Category Archives: beading

Holden Shawlette – All Finished!

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This is my favorite kind of post to write – the one where we have gotten to the end of a class and I get to show off all the great hard work and imagination of the women who knit with me. I am so proud and so inspired by these women. I love my (second) job.

In the last session of the class, we discussed the picot bind off and how to add beads to it. If you want to add a bead to a picot bind off, you follow the directions for the bin odd – in this case, I believe it was BO 5, CO 3. After you cast on the last (third stitch) you knit it, and then you add a bead to that stitch using a crochet hook and then you move it to the right handed needle. Get it? Knit the stitch, but leave it on the left needle, add a bead to it, move the beaded stitch to the right needle and continue the directions (in this case, BO 5). Repeat!

So, there were, I think, seven of us when we started The Holden Shawlette  and almost all of us made it across the finish line by the last day of class. Those who did not were not far behind. Here are some pictures – and I must tell you they do not do justice to the vibrancy of the work, here – of what the students did.

Kathy's lovely Holden

This is Kathy’s beautiful shawl – she was working on the bind off in the last class. She made hers with two (maybe three?) skeins of Crystal Palace’s Panda Silk. I love the beads that she used. When she initially picked them, I thought, oh no, that’s gonna be a hot mess (thank’s Jaleh, that is my new favorite expression). But I was majorly wrong and she was happily right! Do you see them? They are on the knit stitches between the yarn overs down at the lace edge of the shawl. LOVE THEM!

And this one – down below here – is Sarita’s! Sarita made her shawl using a single skein of Schaefer’s “Anne,” in a very vibrant variegated pattern. Because of the riot of colors – this whole shawl makes me think of a circus – she decided – very wisely, I think – not to use beads. We both agreed beads might take this shawl over the top. I love how pretty these colors are against her skin. I hope she makes another (for me!)

And now we have Miss Rachelle’s Holden Shawl. Rachelle made hers . . . gosh, I forget what the yarn was at this point. Rachelle if you read this, correct me if I am wrong, but I believe it was Malabrigo Sock. She, too, picked some beads that I was more than dubious about – and proved me wrong – I LOVE IT!!! Rachelle had hers finished in the class, and then she went home and blocked it and sent me a picture. I’m going to try and put both here . . . .

Rachelle, showing me her shawl at Stitches . . . .

Rachelle's Holden - beaded detail

Okay, now here is the picture she sent me . . . what a difference blocking makes:

The other little tidbit blocking on that towel is the Beaded Waterfall Necklace Rachelle also made with me. SHE IS VERY GOOD.

And here is Holly’s! Holly used a single skein of Schaefer’s “Audrey,” a lovely single-ply blend of wool and silk that I use often for lace. I love it. Holly loved it!

Beaded Waterfall Necklace Class

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Folks, I am behind and trying hard to catch up. The Saturday of Stitches West I taught the Beaded Waterfall Necklace for the first time. I developed this pattern from my Beaded waterfall Scarf when one of my students held her fringe section up and said, “Wouldn’t this make a pretty necklace?” She was right, and my four students all made gorgeous things. Check it out . . . . .

Kathleen and her pretty red necklace

And now here’s Rachelle’s . . . .

Rachelle's Blue and Silver

Pretty!

And Dale’s – she would not let me take a picture of her face!

Dale's green necklace

Maria’s necklace was not quite done, so I don’t have a picture of it here. I think it’s still in the camera. She finished it the following Thursday, I think, and it was gorgeous.

I love teaching people like you! Thanks you guys for all your enthusiasm and encouragement.

Beaded Waterfall Necklace

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The Beaded Waterfall Scarf

The last time I taught my “Beaded Waterfall Scarf” class at K2Tog, one of students, Breda, held up the inch of scarf border she had completed and said, “Ooooh, wouldn’t this be a beautiful necklace?”

Breda, you are BRILLIANT. Here’s the result, made with the same yarn and beads . . .

