That is all.
Showing posts with label Chainmaille. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chainmaille. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Etsy Shop Announcement
Just a quick shop related post. I'll post about tatting later this week. I decided to have a sale in my Etsy Shop (located here). Everything will be 25% off started tonight at midnight (CST). I'd like to get rid of some of the items that aren't moving, um, Sterling Silver. But as I said everything will be on sale. If you're not interested, feel free to pass it on to others who might me. No coupon codes are necessary to receive the discount. The sale should run for a week. Assuming I configured the sale manager properly.
That is all.
That is all.
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Tatted Edging and Square Wire Bracelets
As it turns out I did manage to get some tatting done since my last post. The temperatures weren't to bad for the most part, though we did get a few thunderstorms. I came to the conclusion that I prefer to wake up to a thunderstorm, but not fall asleep to one. Or be woken up by one. I also managed to get some chainmaille done. Hopefully I can sell the items I made-three bracelets and three pairs of earrings. There's also a necklace that's currently half done; hopefully I can finish it soon. In can anyone is interested I have a page on Facebook for Bridge City Maille. You can find it here. New items will be posted here, and perhaps a coupon code once in a while.
Like I said above, I did manage a small amount of tatting. I picked a fairly simple one shuttle pattern from my new German tatting book. Once I learned the pattern it was pretty easy.
I don't know if the patten has a name. It's from page 42 from the Peacock book. As you can see, I didn't quite get a grasp on the length of bare thread at the beginning. That's the left side. The diagram showed the space to be much larger than necessary. Now that I know how much space to leave (not much, in case you are wondering), I think I may try it again. The above length of edging is about five inches long. I believe the bobbin was pretty full when I started. The thread I used is Lizbeth size 20 colour #149 Peacock Blues. This pattern works very well when done in variegated thread.
Finally a quick peek at the chainmaille I did last weekend.
My main supplier started offering Anodized Aluminum square wire rings. The rings resemble washers, but are much more colourful. I have only been able to get square wire rings in stainless steel and sterling silver, so I really like these rings. Being aluminum, they are very lightweight for their size. I made the pink one first and liked making the bracelet so much I make the other two. I only have three colour right now, since I don't know how popular they will be. I also made matching earrings, one set in each colour as well. They all are listed in my shop.
I'm going to try to get more tatting done. I may try to get the chainmaille necklace done, but I probably won't do any more chainmaille for a bit-I would like to get as much tatting done as I can while I feel like it. That's it for now. Till next time.
Like I said above, I did manage a small amount of tatting. I picked a fairly simple one shuttle pattern from my new German tatting book. Once I learned the pattern it was pretty easy.
I don't know if the patten has a name. It's from page 42 from the Peacock book. As you can see, I didn't quite get a grasp on the length of bare thread at the beginning. That's the left side. The diagram showed the space to be much larger than necessary. Now that I know how much space to leave (not much, in case you are wondering), I think I may try it again. The above length of edging is about five inches long. I believe the bobbin was pretty full when I started. The thread I used is Lizbeth size 20 colour #149 Peacock Blues. This pattern works very well when done in variegated thread.
Finally a quick peek at the chainmaille I did last weekend.
My main supplier started offering Anodized Aluminum square wire rings. The rings resemble washers, but are much more colourful. I have only been able to get square wire rings in stainless steel and sterling silver, so I really like these rings. Being aluminum, they are very lightweight for their size. I made the pink one first and liked making the bracelet so much I make the other two. I only have three colour right now, since I don't know how popular they will be. I also made matching earrings, one set in each colour as well. They all are listed in my shop.
I'm going to try to get more tatting done. I may try to get the chainmaille necklace done, but I probably won't do any more chainmaille for a bit-I would like to get as much tatting done as I can while I feel like it. That's it for now. Till next time.
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Goodbye 2011, Hello 2012!
Happy New Years!!!! I hope everyone enjoyed the holidays. I did. I didn't get much tatting done, but I enjoyed myself regardless. I particularly enjoyed not working for four days. Since I have no tatting to share, this will probably be pretty short.
As I have done for the last few years, I didn't make any resolutions for this year. I would like to (rather proudly, I might add) mention that for the first time in a loooooong time (maybe not that long), I don't need to lose any weight! As of the end of November, early December, I reached my goal. It feels great, and I like the way I look now. I didn't before.
You've seen the photo on the left.The one on the right was taken today. My still not done Hauberk fits much better compared to when I wore it in May. Hopefully I will get around to finishing my Hauberk. Oh, I know someone asked what I planned on doing with it once it's done. The answer is I don't know. I mainly am making it just as something different from all the jewelry I have been working on. I will probably wear it in public somewhere, sometime.
I have done some other chainmaille over the last few days. A few are custom orders that have come in. The rest are mainly just to add something new to my shop. Here's a quick photo of these new items:
One of the custom items was a pair of Celtic Star earrings. I had to make them smaller and lighter than the Celtic Star pendants in order to make them work. I do plan on getting these listed soon, but in case anyone is wondering, they are a bit over an inch (2.5 cm) in diameter. These are probably best done in aluminum (colours are possible!) or mixed metals to keep the weight down. The customer initially wanted them to be solid copper but they each weighed about 12 grams (0.4 ounces or so) with the ear wires. Speaking of ear wire I have added a pair of earrings with clip on earring findings for those who don't have pierced ears. Any of my earrings can be made with clip on findings, just ask. The fish pendant is pretty cool. At least I think so. It's also one on those designs that could work for both men and women. I have one on my keychain:
The gemstone is reconstituted turquoise, but I have recently gotten some stabilized turquoise for use in these as it is actual turquoise. The reconstituted stuff may or may not contain actual turquoise. It depends on the what website you choose to believe. Anyway, I am gong to make a pair of fish earrings in some smaller rings as well. I have a list of other chainmaille items I want/need to make.
That's about it for now. I'm not going to promise to post or tat more this year. I'll blog when I can, and I'll tat when I can. The only thing I will promise myself this year is to do something about this balding thing that is happening. Or at least try, genes be damned. Rogaine, here I come! I should go now. I must get some tatting done before this gorgeous first day of 2012 is over. Till next time.
As I have done for the last few years, I didn't make any resolutions for this year. I would like to (rather proudly, I might add) mention that for the first time in a loooooong time (maybe not that long), I don't need to lose any weight! As of the end of November, early December, I reached my goal. It feels great, and I like the way I look now. I didn't before.
