A Most Excellent Week-end

Very busy week - I had not a moment to bead until this week-end. Except for a break Saturday night when we drove to Buckhead to the only theater still showing Crazy Heart in Atlanta (it was worth the drive!), I spent the past two windy, chilly days by the fire working up some bracelets.

The first is a right-angle weave inspired by the colors of a hand-painted silk scarf I recently received, navy blue and black with swirls of light blue and cool mauve. The base beads are a mauve fire polished round with a vitrail effect that sends off sparks of color as it turns on your wrist. I accented the base with another fire polished round I picked up on a bead-hunting excursion with my sister the last time I was in Louisville. The accent bead has several shades of blue ranging from medium to navy and flecks of black.

The second bracelet is my initial attempt at tubular herringbone stitch. The design, Wild Ropes, is by Jimmie Boatright. I took her class at Atlanta Bead Market in October, then set the project aside to work on Christmas gifts. The herringbone is done in ropes, which are attached individually to a ladder-stitched base. Very time intensive (I probably have 20 hours of labor in this bracelet), but I’m happy with the end result. It feels very silky on my wrist! I’m going to explore herringbone further with my next project; Smadar Grossman’s Layered Loops band in February’s issue of Bead and Button. Smadar is an extraordinary designer. It’s always inspiring to check out the latest creations on her blog.