Beaded Waterfall Necklace

What I did was get out my needles, about a million beads (okay, 375 beads) and an equal amount of yarn schnibblets (for the uninitiated, a schnibblet is the little clump of yarn you have left over from a project – usually a pair of socks or a lace shawl – that is too small for most projects yet too big to throw away).

Schnibblets!

With a little adaptation of the original pattern and some jewelry findings, here are some of the results . . .

Some samples

I am not at liberty to post the pattern here because I am scheduled to teach it as a one-session class at K2Tog in February. It is perfect for the new-ish knitter, the knitter who wants to explore beads, and the knitter who is swimming in schnibblets.

Aeolian Shawl Session Two – In the Thick of It Now!

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Hello, ladies. I hope you all had a great holiday. I sure did. I had my parents in town from Texas, plus our two grown sons. We had 11 people for Christmas dinner. I took my parents to the airport Tuesday morning and immediately came home and went to bed. I got up twice for about 15 minutes, then once at night for about 3 hours, and then back to bed! I was seriously tired. I had not touched my shawl since class and was able to return to it yesterday and this morning and am well on my way. I hope you are too.

Here are some pictures of your great work from our last class:

Lisa's Aeolian

 

Dale!!!!

So let’s recap some of things we discussed in the last class. Everyone seemed more than proficient at placing the beads on their knitting, so we can skip over that. (If you are not one of my students and are reading this blog as you knit Aeolian on your own – and I know I have some readers who are – refer to my previous Aeolian Shawl posts for explanations and links to helpful videos). You all also seemed fine with your nupps. Remember the three keys to making good nupps – 1) use very pointy needles; 2) make your nupp stitches and yarn overs VERY LOOSE; 3) when purling your nupps on the wrong side be absolutely sure you have picked up all 7 (or 5 or 9) strands of the nupp. Not doing so will give you an extra stitch on your next row.

Tita is using hers as a veil

We discussed that for the next class we’d like to have the agave and final agave done, and if you can, get started on the edge charts. Remember that you can do as many repeats of the agave chart as you like, but that the last repeat must be from the final agave chart. Remember that the bold slanted lines on the chart represent DOUBLE DECREASES (slip, slip, slip knit and k3tog) and not single decreases (slip, slip, knit and k2tog). This is a mistake I made in the reading the charts when I first knit this and I ended up with way too many stitches per row.

Emily's white on white Aeolian

A word about the relationship of the agave chart to the transition chart just below it on your knitting. If you are doing the agave chart correctly, the little triangle of beads should sit in the middle (tho of course, above) the V formed with yarn overs and beads in the transition chart. Here’s a picture of mine:

 

The white threads represent the beginning of a new chart. Notice where the little cluster of three beads is in relation to the V of yarn overs and beads below. Get it?

If you make it through the agave charts and on to the edge charts, remember the order of the edge charts goes like this on all right side rows:

right edge chart, edge set up chart, center edge chart, edge set up chart, left edge chart

Only after you complete all 28 rows of the edge set-up chart do you move on to the main edge chart for the side sections. You continue doing the right, center  and left edge charts. IS THAT COMPLICATED ENOUGH FOR YA?

We meet again one week from today and I am very anxious and excited to see your work and compare notes. I really treasure this class – you are all stars and a joy to spend time with.

I think this is Ruth's? Sara's?

Aeolian Shawl Session One – Making Progress

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I spent a lot of Sunday sitting on the couch watching the Green Bay Packers humiliate I MEAN DEFEAT the Oakland Raiders. I am not a football fan, but my husband hails from Milwaukee and my son is a Raiders fan and we live about 20 miles north of their stadium. So it was on the tube.

And on my needles was my second Aeolian Shawl, which I am making this time from a silk lace from Lisa Souza, color way “Sedona.” And let me tell you, this is absolutely luscious, addictive, finger-tinglingly delicious to knit with. I could not put it down.

So for those of you knitting along with me in the Aeolian Shawl Knitalong we are having at K2Tog, here’s my shawl. I have completed the set-up chart and ten repeats of the Yucca Chart . . . .