You've seen the photo on the left.The one on the right was taken today. My still not done Hauberk fits much better compared to when I wore it in May. Hopefully I will get around to finishing my Hauberk. Oh, I know someone asked what I planned on doing with it once it's done. The answer is I don't know. I mainly am making it just as something different from all the jewelry I have been working on. I will probably wear it in public somewhere, sometime.
I have done some other chainmaille over the last few days. A few are custom orders that have come in. The rest are mainly just to add something new to my shop. Here's a quick photo of these new items:
One of the custom items was a pair of Celtic Star earrings. I had to make them smaller and lighter than the Celtic Star pendants in order to make them work. I do plan on getting these listed soon, but in case anyone is wondering, they are a bit over an inch (2.5 cm) in diameter. These are probably best done in aluminum (colours are possible!) or mixed metals to keep the weight down. The customer initially wanted them to be solid copper but they each weighed about 12 grams (0.4 ounces or so) with the ear wires. Speaking of ear wire I have added a pair of earrings with clip on earring findings for those who don't have pierced ears. Any of my earrings can be made with clip on findings, just ask. The fish pendant is pretty cool. At least I think so. It's also one on those designs that could work for both men and women. I have one on my keychain:
The gemstone is reconstituted turquoise, but I have recently gotten some stabilized turquoise for use in these as it is actual turquoise. The reconstituted stuff may or may not contain actual turquoise. It depends on the what website you choose to believe. Anyway, I am gong to make a pair of fish earrings in some smaller rings as well. I have a list of other chainmaille items I want/need to make.
That's about it for now. I'm not going to promise to post or tat more this year. I'll blog when I can, and I'll tat when I can. The only thing I will promise myself this year is to do something about this balding thing that is happening. Or at least try, genes be damned. Rogaine, here I come! I should go now. I must get some tatting done before this gorgeous first day of 2012 is over. Till next time.
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Dawg Hoodie Continuation, and a little Chainmaille
Sorry for the delay in posting. I haven't really felt like blogging lately because I haven't really done anything worth post about. No tatting. Still. I think I over did the tatting with the bookmarks. I'll get back to it eventually. A few weeks ago I ordered a few new tatting books from Bestitched that should hopefully arrive this week. Both books are full of bookmark patterns. I'm still crocheting my Dawg hoodie, which I will get to soon. I've also done a bit of chainmaille. A sale (finally!!) got me back in the mood recently. I have a bunch of stuff that needs to be listed, but I can't seem to get photos I deem decent enough to use. Maybe I'm being too picky, but metal is so hard to photograph. Anyway I'll show a photo of one maille project too.
I finished the front of the hoodie a few days after I last posted. Here it is:
I'm hoping it's the same size as the back. I checked several times while making it and when it was done, but I won't know for sure until I sew them together. I won't go into much detail. The yarn and pattern source are in the previous post. You can use the "yarn" and "crochet dude" tags to find the other post(s) and related ones. I started the first sleeve shortly after the front was done. It took me a good week to make it. Mainly because I spent hardly any time on it until yesterday. Coincidentally, I finished crocheting the sleeve yesterday as well.
Nothing real fancy here. I made the sleeve shorter than what the pattern says. I found the ones on my last Dawg hoodie much too long, and I don't like that. I started the second sleeve early this afternoon. I'm going to pop in a Blu-ray disc in the player soon and watch a movie, so I should be able to get a good chunk done tonight. I'll have to go to bed early tonight since I get to/have to work tomorrow. In case you're not aware tomorrow is a stat holiday. It goes by different names in many provinces, but here in Saskatchewan the holiday is referred to as Civic Holiday. So everyone who gets tomorrow off, enjoy! At least I get to spend most of the day with air conditioning.
Finally, I'll show you the chainmaille piece I was working on yesterday (I had a fairly productive day yesterday, it seems):
This came about from a suggestion I received some time ago. A triagular shaped Dragonscale pendant. It turned out to be narrower than I expected. It's about 2 3/4 inches long by about 1 1/4 inches wide. I might expand the pendant upwards by a few rows, though it'll look more like a upside down house rather than a triangle. What do you think? I used some yellow brass rings for the larger rings; these are a "special edition" ring, so to speak, that my supplier had leftovers of from a custom order. The lavender rings are kinda new. My main supplier is changing anodizing methods of their aluminum that results in shiny coloured rings. Beside the pendant, I also made several Bicubix Blocks earrings. While I have been offering customization of earrings and such, I have been wondering if I should make a bunch of earrings with different colours and offer them for sale too. I'll try it with a few pairs and see.
That's about it for now. I plan on getting the final sleeve done for my hoodie. Then I get to assemble it. I do want to get stuff listed on Etsy to this week. It can't sell if it's not listed. You never know, I might even get some tatting done. It could happen! Till next time.
I finished the front of the hoodie a few days after I last posted. Here it is:
I'm hoping it's the same size as the back. I checked several times while making it and when it was done, but I won't know for sure until I sew them together. I won't go into much detail. The yarn and pattern source are in the previous post. You can use the "yarn" and "crochet dude" tags to find the other post(s) and related ones. I started the first sleeve shortly after the front was done. It took me a good week to make it. Mainly because I spent hardly any time on it until yesterday. Coincidentally, I finished crocheting the sleeve yesterday as well.
Nothing real fancy here. I made the sleeve shorter than what the pattern says. I found the ones on my last Dawg hoodie much too long, and I don't like that. I started the second sleeve early this afternoon. I'm going to pop in a Blu-ray disc in the player soon and watch a movie, so I should be able to get a good chunk done tonight. I'll have to go to bed early tonight since I get to/have to work tomorrow. In case you're not aware tomorrow is a stat holiday. It goes by different names in many provinces, but here in Saskatchewan the holiday is referred to as Civic Holiday. So everyone who gets tomorrow off, enjoy! At least I get to spend most of the day with air conditioning.
Finally, I'll show you the chainmaille piece I was working on yesterday (I had a fairly productive day yesterday, it seems):
This came about from a suggestion I received some time ago. A triagular shaped Dragonscale pendant. It turned out to be narrower than I expected. It's about 2 3/4 inches long by about 1 1/4 inches wide. I might expand the pendant upwards by a few rows, though it'll look more like a upside down house rather than a triangle. What do you think? I used some yellow brass rings for the larger rings; these are a "special edition" ring, so to speak, that my supplier had leftovers of from a custom order. The lavender rings are kinda new. My main supplier is changing anodizing methods of their aluminum that results in shiny coloured rings. Beside the pendant, I also made several Bicubix Blocks earrings. While I have been offering customization of earrings and such, I have been wondering if I should make a bunch of earrings with different colours and offer them for sale too. I'll try it with a few pairs and see.
