Couched ball chain

I was planning on showing some pics I took today (it snowed last night so I had to get the camera and go for a walk), but the computer acted up and I haven't been able to edit all the pics yet. So instead I'm showing you this little WIP. Or, well, it's not a WIP, rather a test piece. I'm thinking about doing a brooch or pendant using ball chain couched with colourful embroidery floss (or perhaps will floss blending with the felt background).

Ball chain -- as well as rhinestone chain -- is perfect to couch because of the spaces between the balls. The downside is that you can't make sharp turns as you can with e.g. zippers, though on the other hand it's easy to make coils as you can see (the coil isn't couched, it's just rolled up).

Before I start a new project embroidering with the chain I have a few things I'm thinking about. Do I want to fill in the empty spaces with beads? Or perhaps with embroidery floss (e.g. satin stitches/laidwork), which will look more like it's painted compared to beads that add texture and shine. Applique felt/fabric? Or just keep it as it is, not adding anything but the chain and couching thread. And what to stitch on? Felt is always useful, but if keeping the open spaces unbeaded and unembroidered it's not the most exciting material. Might also be too much of a contast between the hard, shiny chain and the soft, fuzzy felt.

Anyway, I should be focusing on my challenge jewellery right now so this will have to be put aside for the time being.

TAST week 6: Chevron stitch

English name: Chevron stitch
Swedish name: Flätsöm med små sidostygn

This week's challenge was a stitch I've never tried before. To be honest I didn't care that much for it and perhaps felt it was slightly complicated. I have no idea why I thought that because it's a really easy stitch. And you can get some nice effects. I especially like the lattice pattern you get when doing several close rows of chevron. Abover you can see one example of that. The stitches above are threaded with red floss that melts into the garishly christmas red background.

Of cause I also did a few stitches with the Aurica yarn. Nothing fancy and I didn't try making it double as I did with e.g. the herringbone stitch.

Here's a few different variations of single and double chevron stitch. Rows 3 and 7 (from the top) have whipped edges. The fourth row is double chevron with small running stitches tacking the long stitches down where they intersect in the middle.

In the green row to the left I added fly stitches to either side of the stitch. (If you wonder about the muddled aida around the green stitches it's due to me editing out some other unrelated stitches -- I'm stitching on the same aida scrap used for my doodling last autumn.)

Last, but not least, I elaborated on the pattern created already above, adding cross stitches to the diamonds created by stitching multiple rows of chevron stitches to create a latticework. First I did a sample with red floss, thinking it's probably be more visible in daylight, but it wasn't... As you can see below.

And that's it. TAST week 6. I've learnt how to do a new stitch and while I didn't find it interesting before this challenge I've now come to like it. I'm sure it'll come in handy one day.

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What is TAST?

Take a Stitch Tuesday is a weekly embroidery challenge throughout the year by Sharon of Pin Tangle. You can read more about it here (or by clicking the TAST badge to the right).


To see what others have done in this stitch, check out the comments in this post on Pin Tangle. Be sure not to miss Sharon's lovely stitch variations in the actual post.

Penny's bead soup

Last week I showed the bead soup I got from Penny. Now that my soup has reached its destination as well, I thought I'd show a pic of it too.

As usual when I make a bead soup there's a little bit of everything. It turned out to be a mixed metal soup too: "antique copper" clasp, anodized aluminium scales and roses, round bronze tags and "antique gold" links (2 sizes). Add to that sodalite and lava stone beads, ceramic buttons, tiny drop beads (Miyuki) and twin beads (Preciosa Ornela). Plus hand-dyed viscose/rayon gimp (i.e. the thread) and a likewise hand-dyed silk carrier rod. Oh, and a lampwork dolphin pendant.

Can't wait to see what Penny will do with this! Not least the carrier rod. I haven't even got around to using those myself yet so I know they can be challenging.

The big reveal/party date is March 3rd -- don't miss it!

TAST week 5: Herringbone stitch

English name: Herringbone stitch
Swedish name: Flätsöm; häxsöm, flanellstygn

A little late, but here's finally a summary of what I did with the fifth TAST stitch. Herringbone is one of the stitches I really like, but haven't used in a while. I've actually used it in jewellery too: in the Celtic Braid Cuff Bracelet, I stitched a herringbone variation called interlaced band with waxed cotton cord on leather.

Last week I didn't get that much done. Of cause I had to try the Aurica yarn. I like how it forms elliptical shapes. Not so fond of the double version, though.

For this week I also wanted to make some "messy" uneven stitches. I like the second row in green, think it worked well. Which I can't say about what was supposed to be threaded stitches using eyelash yarn. I threaded the yarn al wrong, but I guess it works this way too when using this kind of yarn... The lemon/leaf thing was intended to be stitched on both sides, but so far I've only added herrinbone stitches to the bottom half.

