Fiber Beads

I'm here with a little show and tell this Monday morning. This is my little collection of fiber beads. I played around with this concept quite a bit last week. To tell you the truth, I still haven't decided what gauge wire I think is the perfect one for these beads.

I went from coiling the wire in bulk to making the beads one at a time. If I make the coils in advance the wire I wrap over the roving is a separate piece. This means I can change to a different gauge, but I have more end pieces. If I make the beads one at a time, I can produce them with only one cut of wire, but then that wire has to be a thickness that works well for the coil as well as the outside wrapping.

I'm kind of torn about which I like better. I think I'm just going to have to make a ton of beads until I can see a clear preference emerge. This is one of those cases where having so many choices out there is making the decision more difficult. In case you happen to be experimenting too, right now I'm leaning toward 22 or 24 gauge dead soft wire. I'll be back when I've made up my mind. :D

My Mom and Me

My parents were not shutterbugs. I don't really know why they didn't take more pictures, but because they didn't, it has made the handful of pictures from my childhood that much more precious to me.

This one is my favorite. This is a picture of my mom and me. It's a simple little shot, not posed and not on any special day. I look like I'm about three years old, so she was probably just following me as I explored the wild flowers. To me it's the perfect mother daughter moment, just the two of us enjoying a simple pleasure. I'm so glad it was captured on film!

Soft Summer Colors ~ Falkland Wool Roving

Summer and wool sound like a contradiction in terms, but when you love working with fiber, you don't take the summers off. Perhaps you won't be making a sun hat from this pretty Falkland top, but just imagine a needle felted seascape!

These sunny days have put me in the mood for soft summer colors. That's why today I have added Soft Aqua and Soft Sapphire to my shops at Wind Rose.

For the Mothers

MOTHERS

Real Mothers don't eat quiche;

They don't have time to make it.

Real Mothers know that their kitchen utensils

Are probably in the sandbox.

Real Mothers often have sticky floors,

Filthy ovens and happy kids.

Real Mothers know that dried play dough

Doesn't come out of carpets.

Real Mothers don't want to know what

The vacuum just sucked up...

Real Mothers sometimes ask 'Why me?'

And get their answer when a little

Voice says, 'Because I love you best.'

Real Mothers know that a child's growth

Is not measured by height or years or grade.....

It is marked by the progression of Mommy to Mom to Mother.....

The Images of Mother

4 YEARS OF AGE - My Mommy can do anything!

8 YEARS OF AGE - My Mom knows a lot! A whole lot!

12 YEARS OF AGE - My Mother doesn't know everything!

14 YEARS OF AGE - My Mother? She wouldn't have a clue.

16 YEARS OF AGE - Mother? She's so five minutes ago.

18 YEARS OF AGE - That old woman? She's way out of date!

25 YEARS OF AGE - Well, she might know a little bit about it!

35 YEARS OF AGE - Before we decide, let's get Mom's opinion.

45 YEARS OF AGE - Wonder what Mom would have thought about it?

65 YEARS OF AGE - Wish I could talk it over with Mom.

The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure she carries, or the way she combs her hair.

The beauty of a woman must be seen from in her eyes,

Because that is the doorway to her heart,

The place where love resides.

The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mole,

But true beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul.

It is the caring that she lovingly gives, the passion that she

Shows, and the beauty of a woman with passing years only grows!

Crimson Pink & Bottle Green Falkland Roving

Today's additions at Wind Rose Fiber Studio are Crimson Pink and Bottle Green Falkland Wool Roving.

Now I need to go out and buy some more distilled white vinegar...

Fiber Bead Earring ~ Designing Fun

It seems kind of silly to take a picture of one earring, but that's all I have completed at the moment. I'm still having fun experimenting with fiber beads made on coiled wire.

In this latest design, I coiled the base, added the painted roving and then finished the wire work all while the wire was attached to the coiling gizmo. The whole bead is made with only one cut of wire. That makes me happy.

At first I was going to slip a small chain through the bead and make it into a hanging earring that way. I realized I wouldn't be satisfied with that because the bead might not stay in position and it could look pretty goofy on it's side. That's when I decided to fashion my own hanger for the bead. Not only does this do the job of keeping the bead in place, but I think it looks better than the chain did. The simple wire makes for clean lines and doesn't draw attention away from the fiber bead.

On the bead, I added a loop in the center as I wrapped the wire. This was to allow me to add a dangling bead. I like the bit of sparkle the cut glass bead lends to the overall earring. The full length of the earring comes to two inches. Now I just need to make another one so I have a pair. I realize the 80's are back, but I'm just not ready to go around wearing one long earring!

Sunny Yellow & Gypsy Wine Falkland Wool

Ah, Falkland wool! It almost looks like candy. For spinners and felters, it is candy! Falkland wool is soft, but still has a little more texture to it. Spinners tend to like wool that feels good to them as they draft and Falkland is a fave. It also has a very long staple length which is why so many in the felting community are starting to look for this fiber. They can cover a larger surface area faster and still have that downy feel. It was actually on the encouragement of a felting friend that I started to carry Falkland at Wind Rose.

Today I have two new colors in my studio. I have a bright Sunny Yellow and one of my personal favorites, Gypsy Wine. I love the way they look swirled together!