That's about it for now. I plan on getting the final sleeve done for my hoodie. Then I get to assemble it. I do want to get stuff listed on Etsy to this week. It can't sell if it's not listed. You never know, I might even get some tatting done. It could happen! Till next time.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Tatted Earrings, and a Bit of Maille
Sorry for disappearing, again. I just don't know what the problem is lately. Well, actually, I have a few theories. The main one is that I have too many things I want to make in numerous mediums that I can't get started on any of them. I made another wheel of Cheddar cheese yesterday and finished it today; the one I made back in March is just about ready to taste. I've been working on some chainmaille lately. The main piece will be shown later in this post. I'm still getting beads and stuff for several chainmaille jewelry pieces. These are pretty cool; hopefully they sell well. I'm not even gong to say anything about my sales on Etsy. I think I may offer free shipping again for a week or two. I should have done that a few weeks before Mother's Day. Anyway, onward to the tatting!
As the title suggests, I manage to tat a pair of earrings during this past week. It's a pattern I make quite frequently:
These are, of course, Yarnplayer's Carnival Earrings. These aren't quite finished, obviously. In case you're wondering, I don't usually hide the ends on earrings. A knot and a dab of glue initially, and once dry, they get stiffened with more glue. Since I have to remake the earrings regularly, this works quite well. And since you only see one side of the earrings (usually) the knot isn't noticeable. Thread stats: Lizbeth size 20, colour #149 Peacock Blues. The beads are Reconstituted Turquoise for the large beads, and light blue seed beads. I am working on another pair of earrings, using a different pattern. And before I forget, have a look at this Temari ball with tatting on it.
Finally, I'll show you the main focus of my creative energy:
I'm not thrilled with the above photo. The camera didn't want to/couldn't focus properly on the metal fabric. The nature of the chainmaille fabric make me look fat. Though that could be the snacks-I think I hear snickering from my tatted seahorse from that comment. Anyway, my chainmaille shirt, more properly called a Hauberk, is almost done. It currently weighs about 21 pounds (9.5 kg). Here is a closeup shot of the overlapping "Horseman Slits" that I put in on the front and back of my Hauberk:
The slits make it easier to walk and ride horses in. I think they look kinda cool too. I still have to make the sleeves, lengthen it some more (I reckon it should come down to about the top of the side pockets on the shorts I am wearing in the photo), and add an edging of bronze rings to the bottom edge, around the neck, and maybe on the sleeves too. I'm probably going to put this aside for awhile. I do want to get some other projects done.
That's about it for now. Hopefully I'll get more accomplished this week. I prepared a ball for a Temari this afternoon, so hopefully I'll get to stitching that soon. And I really want to get more tatting in; I'm having a hard time finding a pattern I want to tat. There's also more chainmaille I want to make. So we'll see how I make out. Till next time.
As the title suggests, I manage to tat a pair of earrings during this past week. It's a pattern I make quite frequently:
These are, of course, Yarnplayer's Carnival Earrings. These aren't quite finished, obviously. In case you're wondering, I don't usually hide the ends on earrings. A knot and a dab of glue initially, and once dry, they get stiffened with more glue. Since I have to remake the earrings regularly, this works quite well. And since you only see one side of the earrings (usually) the knot isn't noticeable. Thread stats: Lizbeth size 20, colour #149 Peacock Blues. The beads are Reconstituted Turquoise for the large beads, and light blue seed beads. I am working on another pair of earrings, using a different pattern. And before I forget, have a look at this Temari ball with tatting on it.
Finally, I'll show you the main focus of my creative energy:
I'm not thrilled with the above photo. The camera didn't want to/couldn't focus properly on the metal fabric. The nature of the chainmaille fabric make me look fat. Though that could be the snacks-I think I hear snickering from my tatted seahorse from that comment. Anyway, my chainmaille shirt, more properly called a Hauberk, is almost done. It currently weighs about 21 pounds (9.5 kg). Here is a closeup shot of the overlapping "Horseman Slits" that I put in on the front and back of my Hauberk:
The slits make it easier to walk and ride horses in. I think they look kinda cool too. I still have to make the sleeves, lengthen it some more (I reckon it should come down to about the top of the side pockets on the shorts I am wearing in the photo), and add an edging of bronze rings to the bottom edge, around the neck, and maybe on the sleeves too. I'm probably going to put this aside for awhile. I do want to get some other projects done.
That's about it for now. Hopefully I'll get more accomplished this week. I prepared a ball for a Temari this afternoon, so hopefully I'll get to stitching that soon. And I really want to get more tatting in; I'm having a hard time finding a pattern I want to tat. There's also more chainmaille I want to make. So we'll see how I make out. Till next time.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Checking In; What I Have Been Working on Part 2
Sorry for the delay in posting. It all started a little over a week ago with a severe migraine at 3 am. I managed to get that under control by the time I had to get up and go to work. However, probably due to the medication, I had an upset stomach for most of the morning. When I got home in the evening, I still felt "off". I just didn't feel right. I woke up the next morning with a full blown cold. I didn't feel like doing anything. So posting, and most other things were put off until I felt better. I also opted to stay in the city this past week. I really didn't want to make the 3-3.5 hour drive to my parents, only to lay around in bed all day. I could do that here. I will be going away this week instead.
So like I said I haven't really done anything new this week. I haven't touched my chainmaille shirt. I don't have any photo of my progress of it either; maybe next time. I did manage a few new jewelry pieces, however:
The earrings are the only items I managed to make this week. I tried to get some decent photos of them so I could list them, but I couldn't get them right. I think I went outside too late. So the photos were taken inside. Not much to tell you about them. The pendant is currently listed. Again not much to tell, except this is the first pendant I am offering with a "proper" chain. Up until now, I've been sending the pendants on adjustable cotton cords. But my main supplier began offering a stainless steel cable chain which is really nice. It's strong, will probably last a lifetime, and adds a very professional touch to the pendant. I'm toying with the idea of offering all my pendants with a proper chain. But I'd have to increase the cost accordingly. Mind you, I've been putting some serious thought in increasing prices store wide; I've been increasing the cost of the Sterling Silver jewelry for months now, but nothing else. The rising value of the Canadian dollar (it's worth more than the US dollar now) means that I am loosing money though currency conversion. Another option would be to change my shop's currency to Canadian dollars; I think that may work, I'll have to look into it. I'll look into this when I get back, so if anyone is interested in anything, you may want to buy it now. Don't forget the coupon code on my left sidebar too.