Yucca Chart section

Remember, Yucca has to be repeated an even number of times. And if you look at mine, you will see on this go-round I have placed a bead only at the tips of the Yucca leaves.

And see my lifeline . . . .

Lifeline

That marks the end of Yucca and my move onto the Transition Chart. Then I’ll begin the Agave Chart.

Silk doesn’t look too spectacular until you block it, and i real think this is gonna be a beaut. It’s a real rusty, sunset red-orange. I love that Lisa Souza. Gonna spend some $$ with her at Stitches West in February.

 

Aeolian Shawl Class – Session One

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Mikako's Aeolian

Hi, folks. I am writing this post to support the nine fabulous women who took the first session of the Aeolian Shawl knit along with me last night at K2Tog. This gorgeous shawl is designed by Elizabeth Freeman and is a free pattern on Knitty.

The purpose of writing about the class/knitalong on my blog is to reinforce what we discussed about each section of the shawl. There’s a lot of information coming at people in each session and I promised to write notes here so, if they get stuck in the two weeks between each of the three sessions, they can come here and hopefully get Unstuck!

So, here’s what we covered in Session One:

We started the shawl with a tab cast on, casting on 3 stitches using long-tail, not a provisional cast on. We worked in garter stitch for 17 rows. Then we picked up and knit 7 stitches across the long side of the tab, then picked up and knit 3 more stitches across the cast on edge for a total of 13 stitches. This gave our knitting the appearance of a little swag having from our needles.

We decided to use a border of 3 garter stitches at each side of the shawl. This means that on EVERY ROW we slip the first stitch as if to purl with yarn in front (wyif). We then knit the two remaining stitches before the body of the shawl (the charted parts), and we knit the last three stitches of every row.

The charts are worked as follows: the border stitches (the frame of three garter stitches at each side” ARE NOT charted. Work them first (slip the first purl wise wyif and then K2). Then go to the chart and work the row you are on. That should take you to the center stitch. The center stitch is also not charted. Work the center stitch, then repeat the chart from the beginning. That should take you to the last three stitches of the row, which form the garter stitch frame. Work the last three stitches in garter stitch (knit all stitches).

We should have at least four stitch markers on our needles – one after the first three stitches, one before the center stitch, one after the center stitch, and one before the last three stitches.

We begin working the shawl with the Set-Up Chart. We work this chart ONCE ONLY, then move on to the Yucca Chart.

This shawl is modular. That means you can shorten it or lengthen it  by doing more or fewer repeats of two particular sections – the Yucca Chart and the Agave Chart. BUT, you must do an even number of repeats of the Yucca Chart and you must use the Final Agave Chart for the last repeat of the Agave section.

We talked about how to place a bead on a knit stitch – using a crochet hook (size 14), place a bead on the hook. With the hook, slip the stitch to be beaded off the left handed needle and onto the hook. Use your right hand to push the bead down over the end of the hook and onto the stitch. return the stitch to the left-handed needle without twisting it, and work it as directed .

We also talked about a few tips that apply to all lace knitting. First – use lifelines, dammit. I use them after every repeat of a chart, but you may use them as frequently as you like. Also, use a Post-It note to mark your place on the shawl. I always put my post it ON TOP of the row I am working so I can see how the stitches I am making should align with the stitches below. And the pointier the needles, the better.

Your “homework” is to complete the Yucca Chart as many times as you like and the Transition Chart to Row 15. We’ll cover how to make nupps – they come in on Row 17 of the Transition chart – in the next class. YEAH!

 

Albany Middle School Craft Fair

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This week, in moments here and moments there, I am trying to get ready for the Albany Middle School Craft Fair. This is the third year this local middle school has held the event, and it is the first year I am participating. I hope it turns out to be fun, first, and worth the time and energy, second. because if we can’t have fun with what we make, what the hell is the point?

