Celestial Beads

Well... it's the first day of winter here...

And it's living up to expectations - dreary, cold and wet!

Please don't think that I'm complaining though...

It makes for the perfect crafting day - indoors where it's warm and dry - and no guilty feelings about how you should be outside making the most of the sunshine...

Most of us here have spent the last week or two suffering effects of the flu - so I lost my little model for the Alien Encounter hat, and for this one too. Poor little blossom was down for the count, and spent the best part of a week in bed.

This beanie was created for the Celestial category at the Alice Springs Beanie Festival.

And if you're thinking that the copper wire and beads looks a little familiar... it's from a project I made a few years ago - you can read the original blog post about it here.

I added a bunch more beads to fill out the centre section of the sun... since it just needed some more bling to give it a lift.

And once again, it was fabulous to recycle an old piece and put it to good use!

Beads by Nature

Have you been reading my blog for a while???

Like for a couple of years?

Look closely at the band of this hat - and see if it looks at all familiar to you...

No???

Take a look at this old blog post, then look at the hat again...

Now you see it, don't you?

(You might also notice that the model has grown since then, too)

I made the headband about two years ago - and other than the modeling for those original photographs - it's never been worn!

So I figured I might as well "reduce, re-use, recycle" and use it as the starting point for my most recent hat...

And there you have it -  Hat #7 for the Alice Springs Beanie Festival is complete!

Only 5 more hats to make...

Featured on Madeit.

Madeit is a handmade online market. Similar to Etsy, but it's Australian based. And you can only sell handmade products. No craft supplies, patterns, kits, or vintage items.

It's always a bit of a buzz to be featured on the Madeit front page... It means that out of all the listings on madeit - they wanted to showcase mine!

Today's feature is all about beads - and my Recycled Bead Earrings were chosen to be a part of it.

I love these ones. Dangly earrings are my all-time favourites! The chains allow for that perfect amount of swing, but the weight of these beads means they don't fly around and drive you mad.

And I REALLY love that they're not identical. Each bead has character - so of course none are exactly the same. If you look closely then you'll see that the earrings are slightly different from each other.

And where did they come from?

An old necklace of course.

Even the chain was part of the original necklace. Only the hooks are new.

So if you're looking to buy handmade gifts this Christmas - go and take a peek at what's on offer at Madeit. Click here  to go to the front page, and from there you can search for specific types of items.

Or you could always head straight here to my store. How cheeky is that?

Hey. I'm allowed to be cheeky - it's my blog!

(And I'll let you in on a secret. Very, very soon - you will be seeing some familiar creatures appearing in my store)

New Items In Store...

Just wanted to share some new items I have added to my store...

There's a few of pairs of earrings... 

The beads are recycled from old jewellery, but the wire and  hooks are new materials:

And a couple of crochet flannel bath mats, made from cot sheets and pajamas:

 

Come and take a peek inside:

       

          

Finished Cabochon

So I finished the cabochon I was working on... featuring the photo of Mum. 

The beads were probably a bit too heavy for the project - but they're exactly the look that I was after...

Because of their weight, they do tend to fall to the back of the piece. I had thought about mounting it onto a fabric covered block of wood for support, but when I tested it out, I didn't like the 'rectangleness' of it. I much prefer the softness of the beaded crochet edging...

So I've decided to leave well enough alone.

Since the plan is to hang the piece, I hope that whatever is behind it will provide the support.

If not, then I can always add an extra backing to it at a later date.

Here's how it looks from behind. You can see that I've just added a metal ring to the back, so that it can be hung (as you would a picture frame)

At first I had it pinned to the family notice board, but that didn't seem to be quite the right spot...

And for now the piece is attached to a basket at the top of my bookcase. It's the basket where I keep all of the yarn which has been reclaimed from Mum's jumpers - to keep it separate from the rest of my stash, so I can use it for SPECIAL projects, like the Nan bear.

Not convinced that this is where she will stay - but it is home for now!

there's something very wrong with me...

There's something very wrong with me... and I'm not sure that it can be fixed.

Today I walked into an Op Shop...

You know... a Second-Hand Store, a Thrift Store, a Charity Store... whatever you like to call it...

Anyway,

It's a while since I've really been Op Shopping... and when I walked in today, I cause myself pausing in the doorway.... taking a BIG DEEP BREATHE in through my nose...

I wanted to savour the aroma... it seeemed so familiar, and comforting, and friendly

I was thinking to myself, ahhh I love that smell...

And then I suddenly realised that the SMELL which felt so wonderfully comforting to me, was a blend of mothballs and musty old upholstery.

Oops...

I don't think that our Op Shops here smell as bad as some that I hear about... but really... one isn't supposed to ENJOY the smell of them!



So I shopped and shopped and shopped...

And then I shopped a little more.

Four Op Shops later, I was loaded up with goodies... and wondering where I was going to store all my new-found treasure!

I won't overload you with all my finds in this post, but I did come across this beautiful bracelet.

The elastic is starting to deteriorate in it, it's yellowed and becoming brittle... so I was thinking that I would re-string it...

But then when I took it apart, I decided that it would be much more fun to make earrings with the pieces.

