Taueret

I think I'm moving

ok gang, first things first- at this moment, my plan is to move this blog to a new address- please change your subscriptions?  The new address of this blog (which should contain all the old posts and comments etc) is here.  I'm going to stop updating this one, and eventually it will go away.   I just can't afford to host two completely separate blogs and I think the new host has better space and bandwith allowances for similar $$.  I may be making a mistake, we'll see.

 

As a special treat ;-) (ok to prove that I am not entirely fickle) I have some handspun to show you- it looks small but it is a LOT of lovely BFL-angora from EGMTK.  It's taken ages to spin, and I plied it as a boucle-ish texture.  i think I will knit a simple triangular scarf from this, probably in garter stitch.  This is about a sportweight, but I'm going to treat it as a DK due to the texture and the fact that this yarn will probably bloom like nobody's business, given the angora content.  Summer's almost here and I spend a LOT of time sitting by the pool playing lifeguard.  It's knittin' season!

I also pulled out my next lot of spinning fibre so that I wouldn't go completely dormant- so watch this space.

Ok, now here's a pic of the little pendant I made Tara the other day (part of my frustration with current host is the weird treatment of rotated pics!!  This should be turned 90 degrees but T-pepad has turned it back.  GAH)

  

Before you say 'that's much better, really pretty, you're on the right track now!'- please know that I really don't like it much, but to a 6 year old it's pretty hot stuff ;-).

In return I promise to keep babbling about jewellry making off this blog, and confine it to my NEW blog at http://longleggedfly.squarespace.com.  I hope you'll come take a look, but I know that as fibre people it may be of limited interest- I'll keep personal drivel and pics of kids on this blog for your amusement (ok, on the new version of this blog).

My goodness that's so confusing.  I hope you will stick with me!

Darwin earrings, & recycled silver

I have a stash of broken.925 silver bits and pieces, broken chains, rings and so on.  I've been hoarding for years, and it finally occurred to me that I could do something with the silver.  I set a little sodalite the other night, and planned to make some silver balls to embellish it- which was fine, but when I started melting one of the old chains I had, I became enchanted by the way it can form little sticks that look exactly like wee twigs.  So, I embellished the setting with a few of these twigs and some of the little silver blobs (mine aren't very round, I need a better surface to make them on), and I haven't had so much fun since I discovered not colouring-inside-the-lines at the loom.

  

Boy, the photo really shows how much improving my bezel-setting needs to do.  Ah well.

I also finished these earrings, from a sheet of etched text that I have been "sitting on" for a while.

  

they're in my Etsy shop.

Book report: 'Bead on a Wire' and 'Contemporary Copper Jewelry' by Sharilyn Miller (as well as assorted other wire jewelry books)

That sound you may have heard last May could have been the squeal I made as I slipped somehow and fell right down the beads-and-wire rabbit hole.  I haven't hit bottom yet, but in the progress of my slide, I have had time to read several of the books available for the wire jewelry maker. 

I read and enjoyed Bead & Wire Art Jewelry: Techniques & Designs for all Skill Levels by J. Marsha Michler ; Contemporary Bead & Wire Jewelry (Lark Jewelry Book) by Suzanne J. E. Tourtillott and Nathalie Mornu - these were both library books, which I no longer have at my fingertips.  Both nice books, with a variety of projects in different styles.  Each book had only a couple of projects that I really liked, personally- but that's going to be a matter of taste.


During the time I had those books, I also purchased

Bead on a Wire: Making Handcrafted Wire and Beaded Jewelry by Sharilyn Miller (2005);

 

All Wired Up: Wire Techniques for the Beadworker and Jewelry Maker (Beadwork How-To series) by Mark Lareau (2000) and

Moods in Wire : An Extended Guide to the Fine Art of Wirewrapping (2nd Ed) by Ellsworth Sinclair ( 2000).  While I let the library books go back, and actually returned "All Wired Up" for a refund, I kept "Bead on a Wire" and "Moods in Wire"- and I love "Bead on a Wire"- it's the one book that covered every technique all the other books did, with really beautiful, funky projects to try your new skills out on.

"All Wired Up' is a perfectly nice book- and in fact I think for a child or young teen, it might be a good choice, based on the tone of the writing and the simplicity of the projects.  The projects simply didn't appeal to me aesthetically, and the style of wrapping that the author uses isn't one that grabs me.  It was simply a pragmatic decision to keep the one book that made the others redundant.

but you kept two- I hear you say!