I also remade the Box chain necklace that I wear:
My original chain is on the left. My new one in in the middle. It's about 1/4 inch (0.6 mm) wide. I made the chain on the right just for kicks. I made that one using some substantially larger rings in a heavier gauge. It's slightly over 1/2 inch (about 1.25 cm) wide. It's heavy! You may be wondering why I remade the chain. As I mentioned when I first made it (almost two years ago), it was never intended to be a necklace/chain. It was the first draft of my belt. I was still pretty new to chainmaille and hadn't quite learned the whole ring size verses strength concept. I learned that with this chain. The rings were waaaaaay to weak for a belt. Anyway, some of the rings weren't closed quite right; whenever I bent down, the chain would roll down and get caught in my beard (we won't discuss the incidents involving chest hair when it was necessary to wear the chain under clothing). I'm happy with my new chain and will probably make another one to go in my shop. It's a nice manly chain, if I do say so myself. You may be wondering what I will do with the third heavy chain. While it might work for a larger guy, I didn't like wearing it. It will be opened up and made into a belt.
I think that's about it. As I mentioned last time, I hope to get some tatting done while away. Spinning is on hold while I wait for some natural wool roving to arrive (there's also some bamboo and cotton roving coming too). I might take some of the rings I am using for my shirt to preclose them. Preclosing rings enables so called "speed weaving", using both closed and open rings, so one can weave faster. Till next time
So like I said I haven't really done anything new this week. I haven't touched my chainmaille shirt. I don't have any photo of my progress of it either; maybe next time. I did manage a few new jewelry pieces, however:
The earrings are the only items I managed to make this week. I tried to get some decent photos of them so I could list them, but I couldn't get them right. I think I went outside too late. So the photos were taken inside. Not much to tell you about them. The pendant is currently listed. Again not much to tell, except this is the first pendant I am offering with a "proper" chain. Up until now, I've been sending the pendants on adjustable cotton cords. But my main supplier began offering a stainless steel cable chain which is really nice. It's strong, will probably last a lifetime, and adds a very professional touch to the pendant. I'm toying with the idea of offering all my pendants with a proper chain. But I'd have to increase the cost accordingly. Mind you, I've been putting some serious thought in increasing prices store wide; I've been increasing the cost of the Sterling Silver jewelry for months now, but nothing else. The rising value of the Canadian dollar (it's worth more than the US dollar now) means that I am loosing money though currency conversion. Another option would be to change my shop's currency to Canadian dollars; I think that may work, I'll have to look into it. I'll look into this when I get back, so if anyone is interested in anything, you may want to buy it now. Don't forget the coupon code on my left sidebar too.
I also remade the Box chain necklace that I wear:
My original chain is on the left. My new one in in the middle. It's about 1/4 inch (0.6 mm) wide. I made the chain on the right just for kicks. I made that one using some substantially larger rings in a heavier gauge. It's slightly over 1/2 inch (about 1.25 cm) wide. It's heavy! You may be wondering why I remade the chain. As I mentioned when I first made it (almost two years ago), it was never intended to be a necklace/chain. It was the first draft of my belt. I was still pretty new to chainmaille and hadn't quite learned the whole ring size verses strength concept. I learned that with this chain. The rings were waaaaaay to weak for a belt. Anyway, some of the rings weren't closed quite right; whenever I bent down, the chain would roll down and get caught in my beard (we won't discuss the incidents involving chest hair when it was necessary to wear the chain under clothing). I'm happy with my new chain and will probably make another one to go in my shop. It's a nice manly chain, if I do say so myself. You may be wondering what I will do with the third heavy chain. While it might work for a larger guy, I didn't like wearing it. It will be opened up and made into a belt.
I think that's about it. As I mentioned last time, I hope to get some tatting done while away. Spinning is on hold while I wait for some natural wool roving to arrive (there's also some bamboo and cotton roving coming too). I might take some of the rings I am using for my shirt to preclose them. Preclosing rings enables so called "speed weaving", using both closed and open rings, so one can weave faster. Till next time
Happy Easter!!!
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Doily Thoughts, Rosace Thread, and Some Chainmaille
Yup, I did it again. I really meant to post again last week, but I guess something came up. I have to admit, I haven't done much tatting since my last post. I did tat another Windmills motif. Though, this time in DMC Cebelia size 10. I wanted to see how big it would be. In case you're wondering, it measures 3 1/4 inches (8.25 cm) across. Done in size 20 thread, the motif is about 2 1/4 inches (5.7 cm) in diameter. Based on my Cebelia motif, I figured that my Windmills doily would be around 21 inches in diameter, if I had done it in size 10 thread. I won't bother showing you a photo. I'm sure you won't mind. And before I forget, thanks to all of you for leaving your comments on my last post. I'm glad that some of you liked the oval doily. It would have been a good idea for me to mention that the doily is being made for a rectangular table. I still intend on making the doily oval, though it will have to be put on hold again. Honestly, I have gotten tired of making the motifs, again. Since I haven't done much tatting, you're probably wondering what I've been up to then. You'll see.
However I want to show you what I got in the mail earlier this week. Some of you may remember that Gina, and Susan both mentioned that Rosace Embroidery Threads were offering three free skeins of embroidery thread. I couldn't pass that up. Here they are:
I hope to tat with these, sometime. Embroidery thread isn't the best for tatting, IMHO, but it was free. I'll share if/when I get around to tatting with it.
As I recall, I mentioned a PITA chainmaille project that I was working on during my last post. Well, here it is:
The chainmaille part was easy, it was getting the thing attached to the ring that was a PITA. And yeah, I know it's a bit Christmasy, but I wanted to wanted to make one of the included patterns. I don't know if I'll offer these for sale, or if I will just give them as gifts.
Finally, I'll show you what I've been working on lately instead of tatting. I ordered the rings necessary to make a chainmaille shirt on Tuesday. They were ready for pickup on Thursday. I went and got them Friday before work. I've been working on it ever since, making small sections each day. I currently have the top of the shirt completed. And here it is:
Above is the result of four days work, where I spent about 1 1/2 hours per day working on it. And in case you are wondering (and so I can keep track), the top section measures about 20.5 inches by 17.5 inches (52 cm by 44.5 cm) when relaxed (ie: when it is lying flat on the floor, not on me). It currently weighs 4.6 pounds (2.09 kg). I started working on the front, which is going to take some time to make. As always, I'll provide updates as I go.
