Design Play

I have a friend with an Etsy store who sells crocheted jewelry with wire and beads. She's still finding her niche (anyone with an Etsy store knows that it can take a while) and I started to think about her store and what she could do to advance in such a competitive market.

I got this idea that other artists might like to buy plain wire pieces and then embellish them in with their own creative spirit. My next
thought was "What would I make?" So I crocheted myself a couple of wire cuffs. Next I incorporated my medium of choice, wool.

Using a beading needle, I weaved slivers of dyed roving through the wire mesh leaving the beginning and ending pieces both on the outside of the cuff. Once I had the cuff saturated with color, I threw into the washing machine to felt it down. While that one was in process, I started on the next. This one I did the same way only I trimmed the lengths before starting the felting process. About halfway through the felting, I filled in any gaps that were showing with some additional fiber. Ultimately I found that starting out with shorter fibers did make more sense.

The results were fun, textured, colorful cuff bracelets with a stong wire base. They hold their shape really well. With regular felted cuffs, you have to be careful during the felting process not to let them crease. With the wire base, this really wasn't an issue.

I haven't listed these in my store yet. I can't help but think they may new a few sparking beads or something. I'm just not done playing yet! Visit my friend's store: The Pink Armadillo