New

After another short morning of mini schooling, I was straight to work on my idea for that crochet cord. I knew I could do a couple of rows of small loops before I was forced to do math, so this is what I started with. It also confirmed my theory that the cord would be a good base for the Armenian lace. It was perfect. If you're unfamiliar with the crochet cord used for Romanian Point lace, it has perfectly spaced loops on the sides which I found ideal for starting the knotted loops. It's also a nice firm, thick cord, easy for hiding ends of threads and holding onto.

Next up was some math and some doodling. I had a plan, but I needed to work out whether the base I had created would support that plan. It never fails to surprise someone that I need math to make lace, but this stuff, every kind I've tried anyway, is so based on counting and planning, that math almost always is necessary. Of course I've gotten enough practice in some things, like tatting, that I don't have to write anything out. Not on this though, there was much math. Anyway, the math and the drawings got me my plan and I went to work on a design.

A few hours later I went ahead and called it complete. Of course the whole time I was working, I was having other ideas. I think I might do one exactly like this, but with seed beads on the rows of long loops. I thought about how I could make a bigger version with more rows, or a thin choker with just a couple of rows, or a huge triangle shaped one out of just simple loops. Really, I went into creative overload.

I'm going to try to get this necklace up in my shop today and I'll be straight to work on one of those other ideas. Then this weekend it's a short trip out of town to see the Zelda Symphony with the family as well as a visit to the California Academy of Sciences as a last goodbye to summer.

The Last of It

I finished everything I was working on yesterday. That might sound like a good thing, but it's left me with the task of figuring out what to do next. I got all the crystals sewn on the last piece of tatting I was remaking for the shop. So, very, many, crystals. Then I got that necklace actually put together and in the shop again.

I took a few breaks from crystal sewing to get the purple necklace from yesterday photographed and listed. Then as I was about to list the barefoot sandals I realized that I had yet to ask for permission to sell something made from another person's design. I did modify it quite a bit for my purposes, but not enough that you wouldn't recognize it from it's original form, so permission would be needed. Thankfully a fairly quickly answered email granted that permission for me. I know I've posted it here before, but in case you wanted to learn Romanian point lace, the tutorial here by Joanne is so straight forward you can't go wrong. Once I had completed it, I was off with enough background information to start making my own pieces.

So that leaves me with plans for today. Yeah, I don't really have any. The shop has been in ghost town mode since my sale ended, so new pieces really need remaking. I've got a few rpl cords made up, but I'm hesitant to make anymore pieces until one of them actually sells from the new section. I'm still one pair of bobbins short from having enough to try any new patterns and without some sales in the shop, I can't justify buying any more. I've got some felted art kits I got a couple of weekends ago I can use to waste some time, but as usual I'd prefer some inspiration or a sale. Here's to a weekend where the Universe sends me something interesting and amazing. If not, I'll poke some wool for awhile to keep my hands busy.

Purple

It was a nice long day with the rpl stuff again. I pulled out some purple thread early and got to work on something new. The purple thread was a gift during a holiday gift exchange years ago so I don't remember where it came from nor what size it is, though I'd hazard a guess that it's size 20.  I used the same hook to make the cord with, but it still worked up smaller. I decided early to make it into something small. I worked the cord into a nice asymmetric shape. Then instead of just hanging it on a chain I opted to just crochet a chain. I thought that might be too plain though so I figured out a way to add beads to it while working. I'm hoping to pop this in the shop today.

I also took some time to get the first rpl pieces I finished photographed as barefoot sandals. The plan is to get them in the shop today as well. I think that they definitely work better as barefoot sandals too. I think that once I get these all up in my shop, I'll just work a few more to fill up the new Romanian Point Lace section, not that I've sold any yet. Then I suppose I'll have no choice but to get back to tatting, or maybe the bobbin lace. I still have yet to figure out what I can make with the bobbin lace that fits my aesthetic. I guess yet again I have plenty to do should I choose to do it.

Listed

Yesterday went just as planned. I got hardware put of two of the Romanian point lace pieces and I used the macrame slide clasp on the last. There weren't enough opinions to give me any kind of clear answer on which was preferred. Though given the little feedback I did get I may try to develop a loop closure sometime in the future. I got the necklace put up first and I was trying to space out the new listings a bit, so I only got one bracelet in the shop yesterday.  The other one will go in later this morning.

I spent most of the rest of the day catching up on television with the kids and crocheting new cords for whatever idea comes next. That familiar desperation to sell something is sneaking up on my creativity and threatening to bludgeon it over the head so it's taking everything to keep making. The calm repetition of making the cords seems to be working for now.

Hopefully an idea or two will come to me today so I can keep right on working. If not I'll just keep on crocheting, or I suppose I could get back to sewing crystals on the last tatted necklace I was remaking. I suppose ideas or not, I'll keep my hands busy at least.

Done and Done

I started the day with plans to watch my nieces, but they apparently slept in and we had the house to ourselves for the day. I had two pieces of crochet cord and a desire to use them to make something, so I spent the day with them. This first one here is destined to be a bracelet like the last one. I went ahead and learned a couple new stitches for this one. I looked through an old lace book I got on the Antique Pattern Library. It's actually a book on Battenberg lace, but the concept seems the same save for the use of what I assume is the 'tape' in tape lace. It looks like ribbon and the cord serves the same purpose except with more surface area for stitching and hiding thread. I still didn't bother to learn the names of the stitches, just thought they looked neat and gave them a go.