Well, yes, I did.  But mainly because I wrote my name in 'Moods in Wire' before I really looked at it, and I couldn't exchange it then!  'Moods' is an extremely comprehensive guide to wrapping just about anything lapidary that you can think of in wire.  Rings, earrings, pendants and more- this is a reference book, a technical manual rather than a book of eye candy or inspiration- there are many line drawings to illustrate techniques, but few photos.  And frankly, the projects pictured aren't my kind of thing- but that's okay.  Check the book out online a bit before you decide whether it's for you, is my advice.  Looking at it tonight, 'Moods' seems to have more potential now than it did when I purchased it- simply as a reference to various ways of wire wrapping.  If you have your own ideas and know what you want to make- this could be a great book for you.  Having little idea of the potential of wire jewelry- frankly "Moods" didn't inspire me- but to someone else it may be just the thing.

Back to 'Bead on a Wire'!  This would be my "if you could only have one book on wire wrapping" choice.  Sharilyn Miller, in the book's first section, takes the reader through the techniques to do every basic thing you need to be able to do in wire, to make beautiful jewelry- there was no technique covered in any of the other books that is not covered here, I am pretty sure.  My biggest gripe about "Moods in Wire" and "All Wired Up" compared to Sharilyn Miller's books is that the techniques and projects in those books look to me like they are made from wire.  Nothing *wrong* with that- but I love how Miller's designs don't look "homemade"- and although she uses no soldering or heat in her methods- her designs don't even look to me like they're made from wire!  Hammering, coiling and general cleverness transforms wire into something more.

In the second section, she offers  21 projects, making use of the techniques covered in the first part of the book.   There are necklaces, chokers, chains, fibulae (that's a kind of brooch), earrings, bracelets- mostly things I would love to make and wear or receive as a gift.  The projects have a certain signature style to them- yet they  cover a range of looks, from "arty" and primitive, to glitsy and girly, to ornate and Victorian.  Sharilyn Miller also shows how one project can have different looks by changing a few things around- giving the reader confidence to try  easing into making their own designs. 

Additionally, several of the designs are 'convertible'- from choker to bracelet and so on- encouraging flexibility and confidence in the learner.

Only a few weeks ago, Sharilyn Miller's new book came out- and you bet I had it on preorder!

Contemporary Copper Jewelry: Step-by-Step Techniques and Projects by Sharilyn Miller (2009) has 22 projects, designed specifically for copper wire (of course, no reason you couldn't use any kind of suitable gauge wire for the projects in the book).  Many of the projects also have suggestions for using other metals, and even mixing metals.  The first 20 pages cover basic wire wrapping techniques, so "Bead on a Wire' is not a necessary prerequisite- however it does go into more detail on the techniques than "Contemporary Copper Jewelry' which is mainly about the projects!  Sharilyn Miller has had other artists contribute projects to this book- and that's both good and bad.  Bad if like me, you  prefer Sharilyn's design sense over most others.  Good if you want to see a variety of projects across a broader spectrum of designs.  I do like the book, and I'm glad I purchased it- however while there are projects that do inspire me, the book as a whole doesn't get me as excited as 'Bead on a Wire', which *still* makes me want to pick up my pliers as soon as I flip through its pages.

Sharilyn Miller also has a blog, and a Yahoo! group, where discussion can be had about her designs and books (and dvds and teaching dates- which I would love to see one day!). 

So- that's my experience with a few of the wire books out there.  Additionally there are quite a few  online resources, which I'll blog about soon.  Please leave a comment and let us all  know which books/dvds/etc have helped you most.

Pigeon skulls cuff

I had plans for some really lovely etchings of Darwin's drawings of the skulls of different species of pigeons- and in fact I still do have plans for these delicate skulls.  However, the piece of copper upon which I tried out the etch cried to me that it wanted to be a cuff, and I had no choice but to indulge it.

The copper is oxidised to shiny blackness, with a blue sheen.  I love the tricks copper can do.

they are flanked by tiny birdie bones (ok, brass birdie bones)

and connected by a hand forged brass link to wire-wrapped red velvet.

I have been carrying these paua shell buttons that my dad and his wife brought me back from New Zealand for over 10 years- and I finally used one!

I need to acknowledge that I've been inspired a great deal by Stephanie Lee's book Semiprecious Salvage, which I will write up thoroughly as soon as I can- a great book. 

I love love love my birdie bracelet- it's not pretty, but it has mojo all its own, and it makes my inner cave woman whoop with joy!

something with class

Well, at least something I MADE in class.