I think that's about it for tonight. I still need to shave and trim my goatee tonight as I won't have time in the morning. And I should make a grocery list too. I normally go grocery shopping on Thursdays, but since the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra's Book sale starts on Thursday, I want to go there after work instead. As I've done for the past few years, I'll be keeping my eyes out for tatting books. But as always, I'm going with the expectation that I won't find any. It's less disappointing and way more fun that way. Till next time.
However I want to show you what I got in the mail earlier this week. Some of you may remember that Gina, and Susan both mentioned that Rosace Embroidery Threads were offering three free skeins of embroidery thread. I couldn't pass that up. Here they are:
I hope to tat with these, sometime. Embroidery thread isn't the best for tatting, IMHO, but it was free. I'll share if/when I get around to tatting with it.
As I recall, I mentioned a PITA chainmaille project that I was working on during my last post. Well, here it is:
The chainmaille part was easy, it was getting the thing attached to the ring that was a PITA. And yeah, I know it's a bit Christmasy, but I wanted to wanted to make one of the included patterns. I don't know if I'll offer these for sale, or if I will just give them as gifts.
Finally, I'll show you what I've been working on lately instead of tatting. I ordered the rings necessary to make a chainmaille shirt on Tuesday. They were ready for pickup on Thursday. I went and got them Friday before work. I've been working on it ever since, making small sections each day. I currently have the top of the shirt completed. And here it is:
Above is the result of four days work, where I spent about 1 1/2 hours per day working on it. And in case you are wondering (and so I can keep track), the top section measures about 20.5 inches by 17.5 inches (52 cm by 44.5 cm) when relaxed (ie: when it is lying flat on the floor, not on me). It currently weighs 4.6 pounds (2.09 kg). I started working on the front, which is going to take some time to make. As always, I'll provide updates as I go.
I think that's about it for tonight. I still need to shave and trim my goatee tonight as I won't have time in the morning. And I should make a grocery list too. I normally go grocery shopping on Thursdays, but since the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra's Book sale starts on Thursday, I want to go there after work instead. As I've done for the past few years, I'll be keeping my eyes out for tatting books. But as always, I'm going with the expectation that I won't find any. It's less disappointing and way more fun that way. Till next time.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
What I did While On My Break
I had hoped to post again later last week, but kept coming home each evening tired from work. Mind you, I didn't get much done until my days off anyway. My thread from DS9Designs arrived early this week so I can soon resume work on my tie. I have been working on my Windmills doily. I am two motifs away from finishing the round.
I mentioned that I did a little bit of crocheting. Here is what I made:
This is the second pair of slippers that I made. I wasn't happy with the first pair; they were much too big. As I made the above pair, I adjusted the size of them. Since I used a wool yarn, I also felted this pair in the washing machine to shrink them enough for a nice fit. The pattern is called "Paw Warmers" from The Crochet Dude's book Designs for Guys. I like the pattern even though the slippers take longer to make than my other slipper pattern. I do plan on making anther pair soon.
Here's a collage of the bracelets that I have made over the last few weeks.
The top left bracelet is Box Chain, the same weave as the chain/necklace that I wear. The top right bracelet is called X-Lock Byzantine. It's actually byzantine just with dramatically different sized rings than usual, which makes it flat. The bottom left bracelet is made using the Full Persian weave in titanium. I think I've already showed you the Spiral Chain bracelet. The black and silver chain on the bottom right is called Helm's Chain. I made that one around the time I made Dragonscale since they used the same size rings. This one is actually going to be the base of a necklace that I am working on . I'll show you more when it's done. I also made a pair of earrings to match the X-Lock Byzantine bracelet and refined the ring size used for the Beaded Byzantine earrings.
While I'm still on the topic of chainmaille, I have been seriously considering buying the rings and beginning work on a chainmaille shirt. Since my sales have been slow for the past few months, this may be a good time to begin this large project. I did some playing around with some rings in the gauge that seems to be common for the shirts and feel confident I can do this. I'll let you know if/when I go ahead with this. I will have to wait at least two weeks until my next payday before I can buy the rings. Unless I get lots of sales in the next few weeks.
I will leave you tonight with a few more orchid photos. These were both purchased over a month ago.
These are both Phalaenopsis NOIDs. I love the bottom one in particular; it is similar to one I already own. That's actually why I bought it. While most orchids are seen as difficult to grow, Moth orchids, or Phals, are actually pretty easy to grow. A bright window where it can get several hours bright light-they don't like full sun, though a little is fine. Most of mine are under fluorescent lights. Water them every 10 to 14 days or so. Most orchids do require a special bark based soil to thrive in, and Phals do grow best in it. Some diluted fertilizer once in a while will benefit the plant too. That's about it.
That's it for now. Once I'm finished the third round of my Windmills doily I'll get a photo of it posted. Till next time.
I mentioned that I did a little bit of crocheting. Here is what I made:
This is the second pair of slippers that I made. I wasn't happy with the first pair; they were much too big. As I made the above pair, I adjusted the size of them. Since I used a wool yarn, I also felted this pair in the washing machine to shrink them enough for a nice fit. The pattern is called "Paw Warmers" from The Crochet Dude's book Designs for Guys. I like the pattern even though the slippers take longer to make than my other slipper pattern. I do plan on making anther pair soon.
Here's a collage of the bracelets that I have made over the last few weeks.
The top left bracelet is Box Chain, the same weave as the chain/necklace that I wear. The top right bracelet is called X-Lock Byzantine. It's actually byzantine just with dramatically different sized rings than usual, which makes it flat. The bottom left bracelet is made using the Full Persian weave in titanium. I think I've already showed you the Spiral Chain bracelet. The black and silver chain on the bottom right is called Helm's Chain. I made that one around the time I made Dragonscale since they used the same size rings. This one is actually going to be the base of a necklace that I am working on . I'll show you more when it's done. I also made a pair of earrings to match the X-Lock Byzantine bracelet and refined the ring size used for the Beaded Byzantine earrings.
