Variation on a Theme

This is my latest addition to my Etsy menagerie. It is a double knit pattern in light green-yellow (or chartreuse) silver-plated 26-gauge wire.

(For the record, the brand is Artistic Wire. I used a silver wire of this brand once before, and was disappointed by the coating peeling off. Not cool! But my second try with it was very satisfying -- lightweight, quite flexible, and no peeling!)

This bracelet is actually inspired by a recent custom ordered piece. Here is a photo.

This second bracelet is single knit with black and peacock blue beads inside the weave. (Incidentally, the beads are of Czech glass, whose sparkle I love and whose price I can afford!) Also, as you can see, I didn't put beads on each end of the chain, but instead there are bronze colored end caps.

As this piece was a custom order, I did not choose the wire color on my own, but rather I consulted with the buyer to make a special online purchase. Buying a single spool of wire online is not something I'd do normally, because shipping about doubles the total cost. It's also risky, as is any other online order.

I report with gratitude that the color was just what I'd hoped, the wire didn't peel or have any other defects, and furthermore, after I'd finished with the custom order, I was left with some wire to spare for my own amusement!

I really liked the blue beads with the green, so I stuck with that in the next bracelet, adding some new colors. (The beads from my matching madness have a cameo as well!) I also wanted the weave stronger and stiffer, hence the double knit. I like my second bracelet, but I think the color is so bright and fun that it calls for a design that is a little more complex.

Maybe another variation on this theme is in the future!

Sitting on the Shelf for Months

Unfinished. Experimental. Behold!

I made this bracelet about 4 months ago. I wouldn't feel right trying to sell this awkwardest of turtles to anyone, but I don't mind revealing it to the internet in picture form. (Speaking of turtles, my Beloit friends may recognize the tabletop as that of one of the tables in the Science Center!) With this piece, I've been working with the nice harmony between the green of the wire and the bronze of the chains and clasp.

So, I like the color combination, but the balance is all wrong. Either I need to disassemble this piece and use its parts for some other creation, or it needs some major renovation. I am just not sure how that will come about.

Suggestions welcome in comments!

Matching Madness

This bracelet came about when I noticed that I had some beads that matched a an outfit that I planned on wearing for a wedding this summer.

First, here's a close-up of the copper chain (which, if I do say so myself, turned out great).

And here it is! I was so excited to make this bracelet -- just look at how well the greens and blues match! I only had 2 days to whip this one up, but it was worth the effort.

I can proudly say that this bracelet is well-balanced, which makes it feel nice on my wrist, and also just looks fabulous. I'm so glad for the spark of inspiration my outfit gave me!

Branching Out -- Nerd Style

As with many of my other stories, this one starts off with an object -- a piece of raw material from which inspiration grew.

Meet mother... board.

OK, it's not "mother board," per say, but a circuit board. It might not even be from a desktop computer, but you never know.

I saw this little number on clearance at my favorite hobby shop. Score! It's always exciting to try new stuff on the cheap.

Next, I took some time to think about what sort of chain it should be attached to.

I thought the copper wire would look pretty sharp with the green, but I wanted to use silver findings for the end caps and clasp to echo the silver-colored bits in the pendant.

You can see from the above picture that at first I had the hook clasp in the "middle" of two equal lengths of silver rings. I decided to change it so that the length could be adjusted by the wearer.

The result is a wonderfully, ostentatiously geeky necklace unlike anything I've yet made!

Read my next blog for some of the hoops I had to jump through to make useful hoops!! (The pendant didn't come with a way to attach it to a necklace! Ack!)