New Arrangement, New Pattern

Mini Roses. A couple of years ago, I started on Moss Roses from Bead Design by Ruth Wasley and Edith Harris. The pattern has been adjusted and changed so that it has now become my own. I'd wanted to develop a beginner type pattern and this became it. This will (hopefully) be on display at a new local bead store and I'm really hoping that leads to more opportunities for me.



As you can see, there's lots of greenery here. I never liked making greenery but I have found that it does help to complete the arrangement. I also tried to demonstrate how different beads can look. So what do we have here? A total of 24 stems, 6 per color.

• 11/0 Pearl Eggshell (Studio Baboo) with a 11/0 medium green (Shipwreck 11SB282)
• 9/0 3 cut in light topaz (Shipwreck 9SC354-T) with 9/0 3 cut dark green (Margola)
• 11/0 Miyuki in purple #356-E with 11/0 Miyuki green #729
• 11/0 Toho silver lined pink #2113 with Toho magenta lined olive #2204
  

More knitting, beading, running

The running -
Just signed myself up for the Veteran's Day 10K. This is to prevent myself from crashing after this weekend's Marine Corps 8K.
The knitting -
Kepler is coming along. Was at the Stitch N' Bitch tonight and made it to the armholes. It's exciting! I think this means another couple of hours and I'll be done with the front!
I'd also brought Chantress with me but I'd run low on beads and didn't have enough to complete another side. I've currently got somewhere close to 2.5 hanks on that bag...another 10 hanks or so of beads to go.
The beading -
The gerbera daisy pattern is on hold. I'm working on a little side project which will hopefully bode well for my future in beaded flowers. Yes, I do aspire to be on of the "grand dames" one day. So many beads, so little time.

Yesterday was the DC Knit Out and Crochet. I was at the tent teaching some people to knit. I'd brought along Chantress for the down time and got many comments on her. Most people were just amazed by it. I tell ya! I love beads!

Starting Chantress

On the needle.



Close up on the needle.


size comparison
Wowee! Size 0000 needles, I didn't quite realize. My hands felt big and clumsy when I first started and boy, this is smaller than I'd thought. So can see the beginning and I added in the picture with my thumb to give you and idea of the size of this and what exacly I'm working with! Those are Shipwreck size 11/0 ruby A/B beads. Same beads as I used for the ginger.

Toho 2204

I found these beads at a new bead store in Old Town. I was intrigued. Olive lined with purple. Toho beads #2204. I was so intrigued I bought them and while I was at the Caps game, I realized that they may make some really interesting sunflower sepals. So, if you click on the picture, it enlarges to full size and you can see the purple lined in the loose beads. But if you look at the sepal that I made using purple wire, you can't really see the lining...that's a little disappointing.

Cheryl's callas!

Cheryl is someone from the yahoo beaded flowers group and I met her a couple of weeks ago in Charlottesville. She had bought my calla pattern and made a couple. I really like the pink one! I am also so excited to see that yes, people managed to understand my instructions and that it can be interpretted and recreated by someone else.
It is a relaxing Saturday night as I am watching some hockey and working on Kepler. I bought another ball of yarn at A.C. Moore today so I'm set for the week. I also found a great vase for my sunflower and bells of ireland arrangement for the dining room so hopefully, that will motivate me to make another couple of sunflowers and another couple of bells of ireland. The sunflowers will be quick. These will be #14 and #15 of the sunflowers I've made in the past year...and only the 2nd and 3rd I've kept for myself. I'm thinking of one in yellow and one in a shaded topaz.

Kepler progress

I've finished both the waist bands and the wrists. Now it's time for the stockinette stitch body and sleeves and they seem to be going pretty quickly. I had to do some recalculation as I made this band wider than it was supposed to be since I couldn't stand the thought of stopping int he middle of a pattern repeat. I also wanted this a little longer than the pattern was designed for. I prefer to have my clothing end at my hips, not above.

Beaded Knitted Bags

I think the title of this post says enough of my latest craze. I love beads (see beaded flowers below). I do really enjoy knitting (see knitted wear below). I love bags (see my closet). And yesterday, I came across beaded knitted bags. They come premade but really expensive. They come in kits...but why am I buying more beads when I probably have a bead stash bigger than most of the bead stores in the DC metro area? But all the sites kept pointing to one...Barb's Beaded Bags. Go check it out. The bags are beautiful. I need to find a way to work the bags into my daily use. Hopefully, I'll receive my first pattern next week. I ordered Chantress. She's sexy and a little seductive. Oui?
In the mean time, I've decided that my next insanity beading project may be a potted cymbidium plant. Make the flowers, put them on stalks, make some leaves. learn to do some sculptural peoyte stitch to bead around some styrafoam balls to make the pseudobulbs. The last insanity beading project was the daisy topiary. At least the cymbidium moves quickly...So I say right now.

Ginger, Parrot's Beak

Ginger: Ruby AB (Shipwreck)
Parrot's Beak:

• Orange Lined Yellow (York)
• Peach Lined Crystal (Margola)
• Light Peach Lined Crystal (Margola)
• Yellow (Shipwreck)
• Green - peridot? (Shipwreck)

Anthurium

Anthurium made using all size 11/0 Czech beads.

• Jet Lined Black from York
• Ruby (Shipwreck)
• Garnet (Shipwreck)
• Pale Yellow satin maybe (Shipwreck)
• Eggshell (Studio Baboo)

No, I can't wear it

No, I can't wear it. It's a hand bag from a woman with a weird sense of humor. It is quite fitting for my collection of handbags and strange fascination with corsets and such things.

hockey! hockey! hockey!

The NHL is BACK! Opening night has all 30 teams facing off and I am enjoying NHL Center Ice. When one game ends, I move onto the next channel. Add to that, the Caps won and the Flyers lost.
This weekend is the flower semiar. I am SO excited. I've been drooling over those flowers for a week. I've got enough parts to make 2 gingers. The scary thing is that my bag with the beads will probably be bigger and heavier than my bag with the clothes.

I need to blog

I went down to Charlottesville over the weekend to preview the flower seminar. Donna has out did her self once again. I'll have a picture of her arrangement after the weekend when I've gone for my 3 days of beading madness. Can't wait! Can't wait! Can't wait!
I'm getting inspired to run again...after my 2 week layoff and the horrendous morning at the gym.