School craft shows can be hit or miss for the artist. Once, when visiting my mother-in-law in rural Wisconsin, I went with her to one where she was showing her fabulous domino jewelry, which she sells for between $5 and $20. It was in a school gym and it was fairly well-attended – but people would walk up to the table, pick up Naomi’s painstakingly-made work, and say – I MEAN OUT LOUD – “Huh, I could do that.” Or, worse, “Oh, this is just a domino.” Yeah, corn-fed hick, you could make it, but would you actually put down your cheese curd long enough to get up off your ginormous butt and actually do it? My mother-in-law did and she’s standing right here so would you shut your pie hole?

(Sorry, tirade over. My apologies to Wisconsin.)

Okay, so I think I have enough jewelry for the show, so I’ve been concentrating this week on cards. I’ll also be taking Naomi’s domino jewelry – perfect for kids to buy for moms and sisters, etc. I’ll also have my husband’s fabulous origami ornaments. Each star ball takes more than 30 piece of  3″ x 3″ paper and then I add a needed hanger. Here’s some of what I have made, both this week and in the past and will have at the show. If you’re in or near Albany, Calif. this Sunday from noon to 3, please stop by and support your local artisans, even if it isn’t me. And the go to my friend Janie Rose’s open studio held at her house a mile or so away in El Cerrito.

Some cards I made

 

Naomi's Dominos

 

Terry's origami ornaments

 

Craftapalooza

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I have a had a most crafty weekend! After cooking Thanksgiving for 12 people and working 5 hours of Black Friday at the yarn store mostly by myself, I told myself Saturday was my day to do whatever I damn well pleased.

Art Yarns Summer Flies - Unblocked, but done!

I started the morning finishing the Summer Flies Shawlette with the ArtYarns Rhapsody light and Beaded Silk. It is glorious. I am deeply, truly in love with it. The experience of knitting it was so satisfying because of the gossamer feel of the yarn that I am tempted to buy another two skeins. We’ll see. I think I’d like to make a lace scarf this time. I made the longer version of Summer Flies by adding on the pattern called “My Version of Summer Flies” that can be found on Ravelry. If you do this, know that you will need both skeins of Art Yarns, but you will have some of each left over. I did mine using the Beaded Silk for all sections named “Ridged Eyelet” except the first one, because it is so high up behind the neck no one will see it, so why waste the silk? Then I used the Beaded Silk for the very last 3 rows and the bind off. One more important thing – bind off using a needle two sizes larger than you used on the rest of the shawl – a 10 for me. Otherwise the bind off is a bit tight. I may have to take mine out and work it again.

That only took me to about noon on Saturday. So it was on to the elliptical (I had a lot of spice cake on Thanksgiving) and then lunch – turkey sandwich, what else? Then I went up to my studio and finished a set of greeting cards I am making to sell Sunday, Dec. 4 at a craft fair at Albany Middle School. My goal with all the cards I am making for this show is to use up what I have, dammit! So I had these little party hat buttons, and I chopped off the button shank, and here you are.

Birthday Cards

Then I started another set of cards with some K and Company butterfly stickers I have that match some of their Wild Saffron paper I also have. These were fun to make – a little corner punch and some letter tiles I had and – done. Three are blank on the inside and three say “Thinking of You” inside.

Wild Saffron Cards

Then I got out some glass tiles I bought at the BABE Show with Lisa and I slapped them on some washi paper I also bought there. The hope is that these will become earrings. I’ll attach some bails to the backs and wire-wrap some Swarovski crystal bi-cones that will dangle from the bottom. Think I’ll ask $10 per pair because they are so easy!

THEN I got really ambitious. When Ellen and I went to TNNA last June we were in the ladies’ room washing our hands when I noticed the bracelet on the woman at the next sink. It was a series of flat circles she had crocheted around and then connected in an asymmetrical fashion and adorned wit beads. It was green and purple – my favorite. t was really cool – looked like mod bubbles. Now, did I take a picture? NO! Because I am stupid. But I have remembered, and Ellen and I ordered some of the disks and I have picked up a few more of some different sizes since then.

