C-LON beading thread & cord

I've done it now! As if I didn't have enough beading supplies, I just bought 60 bobbins of the newest "C-LON" beading thread and cord. I've tried them all and in the end I still prefer a flat filament nylon thread for my needleweaving and a twisted filament polyester or nylon mini-cord for my bead crochet. Caravan Beads in Portland ME had just announced the arrival of their new "C-LON" beading cord in 30 colors. I couldn't find anyone who had tried it for bead crochet, so I ordered their mix of all of the colors. I also got a mix of all of their colors in size "D" beading thread. I had used some C-Lon about 3 years ago but new information caused me to try it again. The original factory was bought out and new quality controls had been instituted. This is also vat dyed, not surface dyed thread so the color is throughout.

"C-LON" Beading Cord:
According to Barry at Caravan Beads, "C-Lon Bead Cord is an extra-heavy twisted multi-filament nylon thread. I believe the breaking strength is about 34 lbs but will confirm that with the factory. Thread diameter is less than 0.5mm. It fits easily one time through the holes in Miyuki 11/0 seed beads, and the doubled thread on a split-eye needle passes easily through Miyuki 8/0s. Perfect for bead crochet!" There are 86 yards of cord (about 78 meters) per bobbin. Made in the USA."

"C-LON" Beading Thread:
"C-Lon is a tough, UV resistant nylon monocord thread that is claimed to fray less and stretch less than other similar dyed threads. For beadwork using needle and thread, off-loom bead weaving etc. Bright colors. May not require waxing depending upon technique. Thicker than size B but similar in thickness to Nymo D. There are 80 yards of thread (about 73 meters) per bobbin. "

Now for the rest of the story.......


I attended the NH Bead Society meeting this afternoon and took my new C-Lon mini cord with me to share the idea with other bead crocheters. Anna, an internet seller of C-Lon products was there with her supply of sizes AA & D. Several of us were looking and comparing when the light bulb went on. The colors matched (or close enough)! Size AA, size D and cord all had very close color matches. So if you have a need to color match your beading threads in three different sizes then here it is.


I am interested in the C-Lon mini cord for bead crocheting with size 6/0 beads or 6 mm glass or gemstone beads. The smaller sized polyester threads just are not strong enough. The red rope is with 6 mm faceted glass rondells. I'm not happy with the Conso mini-cord that I used so I may take it out and try the C-Lon mini cord.

My Amber Necklace is coming along and curving nicely. I wish I had more time to work on it as I like how it is forming and shaping up.

Fall Clean UP Time

A messy work space is a sign of........
insanity, creativity, a poor housekeeper, or ??

It's more than time to clean up the bead room. They say a messy desk is a sign of creativity - what does my work space say about me?

For 2 weeks I've just been dumping things on all of the flat surfaces and beading on a tray in the living room. At one point in my life I actually thought that I would not have any flat surfaces in my living spaces... no flat surfaces, nowhere to dump crap! Somehow that didn't work, my family thought it might be more than wierd! So, back to cleaning off flat surfaces.... the lamp shade and box of old papers goes to the dump; the beads & supplies get sorted back into their proper spaces; a banker's box will hold things that have to go west with me; and any leftovers will go into a box for some eBay, beadroom cleanout auctions when I get to Arizona.

Bead Storage:
Some time in the dim past, I saw a bead cabinet on Suzanne Cooper's site. She commented that her husband had built the cabinets for her. This summer I finally found someone who would build me a cabinet like Suzanne's. Now I wonder just how I lived without it. I like it so much that I've already contracted with the husband of a friend to duplicate it for my Arizona studio. The cabinet holds 48 #3700 Plano plastic cases. When I'm ready to travel, I pack 7 of those Plano boxes into an LL Bean canvas tote and the 7+ totes go into the car. Have beads, am ready to bead my way across the country with good beading friends.

I guess I'd better get things to the point that I can pack the car as it's only a little over 2 weeks before I'm scheduled to drive to Arizona for the winter. The night time temperatures here in NH are getting into the 20's and we've had sleet already - it's time to head for a warmer part of the country.

Baltic Amber shades of a New England Fall

A 2-hole piece of amber along with some fat bronze Czech drops landed on my beading desk together.
I had been working on a "Center Cab Bracelet" and got to thinking..... what would happen if I changed this, used smaller turn beads and..... You get the picture, a new design began to bubble up in my mind.

Now to see if my ideas really would work. I wanted this to be a necklace with a top edge that gently curved. To accomplish this, I used a size 11/0 turn bead on one edge and size 8/0 beads for the body with the drops. So far it seems to be doing what I thought it would, however I'm not sure about the step up that I put into the lower curve of the necklace. I was thinking to gradually decrease into a strap that went behind the neck which would also make it lighter. It's not easy to accomplish a gentle decrease with 3-drop peyote. I'll finish this one and go back to the drawing board to see what I can do to make the lower curve less abrupt.

It's a bright, warm Indian Summer day here in New Hampshire and the Amber necklace was reflecting the colors outside my windows when I was taking the photograph. It bodies the shades of late fall in this neck of the woods.

I really need to start thinking about organizing myself for my drive to Arizona for the winter. I leave after Thanksgiving and will stop and visit/bead with friends along the way, ending up in Tombstone around the 10th of December. I treasure my stop to bead with the Beadtrekers in Gilmer, Texas most of all. It is a truly creative time with best personal/beading friends, all of whom I met through the internet in years gone by.

NH Bones ~ the first stone

I've always liked rocks.... all kinds of rocks, large and small . My Mother said that I had rocks in my head. As a kid I collected rocks; beach agates, mineral specimens, and just plain pretty rocks. When we first moved to New Hampshire in the late 1970's, I'd heard say that New Hampshire's largest crop was rocks. That was fine with me until I started to garden. I cleaned rocks out of my garden and by next spring the garden was full of rocks once again.

My first experience with growing rocks was when I asked my native New Hampshireite husband to get a rock out of my garden. I showed him that it was only a litle rock. He laughed and went and got the backhoe!


I was amazed at what came out of the ground. The center rock in this photo got dubbed "Momma's Pebble" and now holds up one edge of a garden.

Over the past quarter of a century I've seen many common uses of New Hampshire granite, huge unique stones, beautiful practical stone construction, as well as "gentrified" stonework.

As I get a chance during my Summers in New Hampshire, I'll share some of those with you. I've often thought that it would be fun to drill a bunch of the smaller round stones and bead with them. Can you see me now, beading the New Hampshire landscape?