While I'm still on the topic of chainmaille, I have been seriously considering buying the rings and beginning work on a chainmaille shirt. Since my sales have been slow for the past few months, this may be a good time to begin this large project. I did some playing around with some rings in the gauge that seems to be common for the shirts and feel confident I can do this. I'll let you know if/when I go ahead with this. I will have to wait at least two weeks until my next payday before I can buy the rings. Unless I get lots of sales in the next few weeks.
I will leave you tonight with a few more orchid photos. These were both purchased over a month ago.
These are both Phalaenopsis NOIDs. I love the bottom one in particular; it is similar to one I already own. That's actually why I bought it. While most orchids are seen as difficult to grow, Moth orchids, or Phals, are actually pretty easy to grow. A bright window where it can get several hours bright light-they don't like full sun, though a little is fine. Most of mine are under fluorescent lights. Water them every 10 to 14 days or so. Most orchids do require a special bark based soil to thrive in, and Phals do grow best in it. Some diluted fertilizer once in a while will benefit the plant too. That's about it.
That's it for now. Once I'm finished the third round of my Windmills doily I'll get a photo of it posted. Till next time.
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.
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.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Atomic Tatting and more Chainmaille
Look! I'm posting again, and it hasn't been a week since my last post. I actually planned on posting on Sunday, but it was late when I finished tatting, and didn't deal with the ends in time to get a decent photo. I've also been working on my tie, and am just about ready to start the next page of diagrams. I also realized I am getting close to running out of thread. I am close to running out of thread on one of the shuttles, so I divided up the remaining thread on the ball between two Ez-bobs (for any Canadians wanting Ez-bobs, BeadFX carries them though they call them "No Tangle Bobbins") and counted 28 yards left. I may need to order another ball, though I'll have to try and remember who I bought the thread from. There is a Lot # on the back of the circular card from the ball and I should see if I can get it matched. I knew I should have bought two balls. C'est la vie. On to the tatting!
Hopefully from the title you can tell what I've been tatting. If you can't, then a picture should help:
This is the Tatted Atom from Yarnplayer's book Up and Tat 'Em. This pattern is the reason I wanted the book. There are plenty of other pretty patterns in the book, but this was the one I knew about. It also has some guy friendly potential, if the beads used were plain, which is plus for me. This one was made with my mom in mind so I used Lizbeth size 20 thread in colour #633 Dark Purple with a clear faceted Swarovski crystal bead in the centre (the nucleus) and simple silver toned beads for the electrons. The actual tatting was pretty easy. What made it a bit difficult was that at the midpoint of the pattern, six shuttles were in use, and they all tangle. You also have to weave the chains (the "orbits") over and under each other in a certain way, which I hope I did right. All in all, it was a pretty quick motif to tat, and it kept my attention (another plus). I do plan on tatting it again.
Now I have a few chainmaille pieces I want to show you. I showed you the sample of dragonscale in my last post, and Gina mentioned how the sample would look as a pendant. I've been thinking about that all weekend, and yesterday I sat down and made another sample. A sample with a purpose; I give you my Dragonscale pendant:
As you can see, I've added some smaller rings to the sides to help the weave hold together. I found during my testing-I wore the pendant for a while instead of my regular chain-that the large rings at the top and bottom tended to separate enough for the smaller rings come out of alignment. But the rings I added to the sides seem to help, at least my further testing shows they stay in place. In case you are wondering, the pendant is made out of bright aluminum and bronze. Hopefully I'll get it in my shop soon, but no promises.
I think that's going to be it for tonight. I do have another chainmaille piece to show, but it's getting late, and I'm tired. Even if I don't get any tatting done for the rest of the week, I can still write another post. Till next time.
Hopefully from the title you can tell what I've been tatting. If you can't, then a picture should help:
This is the Tatted Atom from Yarnplayer's book Up and Tat 'Em. This pattern is the reason I wanted the book. There are plenty of other pretty patterns in the book, but this was the one I knew about. It also has some guy friendly potential, if the beads used were plain, which is plus for me. This one was made with my mom in mind so I used Lizbeth size 20 thread in colour #633 Dark Purple with a clear faceted Swarovski crystal bead in the centre (the nucleus) and simple silver toned beads for the electrons. The actual tatting was pretty easy. What made it a bit difficult was that at the midpoint of the pattern, six shuttles were in use, and they all tangle. You also have to weave the chains (the "orbits") over and under each other in a certain way, which I hope I did right. All in all, it was a pretty quick motif to tat, and it kept my attention (another plus). I do plan on tatting it again.
Now I have a few chainmaille pieces I want to show you. I showed you the sample of dragonscale in my last post, and Gina mentioned how the sample would look as a pendant. I've been thinking about that all weekend, and yesterday I sat down and made another sample. A sample with a purpose; I give you my Dragonscale pendant:
As you can see, I've added some smaller rings to the sides to help the weave hold together. I found during my testing-I wore the pendant for a while instead of my regular chain-that the large rings at the top and bottom tended to separate enough for the smaller rings come out of alignment. But the rings I added to the sides seem to help, at least my further testing shows they stay in place. In case you are wondering, the pendant is made out of bright aluminum and bronze. Hopefully I'll get it in my shop soon, but no promises.
I think that's going to be it for tonight. I do have another chainmaille piece to show, but it's getting late, and I'm tired. Even if I don't get any tatting done for the rest of the week, I can still write another post. Till next time.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Tatted Earrings and Dragonscale
I'll try and make this a short post. I did a little tatting this past week. I made a little bit of progress on my tie. On the Etsy front, I've had several sales since my last post. Which is good as I've been holding off ordering more rings until some sales have come. And, I've been included in two Etsy Treasuries, which is pretty cool too. I've never been in a Treasury before. The first one (which actually happened more than a week ago) can be seen here, and the other (which is from today) can be seen here. I don't know how long the Treasuries last, so if you'd like to take a look, sooner is probably better than later. Anyway here is the tatting.
I wanted to tat something fairly quick so I took a look at Yarnplayer's newest book Up and Tat 'Em to see what I can find. Here is what I chose:
These are the earrings from the "Beguile Set". These were made using Lizbeth size 20 thread in colour #611 Gold. Yeah. It's the same thread from the previous motif. It wasn't just because I hadn't put it away. It matched the antiqued brass rings I used for the centre. There are also size 11 gold coloured beads. It's a nice pattern, and quick to tat. I did find I had to add an extra ring and chain to go completely around. I didn't know why, since the rings I used were only 1 mm bigger than what was called for, until I noticed that Yarnplayer made her chains a little bit longer in the photo than what was written in the pattern. It's not a big deal and I'll have to remember this when I make them again.