Wouldn’t it be cool to use the Art Yarns Beaded Silk I had left over from the Summer Flies to make a bracelet?

YES IT WOULD!!!!! TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT I MADE LAST NIGHT:

Here’s what I did – I had three sizes of cabone rings – which are made by Boye and available at craft and sewing stores – 1 inch, 3/4 inch and 1/2 inch. I used a small crochet hook – it doesn’t matter too much what size – to crochet around them in small groups. I made two groups that consisted of three disks, one of each size. Then I made two groups of two, one of the 3/4 inch and one of the 1/2 inch. Then I crocheted around two single 1/2 inch rings. Then I laid them out on the table and monkeyed with them – I arranged them into several shapes, decided on this one, and then used the tails to close the crochet around the rings and to connect the groups. I sewed in all my tails. Then I used Fireline to sew on the beads – coin pearls and Swarovski crystals, some framed by size 8 silver seed beads to make them fit in the circle. Then I attached the clasp.

I FREAKING LOVE THIS. I am going through my stash to see what little schnibblets of silk and other nice yarn I have left from other projects to make some more. So if you wanna make this, get to K2Tog or Michaels or Joanns before I do and buy up all the Boye rings.

And that was just Saturday. Here it is Sunday morning! Check with me on the next post. Of course, meanwhile my house needs to be cleaned  . . . .

Art Yarn Fever

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I had a really crappy couple-three days at the store this week. Really. Crappy. Not gonna go into it cause you never know who reads this thing, you know? But by Friday at 6 I decided I needed to take action. So I bought two skeins of Art Yarns I had been lusting after since seeing them at TNNA in June.

Here they are. No touching!

Art Yarns

In desperate need of fiber therapy, I cracked open both balls at about 7 p.m. Friday night, poured myself a glass of very fine zinfandel and turned on the local jazz station. I gave the dogs a couple of rawhide chews to keep them off my lap and sat down and cast on a Summer Flies. Yes, I know, I have made about 5 of these already. SO WHAT? It looks different every time you make it and I needed comfort knitting.

And man, is this comforting! Check it out . . .

Therapy

I decided I would use the Rhapsody Light to make the bulk of the shawl, and just bring in the Beaded Silk for the “ridged eyelet” sections. I will also do the picot bind-off in the silk. I may also place size 8 or 6 silver-lined beads in the picot bind off.

I can’t say enough about how great this yarn is. It is expensive, but it does not disappoint. The hand feel alone was worth it. I am thinking of it as a personal indulgence, a reward for good behavior. Like a really nice pair of shoes. Only I’m knitting with ‘em.

And, more importantly, I feel better about the world again. YEAH, KNITTING!

My Lisa Hangover

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It is Tuesday and I am still recovering from my 4-day weekend bead-binge with my college pal Lisa Beaudo, the designer behind Lisa’s Bead Closet and the blogger behind Japanese Beading Blues. Every year at about this time, she flies in from Houston to stay with me for 3 or 4 nights of beading frenzy and this year it was a short trip, only three nights, and we packed in the beading and the frenzying.

Lisa arrived on Thursday night at about 9 and on our way home from SFO we stopped in Berkeley and had a late dinner and drinks at Skates. It was a gorgeous night – the kind we folks in the Bay Area hope to be able to show out-of-towners – crystal clear night sky and the city shimmering across the water from our restaurant. One of the things I love about Lisa is no matter how long it’s been since we’ve seen each other, we just pick up where we left off, and this time was no different. We yacked away over French onion soup, artichoke cheese dip and chicken wings ( eating like we were young things again!).

Friday was bead-buying day. We headed down to Fremont to go to Kiowa Rose, a great bead shop in the historic Niles district. I love this bead store for its Victorian-chic esthetic and its excellent Czech glass strands but I only seem to get down there from our house, an hour away, when Lisa comes! So I tend to drop a bundle. This year was no different – lots of strands, brass chain and I a few tubes of the new Tila Beads from Miyuki. They let me take a few pics of samples I’d like to make.

