the wrist...so they can be worn as a choker-style necklace too!!  I love this look.

Kumihimo...The Japanese Art of Braiding

I've always been fascinated by braiding and plaiting.  Recently I discovered kumihimo...the Japanese art of braiding.  Long ago, samurai warriors would use this technique with silk cord to braid armour to protect themselves in battle.

The addition of beads to the braid is challenging but the end result is lovely.  I've been using up my seedbead stash with some kumihimo bracelets and coordinating them with some of my handmade lampwork beads.

Here are a couple of examples:

 Amber Lampwork Kumihimo Bracelet

Turquoise & Orange Kumihimo Bracelet

 

I'm looking forward to making more of these...the braiding is quite a meditative activity and nice to do after a long day at work.  I have a Celadon Green and black double-wrap bracelet I'm working on right now...it's coming along nicely.

 

If you have any questions about kumihimo or have a request for a custom order, please contact me.