So I'm off to play with my jewellery making tools...

I'll show you some more photos when I am done.

Oh... and looking at that last photo, I need to moisturise my hands, too!!!

beaded wire knitted bracelet

How about I show you just how easy it is to make one of these knitted bracelets?

Unfortunately I seem to have chosen a shocking background for the progress shots here. I wasn't really thinking about colour, and I just placed my work on the nearest surface for the pictures.

As always, if you would like to see the photos in greater detail... click on them... and you will be able to enlarge them using flickr



Firstly you will need an old pair of needles. Once they have been used to knit wire with, they will never be quite the same again. I am using a 2.75mm pair, but the exact size is not critical. I could probably have gone a little larger. But these ones were already old and bent, so it was an easy choice. Use what you have!



This is the copper wire I reclaimed from the electrical cable (click here for the blog post detailing how I did this) It is a bit thicker than the crafting wire I used in the earlier projects. If you are looking to buy wire, I recommend a 28 gauge... it is pliable enough to work with, yet strong enough to resist breaking too easily. My original knitted bracelet was worked with 28 gauge wire and 2.75mm needles

Your wire will be easier to work with if it is warm, so you might like to place it in a sunny window before you start working. It really does make a difference!



Gather a variety of recycled beads and buttons... or whatever you plan to embellish with



Before starting to knit, you will need to thread these items on to your wire. Always thread on more than you think you will need. If you are using recycled wire you will need beads with large enough holes to easily pass over the kinks in your wire.



Cast on a few stitches... the width you would like the bracelet to be.



Make sure you keep your stitches LOOSE, as the wire has no 'give'

Knit one row. This bracelet is worked entirely in garter stitch. Just plain old knitting

Try to ignore the fact that it looks ridiculous!

It looks nothing like regular knitting - but that's okay

Do not panic if you think it 'looks wrong'... start chanting to yourself "embrace the squiggle... embrace the squiggle... embrace the squiggle"

Just keep going... it WILL be fine!



When you are ready to start adding beads, knit the first stitch. Put your needle into the second stitch as if to knit it, then slide a bead all the way up to the needles.



Now you can wrap the wire around the needle and continue making the next stitch. Add as many beads as you like.



You'll notice that all the beads are settling to the BACK of your work.



Then when you turn for the next row... you will see them clearly.

ALWAYS ALTERNATE YOUR ROWS... a bead row is always followed by a NON-BEAD row

REMEMBER if the beads are facing you, you are working a NON-BEAD row



See the way the top two rows of beads are bunched up together in the above photo?



I like to give my work a stretch every couple of rows, to open it up a bit



Work until you are happy with the length.


I have joined this one by 'sewing' the two ends together using the tails of wire. Obviously I have not actually used a needle, just poked the wire end though.

beaded wire crochet bracelet

Want to see just how easy it is to make one of these crochet bracelets?

As always, if you would like to see the photos in greater detail... click on them... and you will be able to enlarge them using flickr



Firstly you will need an old hook. Once it has been used to crochet wire with, it will never be quite the same again. I am using a 3.0mm hook, but the exact size is not critical.



This is the copper wire I reclaimed from the electrical cable (click here for the blog post detailing how I did this) It is a bit thicker than the crafting wire I used in the earlier projects. If you are looking to buy wire, I recommend a 28 gauge... it is pliable enough to work with, yet strong enough to resist breaking too easily. My original bracelet was crocheted using 28 gauge wire and a 2.0mm hook



Gather a variety of recycled beads and buttons... or whatever you plan to embellish with



Before starting to crochet, you will need to thread these items on to your wire. Always thread on more than you think you will need. If you are using recycled wire you will need beads with large enough holes to easily pass over the kinks in your wire.



Work a few chain stitches... the width you would like the bracelet to be.



Make sure you keep your stitches LOOSE, as the wire has no 'give'

Work a single crochet into the second chain from the hook, then into every chain until the end. Try to ignore the fact that it looks ridiculous! It looks nothing like regular crochet - but that's okay... start working back and forth in sc, working a turning chain at the end of each row.

Do not panic if you think it 'looks wrong'... start chanting to yourself "embrace the squiggle... embrace the squiggle... embrace the squiggle"

Just keep going... it WILL be fine!

It can be really difficult to determine where EXACTLY your stitches are... don't worry about it... just poke that hook in wherever you can fit it, and try and keep your stitch count consistent. Seriously - it doesn't matter!



When you are ready to start adding beads, work a sc then slide a bead all the way up to your hook before working the next sc. Do this as many times as you like in the row.



You'll notice that all the beads are settling to the BACK of your work.



Then when you turn for the next row... you will see them clearly.

ALWAYS ALTERNATE YOUR ROWS... a bead row is always followed by a plain sc row

REMEMBER if the beads are facing you, you are working a NON-BEAD row



Work until you are happy with the length.



I have joined this one by 'sewing' the two ends together using the tails of wire. Obviously I am not actually using a needle, just poking the wire end though



To finish off I have threaded the wire through one of the beads on the bracelet, and then trimmed the wire



Next time I will share instructions for the knitted version!