But bad news – Kiowa Rose is up for sale! Owner Rosie and her husband are moving to Oregon. SOMEBODY PLEASE BUY THIS SHOP!!!! Lisa and I fantasized about it. We could live on the same street here in Pinole and take turns going down to the store –  3 days a week each. Then on the other three days we could each make jewelry! PROBLEM SOLVED.

Rachel met us at Kiowa Rose and we had an excellent lunch a few doors down at a place I think was called The Vine. We had great sandwiches and salads – tho someone must tell the woman in the gold cowboy bots that she must not clomp around on the wooden floors like a great elephant! Rachel and Lisa and I all went to University of Texas’s Drama Dept. together. Again, it was like no time had elapsed. Rachel, who is an actress, had us in stitches over a recent job she had – as a disruptive floozie at a rather staid 60th birthday party for an architect. Hysterical.

Then it was back to Berkeley and our wonderful Baubles and Beads. Somehow, I managed to spend more $ here. Sigh. Then we came home with a pizza, opened some great red wine and sat at the dining room table and beaded all night long.

Saturday was a BIG day. Saturday was the Bay Area Bead Extravaganza, which was happening at the Oakland Marriott, a few blocks away from Occupy Oakland. Two nights earlier a man was shot and killed at the encampment. Lisa was prepared for any disruption of BABE with a great slogan: DO NOT IMPEDE THE BEAD! DO NOT IMPEDE THE BEAD! The BART let us off right at the encampment and we took a look. Squalid is the word that comes to mind. OFF TO BABE.

Where, alas, I spent more $! Mostly, I bought chain. I am proud of the fact I bought no seed beads, as I have enough to start my own seed bead farm. I did buy some glass squares and blobs to do some decoupage-under-glass, one of my favorite things. Lisa bought some semi-precious coins to make some more earrings. We had our usual lunch at Ratto’s – yummylicious. We were there for about 4 hours and by the time we left I was dragging.

BUT NOT SO DRAGGING THAT I COULDN’T STAY UP LATE AGAIN BEADING. We were preparing for Sunday’s big event at our house – our second annual Jewelry Hoo-Hah! We invited about 50 people to my house to eat, drink Lisa’s famous Bloody Marys and pomegranate martinis, eat some yummy food and shop our jewelry.

Jen's Jewelry

I’ll tell you what was funny, tho. The party was to go from 12-4 so at 12 we break out the Bloody Marys. And then Lisa, Jen and I sat there until 1:40 before the first person showed up. What were we to do but drink MORE Bloody Marys until people got there. By the time the first person came – Sheri – we were feeling no pain.

My jewelry

 

It was a blast – about 25 or 30 of my knitting/beading friends came, each bearing something more delicious than the last – and they shopped out stuff only if they wanted to. In addition to my jewelry, which was spread out upstairs, Lisa had her most gorgeous things arranged around her bedroom, and my dog care professional Jen had her semi-precious strands upstairs, too. I also arranged  display of my husband Terry’s origami, which I beaded and turned into Christmas and Hannukah balls (I have never met an item that could not benefit from a little beading).

Some of Lisa's Baubles

And we just had a blast! My favorite part was walking into the living room and seeing every seat and even the floor filled with my friends knitting away, chatting, eating, drinking. The house was FULL of so much talent. I am a very lucky girl.

After the party, Lisa and Terry and I went out for some sushi at Miyuki. Yumm. Then, after crashing, we got up Monday and got Lisa all packed up and we headed off to Japantown, one of her must-stops. We hit the bookstore, the origami paper store, the china store and I did a lot of Christmas shopping. We had lunch at Suzu, the noodle house that makes their own delicious noodles, and then we shopped some more! I had her at the airport by 3 and was home by 4:30.

And then I crashed, baby. I mean seriously crashed. I was in bed early, tho I read and practiced my ukulele (yes, I am playing the ukulele now). And today I feel in need of a blood transfusion a la Keith Richards!

Lisa, I love you, but man you run me ragged! It was AWESOME and I can’t wait til next year!