Kyohou Globe Earrings

These are named for the best grapes in the universe.

They're another attempt at 'simple' earrings: simple meaning created out of only one headpin (and beads, of course). They feature size 4 double AB'd swarovskis (I'm not sure what color they are precisely-- the double ABs fade together for me) and my simplest beaded beads. The beads are size 11 seed beads right angle woven over a base of 6 Japanese drop beads. These earrings are about 1.75 cm, again sans hooks.

I'm not sure when I'd wear these, but I do like them.

Spheroids; Cuboids

My new geometric creations in their completed forms. The interiors use dagger beads or reasonably-sized seed beads; the exteriors, size 11 seed beads and small Japanese drops. The red one is about 1.5 cm in diameter.

Of these four, three are the same design, but the gray one's slightly different.

I find these things strangely compelling.

The Makings of an Army: Beaded Beads

The Japanese know their Right Angle Weave. What's problematic for me is that they do most of it with two needles. I'm relatively steady of hand and eye, but the idea of having pointy things in both hands at once for any length of time sounds like an emergency room visit waiting to happen.

So I've been admiring their tradition of Right-Angle-Weave spheroids for a while (this is a good tutorial!) but I've been hoping for a way to do things with only one needle.

The good news? I've derived one. All the kusudama that I've made really helped me understand the construction of a cube. The bad news? It's more star-like than spherical. I ended up filling in the spaces with 11s, which works... and I've ended up pretty happy with some of the dealies that I've designed and constructed.

Now the question is: what do I do with them?

Right Angle Weave Tutorial

Recently I posted pictures of some of my Right Angle Weave (RAW) projects, and that got me thinking. RAW is such a funky stitch, and it can be hard to get the hang of. A tutorial with a bunch of pictures might help.

So I've made one!

Let's start with the basics. RAW is an off-loom beadweaving technique. It requires string, a needle, and some beads. Practically any kind of beads will work. I usually use size 11 seed beads, but the tutorial uses 8s. I switch colors often to make the tutorial a little easier to understand, but I usually just use one color overall.

RAW creates a bunch of little boxes (or ovals, depending on bead sizes and tension) that are connected together. An important feature are the little empty diamonds created where 4 boxes meet. These diamonds can tell you if you are weaving correctly: if you are, there will never be any thread crossing the diamonds, either horizontally or vertically. Keep an eye on that!

Oh, also, if I seem a little math-inclined or a little tutor-y, it's because I am. :)

On with the tutorial!

RAW Part 3: Yggdrasil Blossom Bracelet

This is one of the coolest things I have ever made. I love it. I designed everything for it myself, too, with the exception of the RAW two-level base (in size 11 seed beads).

Besides the seed beads, there are two glass beads, some copper chain, and then there's the wire, 22 gauge copper. 22-gauge is the best, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. I love the little leaves. Have I mentioned that I love this bracelet?

The flowers are made out of these little plus-sign-shaped copper bits I bought at the hardware store. I colored them myself, holding them with pliers over a flame. Yeah, yeah, I know, that was safe. But it worked! And then I bent them using pliers, and superglued the double-petaled flower together. They're held on the bracelet by the center beads and the seed beed stamens. The leaves and thread are sewn onto the RAW base.

I need to make more stuff like this.

Simple Pink Bracelet

I seem to be in a Right Angle Weave mood today, 'cause here's one of my other RAW bracelets. This is about as simple as you can get. 3 x 3 RAW base in size 11 matte raspberry seed beads, embellished with size 5 swarovskis, with no AB for once.

I did have a hard time finding 5s in a nice gradient, though-- I went into the bead shop planning on green, and I left with pink. Ah well, I have grown to like pink over the years. And it is a nice smooth gradient.

Did you know that AB stands for Aurora Borealis? I didn't, for the longest time. I'm a huge fan of AB, though. If you left things up to me, I'd buy out the bead shop and embellish a floor-length dress in 2xABs. Then I'd wear it. Everywhere.

Shiiiiiny.

Spring Blossom Bracelet

This is an example of what one can do given enough microscopic bits of glass and string. Oh, and a few shiny yellow size 6 swarovskis.

This bracelet utilizes two major off-loom beadweaving techniques. The first is right-angle weave. RAW is really a remarkable thing, once you get the hang of it. It can cover a lot of space very quickly, and, if woven with appropriate tension, the finished fabric is supple and perfect for embellishing. The base of this bracelet is one long strand of RAW made out of these lovely subdued yellow matte beads.

The other technique was a nemesis of mine for some time: herringbone, or ndebele weave. I've grown to really like ndebele, as it creates very strong structures and is good for sculptural work. The flowers start with tiny 10-bead ndebele cylinders (no love for the brick stitch required to start ndebele, though. Mrrr.) and then branch off into little petals. I'm very happy with them (I engineered them myself, though they're such a simple structure I'm sure other people have, too,) and they look particularly great with the sparklies in the middle.

I really like the combination of colors for this bracelet-- I'm all about combining blue and yellow.