Falkland Wool ~ Violet and Turquoise

I'm shifting my focus back on dyeing this month. I fear my inventory has lacked for attention. So today I have two colors of Falkland Wool back in stock, Violet and Turquoise. They look pretty twisted together, but you can buy them individually, by the ounce at Wind Rose Fiber Studio.

Click on the names to visit Wind Rose on Etsy or click on the picture to head over to the Falkland Wool Section in my ArtFire Shop.

Coiled Wire ~ An Organizational Idea

I'm not sure if I have the right magazine, but isn't it Highlights where they have that page of close-up pictures? The photographer has zoomed in on part of an object or an animal and the kids have to guess what the picture is of.

My picture here, of coils and Pipe Cleaners, made me think of that. If I had not named this post, "Coiled Wire..." would you have to look twice?

I'm sharing a little organizational idea with you today. I've been working with coiled wire lately. Since I'm turning the coiled wire into beads and shapes, I like to make more than one coil at a time so I have a little stock of wire at the ready. When I work with the coiled wire, I like to have it attached to something to make it more stable and easier to handle. These desires led me to my craft closet yesterday.

I was looking for something I could pass through the coils when I saw a collection of Pipe Cleaners. Initially I was thinking I'd like something less flexible, but now, I think Pipe Cleaners for coil work and storage are a pretty cool idea.



Here's why:
1. Both the large and small diameter coils will fit on a standard Pipe Cleaner
2. You can color code your inventory to help keep track of different wire gauges by using different colored Pipe Cleaners.
3. You can also organize different colors of wire by using different colors of Pipe Cleaners
4. The coiled wire does not slide off so you could store your stock of coiled wire by hanging them on a wall. They're Pipe Cleaners after all, so they would easily attach to a hook on a pegboard or something as simple as a string stretched between two nails. You could also use removable 3M hooks.
5. You can work with the coiled wire while it's on the pipe cleaner by attaching either end of the pipe cleaner to something stable. For example, you could use two clamped down corner braces. The holes in the braces create a convenient place to attach either end of the Pipe Cleaner.

There you have it. Coils and Pipe Cleaners! It's a handy combination!

Painted Wool Earrings

I had planned to get some dyeing done this weekend, but it was so windy, that I didn't dare set roving outside to dry as is my habit. I never knew how windy the Phoenix valley could be. Wind seems to be the way in which storm fronts manifest here in this part of the state. All in all, there are much worse weather conditions to deal with, but these wind storms can be pretty fantastic.

Okay, enough about the weather. Since dyeing was out of the question, I had to find something creative to do. Last week I started playing around with a new form of fiber jewelry utilizing my hand painted roving and coiled wire. While I was making those bracelets, I got the idea for this pair of earrings. Coiling Gizmos come with two rod sizes. I knew the smaller one would be nice for making this pair of earrings. I wrapped the wool in a fairly thin layer so that the coil would stay flexible.

I love the look of this fiber jewelry. It's also very enjoyable to make. I use my fingers and turn the coil around and around to smooth the wool and allow the fibers to gently felt together. It's so tactile and sensory. Jewelry making takes a certain amount of technical skill, but this incorporates touch and feel so much more. It's what I love about working with fiber and bringing the two worlds together is very satisfying.

Muk Luks on ArtFire

I had a very nice woman from Ravelry ask me about my Muk Luks. It made me realize it was probably time to get busy and actually making listings for them in my shop. So now there is an official Muk Luks section at Wind Rose Fiber Studio in my ArtFire shop. I only have four pair, but now they are available to buy. I still plan to donate the pair I made from our Mini Muk Luk Crochet-Along. I think they would make a nice Spirit Jump.

Connecting Through Creativity

This is a picture of the little Miser's Purse I sent to my sister for her birthday. I made it last night when I went to my first ever Meetup. Meetup is a site that helps you locate groups of people in your area with similar interests. It's a really nice concept and as it turns out, a great way to meet people.

I've mentioned before that I'm a transplant. I moved to Arizona from Virgina almost three years ago. I can hardly believe it's been that long, because most of the time, I still feel like a newcomer here. This was the first big move of my life; big in the sense that I came to live in a place where I knew no one and the surroundings were completely unfamiliar. It's been exciting and I have loved the change. Still, it's just hard to meet new friends.

So anyway, I checked out Meetup after I moved here and didn't see any groups that felt right. It pays to look again though, because that's what I did just recently and that's when I found a group of crafting people to join. I knew that I would feel more comfortable in a setting where everyone was making something. It not only gives you an activity, it also helps to make conversation and I think you learn a lot about people when you share creative time together.

So last night I headed out to spend an evening with strangers. I packed up everything I needed to make my sister's present along with a bottle of my husband's homemade mead and a batch of fudge. I figured that people generally like you when you show up with fudge. The evening turned out to be a fun night of crafting and conversation. I'm so glad I went and I think I may have even made some new friends. Amazing!

I just wanted to share this little story about how creativity can help us make connections. There's a bond among people who like and need to make things. It can be a pretty powerful attribute to have in common. There are personality traits that we all share or at least to which we can relate. This society has been very comforting to me in my move across country. Whether I'm online tweeting, in an Etsy forum, on Ravelry or even just writing this blog, I feel connected to the other creative people out there and I'm so grateful for that!