Random Thoughts

Pod Cast Bead Work --Kate McKinnon's Fabulous New Experiment

I have been following Kate McKinnon's work on

and have made this little pod cast bead. You can use this bead to start as many bracelets as you like and be sure of the fit.

Use a temporary thread to add the first row. Then continue building with a new thread

Unzip the bracelet from the pod cast bead after at least 6 rows

Here you can see the bead and the bracelet separated

Continue on and finish the way you want

Finished and ready to wear

And now on to the next one...

Just what have I been doing?

Yes, I am still making things. Here are a few I have made recently:

I took a course in metalsmithing. I learned to saw, anneal, solder, and file, file, file metal. The pendant is silver soldered onto copper that I heat treated to colourize. There are two band rings, one silver and the other copper. Also a Russian wedding ring in copper with three interlocking rings. And a silver spinner ring. I have to say that I don't like sawing at all and broke many blades to complete these, but I did enjoy everything else.

Then I decided to do a little bead embroidery. This cuff fastens with 2 magnetic clasps.

After that I did some bead crochet. This necklace uses 2 different sizes of beads randomly strung. The clasp is 2 dragon heads.

International Freeform Fiberarts Guild Annual Challenge

Each year an international group of fiber artists choose a theme for their challenge. This year's theme is "Pattern in Nature." They then work secretly on their submissions without any contact with each other. The resulting entries are then presented in an online gallery:

2017 Challenge

This one is mine:

As the seasons change so do the leaves as they go from the lightly coloured green of new leaves to the brilliant colours of autumn which gradually disintegrate into leaf skeletons.

I am somewhat obsessed with the gradual decline that nature brings. Abandoned buildings, fallen trees, objects lost or discarded, and leaf skeletons all provide captivating opportunities for inspiration.

The influence of nature is undeniable and one of its most compelling patterns is the ever repeating cycle of the seasons.

For this piece, each leaf is a separate little scrumble and no two are alike. Since leaves change and slowly disintegrate over time, I had to consider how best to achieve this. After a little experimentation I developed a technique that I call 'deconstructed crochet'. The techniques I used in this challenge are crochet, Irish crochet, deconstructed crochet, deconstructed Irish crochet, and deconstructed Tunisian crochet.

THE BYRDS LYRICS

"Turn! Turn! Turn!"

To everything - turn, turn, turn

There is a season - turn, turn, turn

And a time to every purpose under heaven

Here be dragons

Now I am in a dragon phase. There will be more to follow but for now, here is my tatted dragon:

A little bit of this and a little bit of that

I have neglected my blog for a long time, but have continued to make things. Here are some things I have made since the last time I blogged:

A little micro macrame. from Angel Wings pattern in MacrameSchool's Youtube channel

A little bead embroidery. from techniques learned in Myra Wood's Craftsy class

A little tatting. from patterns in Marilee Rockley's Craftsy class

A little beading. inspired by Kate McKinnon's 'Geometric Beadwork'

And some more beading. from a pattern in Diane Fitzgerald's 'Shaped Beadwork and Beyond'

Continuing the Adventure: Creative Crochet Lace

My Almost Random Lace Scarf pattern has become very popular since the Crochetville Blog Tour much to my surprise and delight. In the pattern, I have some suggestions for continuing to explore the possibilities of creating random lace.

But, I would be remiss if I did not also mention a book by a fellow Raveler, Myra Wood, which takes the technique on to great heights. Creative Crochet Lace explores filet crochet, doodle lace, Irish crochet, and lace scrumbling from a new and fresh perspective. The book will take you through the process of creating lace in each of these techniques. There is also a fabulous gallery of artists' works at the end which is sure to inspire you!

My purpose in this is the same as it was for my creating the Almost Random Lace Scarf pattern, to encourage you to pursue this most relaxing and rewarding method of creating lace.

CGOA

As part of the National Crochet Month Celebrations I have rejoined CGOA - The Crochet Guild of America. Here is the Badge designed by Gwen Blakley Kinsler (a.k.a. Crochet Queen) for the Guild which she founded in 1993:

The Crochet Queen has always been supportive of crocheters as a group and of me as well. Check out her Blog here: Crochet Queen: Royal Ramblings

I was a featured blogger on her site a while back. The Queen was a very helpful and gentle editor and allowed the use of many great images from her book, The Fine Art of Crochet: Innovative Works From 20 Contemporary Artists You can see the article here: Alternative Materials: A Practical Guide

So thank you, Queenie, and thank you crochet for giving me a chance to explore my creativity and find a little peace along the way.