Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Checking In

Well, I'm back to posting. I'm not sure what happened there a few weeks ago, but I feel better. I wish I could have gone somewhere, preferably warm, for at least part of the time. I think I worked on a little bit of everything these past two weeks. I don't have photos ready for most things yet, so this will be a short post. Despite my claims otherwise, I did work on chainmaille once I got my order of rings. I made three new bracelets and a fourth that is the same as one I already have listed but made out of titanium. I also made a couple pairs of earrings to match the bracelets. I also got some coloured scales and started making coloured scalemaille flowers.


I still have three more colours of scales to make flowers with. If you are wondering the remaining colours are green, goldy-silver, and bronze/black (these are bronze on the inside and black on the back). I want to get these listed and I'll have to add the remaining flowers later. I'll show you what other chainmaille items I've made once I have photos ready

I've also been working on tatting as well. But not on my tie. I decided I should stop working on it until I got another ball of thread. I contacted DS9Designs to see if they still had any balls of thread in the same lot as the one I purchased. Lucky for me, they had three left. So I placed a small order early last week. Naturally, I also ordered a few other balls of Lizbeth. I think they are all new colours. Hopefully they will arrive sometime this week. Unlike Handy Hands, DS9Designs, and Be-stitched for that matter, are more than happy to send my order using cheaper options. I find that the Priority mail that Handy Hands insists on using arrives in about the same time as the slower methods, so its not worth (for me anyway) to have to pay for faster methods. Anyway, instead of my tie, I have been working on my Windmills doily. You can see where it was back in October here. Then I had six motifs completed on the third round. I now have twelve motifs completed and am working on the thirteenth. With any luck I should have it joined to the doily this evening. I am hoping I can finish this round soon. I do enjoy tatting Mary Konior's Windmills motif, but I fear I will soon tire of tatting it soon. I still plan on making the doily oval shaped, but it is getting large. Measured across the diagonal, which is 7 motifs wide, the doily measures 15 inches (38.1 cm) across.

I also did some crocheting, but nothing spectacular. Two pairs of slippers are all I've managed. I'll post more about them next time. I'll leave you with a photo of one of my orchids that started blooming a few days ago:


I'm not sure if I've shown this flower before but here it is. It's a Phalaenopsis NOID (No IDentification).

That's it for now. We'll see how the week goes; I'll try and post again later this week. Till next time.

9 comments:

  1. Hi Jeff,

    Hope you are feeling better, I love the earrings, bright colours they look gorgeous. I am a orchid lover and your flower is beautiful. they are not easy to keep and its looks like the plant likes you.
    Margaret

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  2. Wow! I love the ScaleMaille flowers. Are they just earrings, or do you have anyway of making brooches of them? They look like just the thing for that.

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  3. Glad to see you back online... hope things are OK now...

    The scalemaille flowers are so pretty!! you're quite talented.

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  4. Wow, thanks for a post that is jam-packed full of artsy-goodness. The scalemaille is dreamy! And that gorgeous orchid --oh, be still my heart!

    Glad to be reading your blog post again. Stay warm and well!

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  5. Thanks everyone. I do feel better, though I don't know what was really wrong. Probably the weather.

    Marty, actually, the scalemaille flowers aren't earrings. I think they may be too big for that-but I'm a guy, what do I know?. They should be easily made into brooches, however. I do have a bunch of brooch backs, and I think they could easily be wired or perhaps glued to the backs.

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  6. Your mood could be due to Saskatoon weather patterns! I know I am having a ROUGH time of February here in Toronto!

    Ah, spring is somewhere around that proverbial corner! Hang it and tat, my Canadian tatting friend!
    Fox : )

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  7. Hooray! I think my sister would love to have one. I'll be checking Redeye!

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  8. Question: where do you get your rings for the chainmaille? I've done some chainmaille jewelry in the past but always with cheap rings. I have a nice book of patterns and a new set of pliars that I'm itching to use on some good material. :-) (well, that is as soon as I get my stuff back - all my craft supplies except my tatting stuff is on the other side of the country because I recently moved).

    But I'm glad to hear you're feeling better. (I've landed on your blog a few other times but this is the first time I've commented.) You do beautiful work!

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  9. Hi Journey,

    Most of my rings are from The Ring Lord (theringlord.com). I have also purchased rings from Metal Designz (www.metaldesignz.com) and was quite happy with them too. I am lucky as both companies are based out of the same city as me. The Ring Lord probably has the cheapest price for most, if not all rings, but it will cost you in shipping - you are buying metal after all. If you're in the US, Blue Buddha Boutique (www.bluebuddhaboutique.com) may be your best best. I haven't purchased rings from them. If you have any other questions, I'd be happy to help.

    Thanks for commenting.

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