Here's the pendant that took 7 weeks.  Mind you, I got to work on it for about 20 mins a week in total- the rest of the time was waiting my turn to ask what to do next.  It's not really my cup of tea- it's a bit shiny!  But  I chose it as a first project because it involved everything- sawing, filing, sanding, soldering, lots of polishing, bezel pushing and burnishing.  The stone is magnesite. 

I turned up to the first class having been advised to bring nothing but a pencil and paper (!)- only to have the teacher roll her eyes at me, because really it would have been handy to have all my tools and at least a stone to set.  grr.  Never mind, I chose this $6 magnesite bead from the teacher's stash, and got on with it.

 

This is the back- the stone has a kind of "belly" to its shape so it wouldn't sit flat in the bezel.  This cut-out back was the solution.  Whateverrr, it was more sawing practice (and filing and sanding), and since I had already paid for the silver I took the cut out bit home and used it on the back of a trilobite, I think.

It's quite large- really a bit heavy to wear.

Yesterday I made this guy:

I like the idea, just need to work on my sawing and polishing.  He's aluminim (so super light) and those are resin beads, which I could just eatl  I like the satin finish of the aluminium, but the camera can see a few scratches I didn't notice with the naked eye!

coming up for air...

A small update- I have been busy!  working 3-4.5 days/week, doing the domestic and kid thing, and fitting in as much playing with fire as I can into the spaces.  Have I mentioned that I am taking a silversmithing class at the Community College?  It's been interesting- it's a workshop, really, about 9 students and one teacher. People work on their projects, and the teacher helps.  The ratio is better than it sounds, because I am the only new student, everyone else has taken the class multiple times. 

_{tiny trilobite pendant, fine silver, sterling silver and brass with poppy jasper}

One pair of ladies said they'd been doing it for 4 years, and their work is really beautiful.  The funny thing is that I don't think any of the others  play with metal at home- it's just something they do on Monday nights.  Shows you what a weirdo I am- one of the main things that motivated me to find a class was confusion over which tools I really needed to buy!  By now, week 6 of 8, I have a basic toolkit/workshop at home- not *everything* there is, but everything I need to cut, file, solder and polish metals on a jewelry-making scale.

_{oxidised copper trilobite brooch}

The first few weeks, I was frustrated almost to the point of tearfulness by the difficulty of making any progress in a class where 9 people are vying for the teacher's attention.  She is one of those teachers who dislikes questions or "what if I" type experiments, as she sees it as "getting ahead of yourself".  She also has a tendency to *not* tell you how to do something, and then yell at you when you do it wrong.  Whatever!  Last week I just sat back and decided not to mind if I didn't make any forward progress in my simple bezel-set pendant that I chose as a beginning project (which has taken 6 weeks to ALMOST complete!)  As a result, I had the teacher coming up to me constantly to see what I was up to.  Ohkay, I guess I figured her out.  The good news is, she is retiring from teaching at the end of this term, so if I go back, it will be to a different teacher.  She's actually quite nice, and I have learned quite a lot- but geez.

Meantime, I have been having lots of unauthorised fun at home making these little guys, who I am sure would make my teacher's hair turn white ;-).

Etsy

So, I have been working to get some jewelry stock ready (and some ideas for items that I can do as custom orders, but quickly and reproducibly/reliably) for a little Etsy shop.

_{mokume gane Darwin tree pendant/brooch}

The  first few ideas I've had are ready (although I need to get some modelled photos of pendants etc).

_{trilobite pendant- sterling silver and resin}
 I have loads of other ideas too, and now I can concentrate on those.  I'm still not ready to "promote" in a big way, but I think it's ok to post about it here, now.

_{mokume gane Flying Spaghetti Monster pin/magnet}

As you might have noticed, I'm mostly interested in making art that's related in some way to science, or that will probably appeal to lovers of science.  It's a niche, but whatever, it makes me really happy and as I said, I have loads and loads of ideas.  generally I am not an ideas person- so I am enjoying that part.

I created a new twitter account to share announcements of new items etc- if You're interested follow @longleggedfly.  I will keep it to once a day or so, at the most, and keep personal chatter on @taueret.
If you are wondering why I called the shop longleggedfly (well the lack of spaces is an Etsy thing!), the explanation is in my shop profile.  Basically I needed a name people could pronounce (including me) if I wanted to promote myself at all!

Thanks for looking!

still doin the do.