And that's all I got around to doing. Below are some variations I did last autumn when doodling.

 Double herringbone stitches. Top row has been 

stitched down with running stitches in the middle.

  Threaded herringbone.

  Herringbone stitches in varying lengths and heights.

 More herringone, open and closed.

 Double herringone stitches (top) and two rows, 

meant as base for interlaced band (below).

Several layers of open stitches on top of each other. 

Looks similar to fjädersöm, a dense type of 

herringbone, but not stitched like it.

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What is TAST?

Take a Stitch Tuesday is a weekly embroidery challenge throughout the year by Sharon of Pin Tangle. You can read more about it here (or by clicking the TAST badge to the right).


To see what others have done in this stitch, check out the comments in this post on Pin Tangle. Be sure not to miss Sharon's lovely stitch variations in the actual post.

Deadlines and blog hops

I haven't been a very active blogger these last days. One of the reasons are the many deadlines coming up soon. It can be hard to say no to a challenge sometimes so right now I've got no less than four challenges/blog hops that have deadlines in February and March: Michelle's Valentine card challenge (10/2 -- reveal on 14/2), Erin's Challenge of Music (29/2) , Lori's Bead Soup Blog Party (3/3) and Michelle's Suddenly Spring Challenge (13/3). And then there's Take a Stitch Tuesday (TAST) every week.

In a way in kind of just dawned on me that these challenges will not only be about meeting a deadline, but there's also the time and energy I have to put into the blog hops. That's also going to take some time. So have I been overambitious in signing up for all of these challenges. I really hope not. I don't think so. But with such a schedule I really can't procrastinate as usual. And I must try to prioritise, thinking about which challenge will be revealed first and not just work on the piece I feel most inspired about. So if I seem absent minded, forget about reacting on the comments I get on the blog, don't comment on other blogs etc it's because I'm focusing on the challenges right now. Dare I say I haven't even picked a song for the Challenge of Music yet...

I'm not worried about the timing. Not yet. If anything I worry about losing inspiration when I suddenly have gone from zero deadlines to multiple deadlines, not least since three out of four challenges are about using materials partially chosen by others. So not worried, but I really must try to focus on the jewellery and think about some sort of plan so I don't forget one challenge by working on another.


By the way: I've not forgotten about TAST week 5. Have photos and there's one up on Flickr with my herringbone doodles, but haven't yet edited all the photos for the blog post. Perhaps I'll even get around to doing it this afternoon/evening now that I'm on the computer.

Bead Blog recap weeks 4-5

Time again for yet another two weeks in review of my other blog, Manekis Pärlblogg. This time you'll find plenty of challenge tips, fibre (shibori ribbon, chirimen/kimono cord), leather -- including the trendy Regaliz bracelets -- and more. I don't mention two posts -- Michelle's spring kit challenge and Erin's Challenge of Music -- as you can no longer sign up for them.

My bead soup has arrived

I got my bead soup today and I just had to share it with you. Today I woke up tired after having been brutally awaken by a cat fight in the middle of the night. Then I started feeling a headache coming on, kind of like I'm going to have a cold. An just generally it wasn't a great start of the day. But it felt a lot better after getting the mail. What perfect timing to get some bead soup to cheer me up!

Penny, my bead soup partner, has made such a lovely parcel. Both in presentation and content. I don't think my photos really make it justice, especially not the seed beads as I didn't bother to pour them out for the photo session (considering how my day started, they'd probably end up scattered on the floor if I'd tried to pour  them!).

I really like the earthy, soft colours. There's definitely hints of spring in it with the light greens. The soup has a mix of things I like (colours, fibre, seed beads, "picture" beads) and also things to challenge me like the big focal with its irregular centre hole and the chain, which is of a kind I rarely use.

I'm intent on using the lovely seed beads so the question is just about techniques: Embroidery? Off-loom bead weaving? Stringing? With seedbeading you have to plan a bit in advance as it takes much longer to do than a simple linked or strung necklace or bracelet.

The big focal has different textures on the two sides. Above you can see one side and below is a pic of the other side. That makes me start thinking about e.g. a "two-sided" or reversible necklace -- or perhaps bracelets, come to think of it -- that you can flip and get a whole new look.

But I really haven't decided anything yet. Have to look at the beads more than I've had time to this far before the more detailed ideas set in. Before all things fall into place. But if feels promising that I'm already having random ideas pop up just writing about this soup. Curious about the result? The big reveal is on March 3rd.

So what more to say? Just one more thing before I return to my e-mail and all those neglected messages waiting for answers:



Thank you so much, Penny! Love what you put together for me and can't wait to create with this soup!

And thank you, Lori, for hosting this fun party for us again!