Finally I will finish this post by showing a recently learned chainmaille weave. It's called Dragonscale:
I wonder why. The photo above shows the weave stretched out. Here it is when scrunched up:
You can see where the weave gets its name. It bears a striking resemblance to rows of scales. I assume the dragon part comes from chainmaille's medieval history. It's a cool weave and looks awesome in two colours. You can't tell that here since I should have used two colours that contrasted better. I used bright aluminum and white anodized aluminum. The white rings are new from my supplier. I don't know if I'll actually make anything using this weave. It is pretty dense and has a high rings per inch count. The sample above is about two inches (5 cm) long when fully stretched.
That's about it for now. I'm not sure what I will work on this week. Hopefully I will make some significant progress on my tie. I also got my Palmetto's 2010 Tat Day CD this week, so I've got lots more patterns to drool over. Till next time.
I wanted to tat something fairly quick so I took a look at Yarnplayer's newest book Up and Tat 'Em to see what I can find. Here is what I chose:
These are the earrings from the "Beguile Set". These were made using Lizbeth size 20 thread in colour #611 Gold. Yeah. It's the same thread from the previous motif. It wasn't just because I hadn't put it away. It matched the antiqued brass rings I used for the centre. There are also size 11 gold coloured beads. It's a nice pattern, and quick to tat. I did find I had to add an extra ring and chain to go completely around. I didn't know why, since the rings I used were only 1 mm bigger than what was called for, until I noticed that Yarnplayer made her chains a little bit longer in the photo than what was written in the pattern. It's not a big deal and I'll have to remember this when I make them again.
Finally I will finish this post by showing a recently learned chainmaille weave. It's called Dragonscale:
I wonder why. The photo above shows the weave stretched out. Here it is when scrunched up:
You can see where the weave gets its name. It bears a striking resemblance to rows of scales. I assume the dragon part comes from chainmaille's medieval history. It's a cool weave and looks awesome in two colours. You can't tell that here since I should have used two colours that contrasted better. I used bright aluminum and white anodized aluminum. The white rings are new from my supplier. I don't know if I'll actually make anything using this weave. It is pretty dense and has a high rings per inch count. The sample above is about two inches (5 cm) long when fully stretched.
That's about it for now. I'm not sure what I will work on this week. Hopefully I will make some significant progress on my tie. I also got my Palmetto's 2010 Tat Day CD this week, so I've got lots more patterns to drool over. Till next time.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Not A Lot Goin' On, Tatting Wise, Anyway.
Yeah, I know. I disappeared from the face of the Earth again. I came down with a cold last weekend, and just haven't felt like tatting lately. I did manage another row, and a bit on my tie since my last post. I do hope to find time to work on my tie over the next two days. But we'll see. As you can probably see, my poll has finished. The "No's" have majority, though barely. So, I'm going to focus on my other tatting patterns for now. Perhaps I will release the pattern at another time, maybe once the tie is complete. I'll continue to take notes as I go, and keep track of what I am doing until that time. I haven't started on Jane's newest TIAS, and I don't know if I'll get to it now. It won't be fun if I rush to catch up. So I'll move on here to the non-tatting that I managed to do this past week and a bit.
I'm not sure why, but I got inspired to work on chainmaille this week. Sales have come to a standstill, so I've been working on some new weaves, trying to come up with some new products. A few items are promising, another few need some work (and by work, I mean I have no idea what I'm going to do with them).
The first item is a fairly simple bracelet:
This bracelet is made using a weave called Double Spiral. Like I said it is pretty easy to make, and I'm not sure why I haven't tried it yet. I need to get some proper photos of it (something I was supposed to do today) and get it listed. It is made out of stainless steel, though it should work in most metals.
The next item I made is just a quick sample of a new weave:
This one is called Captive Zen. It is one of those weaves that relies heavily on very specific rings sizes to work. There are four different sizes of rings used here. Since this photo was taken, I have made a bracelet using this weave. I haven't photographed it yet (again, one of today's tasks that didn't get done). Both the above sample and the unphotographed bracelet were made using bright aluminum rings. This is a pretty stiff weave (it has to be), and doesn't work well for really small wrists, though it apparently relaxes and loosens up over time. I really like the way this weave looks. I'm hoping to make a pair of earrings using this weave too.
Finally, we come to the weave in which I'm not sure how it will be used.
This is a scalemaille flower. The flower is pretty quick to make. The one above has been modified to use as a pendant; the additional rings needed aren't shown in the above photo. I had thought they could be used as earrings, but at 1.75 inches across, they may be a bit large. Since I don't wear earrings, I really don't know. This could be easily wired to a brooch pin too. And one could add a length of wire to back and display it in a vase. I could go on; there are many possibilities. I might just sell them unfinished, so to speak, and let people use them as they please. Both the scales and rings are bright aluminum.
That's it for now. Hopefully I'll get some tatting time in this week. I'm probably going to work some more chainmaille too. Since my birthday is next Friday, I don't know what my posting schedule will be like. I'll aim for mid week, but it will depend on what I get done that's worth posting. Till next time.
I'm not sure why, but I got inspired to work on chainmaille this week. Sales have come to a standstill, so I've been working on some new weaves, trying to come up with some new products. A few items are promising, another few need some work (and by work, I mean I have no idea what I'm going to do with them).
The first item is a fairly simple bracelet:
This bracelet is made using a weave called Double Spiral. Like I said it is pretty easy to make, and I'm not sure why I haven't tried it yet. I need to get some proper photos of it (something I was supposed to do today) and get it listed. It is made out of stainless steel, though it should work in most metals.
The next item I made is just a quick sample of a new weave:
This one is called Captive Zen. It is one of those weaves that relies heavily on very specific rings sizes to work. There are four different sizes of rings used here. Since this photo was taken, I have made a bracelet using this weave. I haven't photographed it yet (again, one of today's tasks that didn't get done). Both the above sample and the unphotographed bracelet were made using bright aluminum rings. This is a pretty stiff weave (it has to be), and doesn't work well for really small wrists, though it apparently relaxes and loosens up over time. I really like the way this weave looks. I'm hoping to make a pair of earrings using this weave too.
Finally, we come to the weave in which I'm not sure how it will be used.
