Tag: Jewelry

  • J Is For… Jewelry

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    Jewelry.  It works as adornment, identification, religion, art… It fulfills many different purposes, depending on its creator\’s intent.  Me, I like playing with sparkly stuff.  This lovely bead is from a local bead shop and it took me hours to find just the right one.  I wanted something to match the scarf I\’d made, which is a lace pattern.  I\’m using the beads on the ends, like tassels.

    That\’s what intrigues me: making ordinary objects, like scarves and bags, beautiful.  I love the idea of knitted bracelets with beads incorporated into the design.  I\’ve even got an idea for a lace shawl in forest-green mohair with multi-colored iridescent beads.

    What about you, Dear Reader?
    What are your favorite kinds of jewelry?

     

  • A to Z Challenge, Day 11: K Is For Knitting

    A to Z Challenge, Day 11: K Is For Knitting

    You had to see this coming!  OF COURSE K IS FOR KNITTING!  What else could it POSSIBLY be for?  Really now.

    I took my first knitting class in 2000, after a friend at work recommended Sharon Shoji as an excellent instructor.  In my first class, Sharon taught us to knit plain knitting all the way through ribbing.  After an initial struggle with the ribbing, I got the hang of it.  We progressed through textured knitting to cables and lace and from there, I was totally and completely hooked.

    In 2008, I started this blog.  Shortly after, I decided to start Knoontime Knitting, where I focus on the crafts that make me totally bonzo:  knitting, of course, but also needlepoint and embroidery (my first textile art, in fact), weaving, calligraphy, and pysanky.  I love to make things with my hands but didn\’t allow myself to do much of it until I took my classes with Sharon.

    What I have learned informs my writing process as much as my textile arts.  See, it\’s like this:

    1. If you keep going, you\’ll end up with enough knit and purl stitches to make a scarf, or a sweater, or an afghan. 
    2. Dropped stitches don\’t always mean the piece is ruined.  Sometimes you just need to undo a little bit.
    3. Some mistakes make the piece more beautiful and unique.
    4. If you let it, knitting will soothe you the way flowing water does.
    5. Learning new techniques keeps it interesting.  Always be a beginner.  Zen mind, beginner\’s mind.
    What has your hobby taught you about life?
  • A to Z Challenge, Day 10: J Is For Jewelry

    A to Z Challenge, Day 10: J Is For Jewelry

    Earrings.  Left hand, wedding ring.  Right hand, writing ring.  Bracelets.  Sometimes a necklace.  That\’s the work uniform.

    Then I found these huge dangle earrings with peacocks on them at my belly dancing school (Arabesque, well worth checking out!).  They\’re so big they\’re ridiculous, especially given that right now I have really long hair and my hair is blond.  I adore them, stereotypes be damned.  And then I found this awesome red and purple ring that I even wore in my new author picture.

    It ridiculous too, but I\’ve been known to sneak it into my office and wear it during my day job.  Haven\’t done that with the earrings yet, but I\’m sorely tempted.  I feel like Jeremy from the Rats of N.I.M.H. – I love sparklies!