I have been makin' stuff, as they say- but no energy left to talk about it. Nothing wrong, just tired. I think I am maybe too old for aged care nursing? 6 am starts (I mean shift starts then, not I get up then) and the general hard work of it knocks me about- which is pathetic. I intend to persevere in the belief that as far as bodies go, what doesn't kill you really does make you stronger! Nearly finished the Central Park Hoodie- I need to measure how much more of the hood I need to knit before I do whatever happens next. Not much I expect. Last week I took the girls to one of those indoor play zoos places and got lots done while I sat there 'watching'. Otherwise, I'm just messing about with wire and beads, and a bit of polymer clay (although I show about as much aptitude for clay as I do for dyeing!!).
I made the chainmaille bracelet above (it's too big, I intended to remove links to fit the intended recipient as necessary) as a gift for a friend whose birthday is next week, but then I destoyed it by oxidising it too zealously- all the silver plating was ruined.  Boo hoo.  That will teach me to use budget supplies!!  Or oxidise them anyway.  I better get moving and do-over.

This one is brass and some beads I made from polymer clay.  I love brass, I think I should just use it all the time. 

Let's see... what else, this FSM brooch as a proof of concept thingy.

oh, look what slipped in there- my little girl at the posh wedding, rocking it in her Branching Out Shrug (and auntie Meg's hair ribbons!)

These were for another friend:

That's probably enough for now. 

to B or not to B?

As much as I hate reading blog posts about blogging (actually no- what I hate is reading blogs where the blogger has become a Celebrity Blogger and starts making a significant percentage of posts about how hard the lifestyle of a jetsetting celebrity blogger is- cry me a river, yaknow?), I'm feeling like the longer I go between blog posts, the less inclined I am to ever write one again.  Not only has the world continued turning just fine without my updates, but kind of forgetting about it has left me with time to say yes to some  other writing requests, to make good on a pre-paid research committment that has been heavy on my conscience since about January (!), and take a prolonged wander down the primrose path of wirework. 

There's an element of... not instant, but speedy gratification to basic jewellry making that I'm finding soothing right now- although, as fate always seems to have it, my dad, who was a master metal-worker, passed away quite suddenly last weekish and I now find myself thinking "I must ask dad... oh..." several more times every day than I would have otherwise.  Ah well. 

I've been knitting- lost interest in the Central Park Hoodie with about half a sleeve to go- I'll finish that one later.  Am hurrying to knit a shrug for T to wear to a posh wedding- I'm basing it on the "Branching Out" lace scarf, and it's going to be lovely.

Finishing my nursing course (the second one), I finally got a casual job.  Tomorrow is the orientation, after that I'll be able to be rostered, which is great.

All in all, business, life, and absorbtion in work has made me pretty antisocial, I haven't seen or spoken to anyone in ages.  It's not anything personal, it's just that I'm basically a solitary bee. 

Hopefully breaking my vow of silence today, I'll feel less awkward about posting again soon. 

Edited to add- jewellrylessons.com is a fantastic resource!

Working with wire, SSVE, CPH updates, and some recycled books.

When I read blogs- if someone I follow writes a long post with a lot of "chapters", I will read the whole thing.  I know other people may prefer to read short posts with a lot of good (good being the operative word) photos.  Myself, even if I am very interested in a blog/ger, I find it hard to keep up with very frequent (even short) posts- and I may skip, or even inadvertently miss content if there are suddenly 8 updates from a single blog in my feed reader!  So... I tend to save up and write big, multi-topic posts relatively infrequently.  Bear with me, ok? 

First, I finally wove something.  Meg was good enough to host the Small Scarf Virtual Exhibition again this year, and I really wanted to support her effort by submitting something.  So, on a day when it seemed like the whole universe was aligned against me ever getting anything accomplished, I warped my trusty rigid heddle loom for a 6" wide freeform scarf. 

Mine is mostly thrums from other projects, a shredded silk scarf, some ribbons and some handspun black alpaca singles.  You can view the exhibition here.  There are a lot of proper, grown-up weavers there too, with beautiful work, so check it out.

I'm still working on the Central Park Hoodie whenever I watch TV (which isn't that often).  I'm nearly finished with the first sleeve- so just one sleeve and a hood etc to go.  If I manage to make it to our Ravelry knitting group this Sunday (hint, if you're local and would like to come please let me know- it's not at my place this time but I can hook you up!) I should make a good dent in the remaining bits.

Also, I made these little notebooks.  I hoard cereal boxes- any kind of thin cardboard packaging, in fact.  Using this general method and some of the many reams of gently-used office paper that I bring home from work, I whipped these up.

 
 

As you can see, the original branding is visible inside the covers.  I kind of like it this way, but there is another tutorial on thelongthread.com for making them all pretty.

There-see?  My intention was to talk about wire jewellry making, and the books/resources out there, but my 'quick' update has absorbed all of my energy.  Never mind, maybe next time.