This is a scalemaille flower. The flower is pretty quick to make. The one above has been modified to use as a pendant; the additional rings needed aren't shown in the above photo. I had thought they could be used as earrings, but at 1.75 inches across, they may be a bit large. Since I don't wear earrings, I really don't know. This could be easily wired to a brooch pin too. And one could add a length of wire to back and display it in a vase. I could go on; there are many possibilities. I might just sell them unfinished, so to speak, and let people use them as they please. Both the scales and rings are bright aluminum.
That's it for now. Hopefully I'll get some tatting time in this week. I'm probably going to work some more chainmaille too. Since my birthday is next Friday, I don't know what my posting schedule will be like. I'll aim for mid week, but it will depend on what I get done that's worth posting. Till next time.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
I Got Nothin'
Pretty much, anyway. I'm still working on the Angels In The Snow snowflake that I started before the last post. I had a couple of sales last weekend, and worked at remaking the items that sold. I ended up playing with the Bicubix Blocks earrings, seen below:
I played around with using some then all coloured rings, with some very pretty results. Though due to my work schedule, I can't get some decent photos (I prefer to photograph my items outside, temperatures permitting). I did get a few indoor photos, but they don't do the earrings justice.
They look waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay better in person. The purple rings in the bottom pair are much darker. The blue rings in the top photo are absolutely gorgeous. See here (hopefully). And that still doesn't do them justice. My supplier started using a new anodizing technique to make these, and other ring colours. Unfortunately, it will be at least another week before I can get these listed, but we'll see.
On the truck front, my dad found me a new(ish) truck. It's a 2006 GMC something or other. He won't tell me exactly what it is. I will be going back to their place Saturday after work. I have to admit, I'm not really looking forward to the trip. I'll be careful. Promise. Till next time.
I played around with using some then all coloured rings, with some very pretty results. Though due to my work schedule, I can't get some decent photos (I prefer to photograph my items outside, temperatures permitting). I did get a few indoor photos, but they don't do the earrings justice.
They look waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay better in person. The purple rings in the bottom pair are much darker. The blue rings in the top photo are absolutely gorgeous. See here (hopefully). And that still doesn't do them justice. My supplier started using a new anodizing technique to make these, and other ring colours. Unfortunately, it will be at least another week before I can get these listed, but we'll see.
On the truck front, my dad found me a new(ish) truck. It's a 2006 GMC something or other. He won't tell me exactly what it is. I will be going back to their place Saturday after work. I have to admit, I'm not really looking forward to the trip. I'll be careful. Promise. Till next time.
Monday, August 9, 2010
A Tatted Pendant and Some Chainmaille Too
This will be a short post. I haven't done much tatting over the last week. I've been making chainmaille related stuff lately. My Showcase spot on Etsy last week brought in a few sales, which was nice (one of which was a Sterling Silver bracelet). I also had a couple custom requests through Etsy as well that I'm waiting on. I think only one could be considered guaranteed, since I'm just waiting on a colour choice. The second one was probably scared off by the price (I think, and I was being generous too; it's happened before). I've been waiting on a third custom request for over two weeks now; I don't know if it will happen either. I was actually looking forward to this one; the item requested was intriguing (at least to me). C'est la vie!
Anyway, here is the only tatting that I managed to get finished this past week:
This is the Five Petal Pendant from Marilee's new book Up and Tat 'em. I have to say, I love this book! It's full of cool and mostly smallish items suitable for gifts. I have to admit, I did learn something while working on this motif. What did I learn? Bead sizes don't change as much as I thought when changing thread sizes. The pattern called for size 20 thread and 4 mm beads. I used size 10 thread and figured 6 mm beads would be suitable. 5 mm beads might have worked. However, I made the 6 mm beads work; I added an extra stitch here and there as needed. I bet you're wondering about the thread. This is Lizbeth size 10 colour #129 Purple Splendor that I got from Typstatting in the Thread Exchange. I have to say, I didn't know what to expect with this thread. I know a number of people didn't like the size 10 Lizbeth. But I, um, LOVE it! No, really, I do. It tats beautifully and it is strong (a big plus for me, I regularly snap threads when closing rings, and ending off). I'm, of course, now not sure what thread I want to use for my tie. I think it will come down to what colour I will use. I am thinking black may be the way to go, but I'll have to have a better look in my closet some time (soon).
Finally, I will show you a chainmaille pendant I finished yesterday.
I took three of my stainless steel Celtic Star pendants, and joined them together. I have them on a cotton cord, but I think I will look into a matching metal chain to make it more complete. And adjustable. I can make adjustable necklaces using a single strand of cord, but I'm not sure about double strands. I'll have to look into this. Hopefully I'll get this in my Etsy shop in the next day or two.
That's about it for now. If some of these custom request go through, I'll be busy with chainmaille for most of the week. If not, I'll try to get some more tatting done. Including those little motifs I mentioned last week, but haven't worked on since. Till next time.
Anyway, here is the only tatting that I managed to get finished this past week:
This is the Five Petal Pendant from Marilee's new book Up and Tat 'em. I have to say, I love this book! It's full of cool and mostly smallish items suitable for gifts. I have to admit, I did learn something while working on this motif. What did I learn? Bead sizes don't change as much as I thought when changing thread sizes. The pattern called for size 20 thread and 4 mm beads. I used size 10 thread and figured 6 mm beads would be suitable. 5 mm beads might have worked. However, I made the 6 mm beads work; I added an extra stitch here and there as needed. I bet you're wondering about the thread. This is Lizbeth size 10 colour #129 Purple Splendor that I got from Typstatting in the Thread Exchange. I have to say, I didn't know what to expect with this thread. I know a number of people didn't like the size 10 Lizbeth. But I, um, LOVE it! No, really, I do. It tats beautifully and it is strong (a big plus for me, I regularly snap threads when closing rings, and ending off). I'm, of course, now not sure what thread I want to use for my tie. I think it will come down to what colour I will use. I am thinking black may be the way to go, but I'll have to have a better look in my closet some time (soon).
Finally, I will show you a chainmaille pendant I finished yesterday.
I took three of my stainless steel Celtic Star pendants, and joined them together. I have them on a cotton cord, but I think I will look into a matching metal chain to make it more complete. And adjustable. I can make adjustable necklaces using a single strand of cord, but I'm not sure about double strands. I'll have to look into this. Hopefully I'll get this in my Etsy shop in the next day or two.
That's about it for now. If some of these custom request go through, I'll be busy with chainmaille for most of the week. If not, I'll try to get some more tatting done. Including those little motifs I mentioned last week, but haven't worked on since. Till next time.
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