This next one was still done without a pattern and simply by eyeballing, but I attempted to make it fairly symmetrical. I know it's not perfect, but if I'd wanted perfect I would have taken the time to drawn up a pattern. I thought this piece had an 'evil eye' vibe so if nothing else it already has a name. The plan is to add chains on the side of this one and turn it into a necklace.

I do have a question I need help with regarding the bracelets. Would you prefer them with metal lobster clasps or with the sliding macrame clasp I did on my last simple necklace? I want to try to get them in the shop today if I can figure that bit out. Oh, and I wouldn't hate price opinions on these either.

So today if I can figure out clasps and prices, I'll get these all up in my shop. If not I'll just sit on them another day. Either way I'll probably spend much of the day making new cords and thinking about what's next. I'm hoping to combine tatting and the Romanian point lace at some point, but the idea hasn't coalesced yet. These pieces definitely have potential as all sorts of pieces as I get braver and make larger ones. That might be a while though.

Free-Form

While I didn't get too much done over the weekend, my Friday was pretty eventful. I got all the newest jewelry listed in my etsy shop. Well, the tatted jewelry anyway. I'm still not sure what kind of price point to put on the RPL pieces. I mean they do seem to take me longer to make, but my level of expertise is quite low currently, so that can't really be taken into consideration yet. I guess I'll just need to think on it some more.

The rest of Friday I finally got creative and got to work with the newest piece of cord I made. I decided to forget about a pattern and went free-form instead. I took a piece of muslin, put a piece of clear liner on it and just made some measurement marks along the sides for size reference. Then I just started twisting the piece and tacking it down as I went. The only plan was a loop at the beginning and end so that it could become a bracelet in the end.

I also had no real plan when it came to the stitching in between. I
know how to make many of the stitches I've seen used, though I've no idea what they are named. I should probably look into that a bit. Anyway, I used a few different designs, mostly randomly throughout the piece trying to keep that whole free-form theme going. I have to say that I really like the chaos here. I mean my tatting is usually very precise with more math than I care to admit involved in its creation. This is relatively uncontrolled and a lot of fun. Not that I don't enjoy precise because I do love that as well.

I made up a couple more cords over the weekend with my sitting time. My etsy shop has quieted right down again like I hoped it wouldn't, so I'm going to focus on anything else for a spell. Anything to keep me making something. Hopefully I'll get a couple more of these made and not freeze up when determining a price so I can list them in my shop. Here's hoping.

Busy, Yay!

Well, we managed to keep pretty busy this weekend despite any real plans. On Friday I tagged along with my kids on Grandma day and that ate up most of my day, then there was 4th of July stuff, and a bit of running around. What time I had left I devoted to working on a custom order that I got from my sale. I had two pieces to make for that order and it was my first priority since everything else sold so far is already made. The one thing that's always interesting about custom color pieces is that they are so very often color combinations that I would have never thought to put together myself.

After those pieces were made it was onto some of the sold pieces. I've been lucky enough to sell a pair of barefoot sandals,  a pair of cat ears, some bracelets and quite a few other pieces. So far I've remade  the barefoot sandals, the ears, and an anklet. I've  enough pieces in queue that I had to bite the bullet and order more black thread. This is the first time I've ordered supplies in months and it was weird.

I did take a bit of a break from tatting over the weekend and I
got a second piece of RPL made to match the last one. They're not exactly the same of course, but I think close enough to be a pair. So here's the new dilemma, I think they also look great as barefoot sandals, so how do I sell them? Do I just list them as a pair that can be both slave bracelets and barefoot sandals, or do I make yet another so I can sell it as a single as well? Or am I getting ahead of myself entirely since I've never sold anything like this and I don't even know what to charge for it anyway? Or is there even a market for them?

I suppose I'll be thinking on all that today while I work on getting some more order in the mail. The sale has been doing well. I'm crossing my fingers that it keeps it up this week so I really make a dent in some of these car repair bills. Of course what I really hope is that some of this momentum continues after the sale and my shop gets at least a little busier than it's been. Remember the sale only runs through the 9th and the code is 'SUMMER25' for 25% off everything including patterns. Please do share the code with anyone you think might be interested. I really appreciate everyone who has shopped and shared so far!

Romanian Point Lace

Well we had a nice recovery day around here after the previous kid filled day. It was quiet and I got much done. I finished making the crochet chain I needed for my first go at the Romanian point lace early in the day and got it all tacked done and ready to go. If you're curious and want to give it a go as well, the tutorial I used is here. All you need is needles, thread, some plain fabric and some contact paper. Though those last two can be replaced with some paper according to other site. I had everything, so i decided to just follow the one tutorial all the way through.

Once it was all tacked down the embroidery work began and it worked up fast. Even though I clearly made some shaping mistakes that I'm just going to chalk up to it being my first try, I'm still pretty proud of myself. In fact almost immediately began making another cord, this time in black, so I could experiment. I thought about just looking for more existing patterns to try, but the whole construction process seems to free form that I felt it simple to just make something up as I went.

I used a simple Celtic knot design for the cording and, well, I'm
making up the fill in stitches as I go.The spaces are probably not as big as they should be for some really fancy work, but it's definitely giving me some quick practice. Aside from the sheer length of time it takes to crochet the cord, it's a craft that can have some immediate gratification. I mean once the embroidery portion begins, the progress is obvious. I think I'll keep playing around with this for a spell. I have a sense that it has potential to be easily joined with my tatting. More practice is required first though.