Beads

We had a long, but nice morning in the park with the school group. They've made some changes in regards to how the students are assigned teachers and that has resulted in our local teachers having more students out of town and less here, so there were fewer families than usual. Though the kids seems to have a fine time anyway.

Once we got home I finally got to work on the next Armenian lace piece. I had asked on Facebook what I should try next with this and the overwhelming response was beads. I'd had the idea to use them in the first design I made, in the thread spaces. I admit, my first inclination was to use black beads, but I thought I'd try some color since I had these red on on hand. The most frustrating part is that once I got to the bead rows I had to do all the work with a beading needle. It was either that or constantly change back and forth between needles. The bead wouldn't fit over the one I usually use and the beads had to be loaded on only as used, because they get in the way otherwise. It was fiddly, but it worked.

I think that it was worth the hard to use needle though, because the result was striking. Well, it was to me anyway. It's definitely heavier that the beadless one. I used well over 300 beads for it. Yes, I counted.

I just realized that I hadn't even showed you the other Armenian lace
choker design I made on Friday before making the request that resulting in my playing with beads in the first place. So that's this one on the right. It was a much less involved design, partly because I worked it the entire length, so there was less math.

The plan today, after the kid's first real day of school, is to get these two necklaces listed in my shop. Of course I've already started crocheting another base for the next one, whatever it turns out to be. Through making these I've some up with the easiest base ever for them crocheted in one pass. That way when I've done with the lace, all I have to do is add the macrame slide closure and it's ready to go. I'm sure I have a few more ideas to try out before I'm back to tatting, unless a sale or request gets me there sooner.