What's on Your Hook?

This is what’s on my desk to crochet a row, or two, while I wait for a very slow Internet to catch up. I’ve got a lot that needs to be done, but some of the parts I need are stuck in the Post Office until Tuesday.

It's a gray, overcast day here in Tombstone AZ. It feels like rain, however rain in the desert is iffy. It can rain a mile away, but never reach where you are. I'm in waiting mode: waiting for beads to arrive, waiting to see if it will rain, waiting to see if I feel like sweeping the sand off of the floors .... just contemplating having a lazy Sunday in general.

I’m playing with beads that are not seed beads and liking the results very much. The brownish beads are sandstone heshi. They crochet up into nice, neat tiles in a tube. I have a cross drilled sandstone center piece that these go with. No crayon bright colors, just the muted rock colors of the desert floor. If you've not tried crocheted ropes with different shaped bead, you should do so. You can get some very pleasing results.

The other piece is done with matte black long Magatamas. I bought some last fall and have strung several test pieces to see how they worked. It took several trials to get them to lay right as these beads are quite directional.

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This orange toothed triangular rope is one of the pattern ideas in my last book. Here, the random orientation of the Magatamas worked great as a Halloween bracelet.

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If you want a more ordered look, you need to pay strict attention to stringing the Magatamas all in the same direction. The black one was done with nickel 8/0's and gives a nice curve to the rope. I have some ideas for a Medieval-looking bracelet with this iteration.

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This is what Bev, No Easy Beads, did with this stringing pattern. Now I just need to finish up my bracelet and publish the stringing table for it. Be aware that the Magatamas are not the easiest thing to crochet. They want to fold themselves into the center of the rope if you're not careful.

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So..... what's on your hook?

Have you tried any beads other than seed beads? If you have, send me a photo and I'll post some ideas of working with unusual beads in bead crochet.

Bead Society of San Diego

I have an opportunity to return to San Diego on March 19th & 20th. I was in San Diego last year for a photography workshop. However, I didn't get a chance to explore as it was just a month after coming down with a nasty case of the shingles. Sure didn't want to go and look at things as it was all I could do to extract something useful out of the workshop itself.

So, here's what I'll be doing........

Presentation:A Short History of Bead-Crochet, and the work of Judith Bertoglio-Giffin

The fashioning of beaded articles today is not a fad but a continuation of the process of bead artistry begun long ago. Judith will present slides and talk about the historical context of bead crochet ropes. She will then delve into her personal journey of learning, publishing and teaching the time honored woman’s craft of bead crocheted ropes. The presentation will be heavily illustrated with photo examples of the technique.

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Books, DVD and a limited number of kits will be available for sale　

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Workshop: Textural Elements for Bead-Crochet Ropes

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An intermediate workshop that shows you how to add texture, shape and style to bead crocheted ropes. You will be presented with at least 4 texture patterns and learn how to add in thread. You will string and crochet a sampler that may then be used as a key ring, bracelet or one end of a lariat. Kits will be available at the workshop.

Tucson 2011 - Day 5 - last day

I always treat myself for the last day trip to the shows. I plain like rocks; big ones, small ones, fancy minerals, and faceted gemstones. The shows that line the frontage road along I10 are a bit seedier than the big tented wholesale shows. That plus the conglomeration of cultures, languages and rock specimens makes them fascinating.

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The copper specimens have always been some of my favorites. Just imagine that the color from one copper penny could paint the whole world blue-green.

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Then there are the beautifully cut stones. I love the big ones. It's a good thing I live in small houses or I'd have at least one huge ball.... that is if I could figure out how to afford one.

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And there are the characters on the sidewalk and in the parking lots. This was a California juice bar, tenanted with long haired, tie dyed, beaded, old refugees from the 60's. Sorta like me.

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No matter what your interest might be, if it was a rock, you could find it here.

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Big dirty pieces just out of the ground

Slices and rough on the tables and in bins of water
Beautiful specimens nestled in cotton or paper

Carved objects in boxes or on pedestals

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I got a huge kick out of several tables full of animal carvings all line up in their boxes - looking at me as if to say, "take me home with you."

I did lots of dusty walking and poking around with the sun warm on my shoulders. It was a great end to my Gem Show wanderings. Now the last of the vendors are packing up and Tucson will go back to it's quiet drowsing in the sun.

Tucson 2011 - Day 4

The older I get, the longer it seems to take me to recover from a whole day of Tucson Gem show. It's noon and I am still in my robe, drinking coffee and taking it easy.

Yesterday I hit the Grant Inn (old Rodeway) show. I've always enjoyed it as there is a range of the $1.30 booth (cheap beadwork) to clothing designers and a great source of bulk findings in different metals. Rumor has it that there will not be a show at that location next year.

I had not been to the JOGS show before and thoroughly enjoyed it. It was in a large building, not a tent. Walking in reminded me of an old downtown department store. The displays were nicely done and a lot of them were a cut above the messy table of things for sale. There was a whole wing of Russian amber and it was like being in a different country. There was Guatemalan bead work from a cooperative, Native American silver & turquoise and lots of just plain interesting things.



I found these agate beads that they were calling Wood Agate. What great rusty colors that made the beads look like they came out of an old iron factory. I was right to think they would make a good combination with the black steel wire work that I have been playing with. Wrought iron looking wire and rusty beads- great pairing. What do you think?



One of the most interesting thing I found was this old ivory. Mr. Doak found a lot of ivory scrap in England 35 years ago tucked away in a warehouse. It was decades of the cutoffs from making brushes and piano keys. He bought it and brought it to the States. It's legal, old ivory. He, and his family do this as sort of a hobby and take a booth at Tucson about every 4 years. As it's a hobby material they don't sell at any other time. I bought a baggie of piano key trimmings. Don't know what I'm going to do with it, but the thin strips fascinated me. I could have totally ruined my remaining budget buying other bits & pieces, including pound bags of interesting scrap. I enjoy manufacturing scrap of any sort. Finding jewelery in such castoffs fascinates me. Update: they do have a website, it's
William V. Doak.
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I realized that I had not shown you what I had to purchase as I was leaving the Best Bead Show the other day. I guess you could say that Beverly Herman, from New Orleans, made me do this. She tried the Dragon Bracelet in the latest BeadWork and we've been going back & forth about bead crocheting with these long Magatamas. So far no success as they are difficult to crochet and they are directional. They have to be strung in all the same direction. However, we've not given up just yet - there has to be a way to make them work correctly.