skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Usually this would have become a post on Ponder's own blog, but he is too busy running around the house and practising his new aria for the midnight performance, so I'm not hesitating to steal it right from under his nose.
So who's Harry? Or should I say who was Harry?
Let me explain about my relationship to spiders. First, I have them in my flat. Second, I don't mind. Of course that is easy for me to say, after all we don't have really dangerous spiders here. I have to admit that I didn't use to be as cool about bigger black ones as I am now. Just the other day my sister reminded me of the time she and I worked hard on evicting one of those from her flat many years ago using a TV guide, a sieve, and a glass if I remember right. I hardly have those now, though. Most of my spiders are named Charlie (after Charlotte, the spider, one of my favorite characters), sometimes called Chuck, or Harry.
Two days ago Ponder and one of the Harrys met. Ponder had been excited for a while and like most of the time I had no idea what he wanted from me. I should find out soon enough after I went to the bathroom to brush my teeth. Singing loudly Ponder jumped into the bathtub.
When I checked, all I could see was a leg, probably from a Daddy Longlegs that seemed to be trying to escape into the drain. I heard a munching sound, but that doesn't mean anything. It wouldn't have been the first time for Ponder to nibble on a (not very juicy) "Longleg" and then let it go. He kept hitting the drain and I almost thought he was going to try and stick his paw in.
Instead he retreated one level up and kept watch in case Harry came back.
"Where did he go?"
"Honestly, where did he go???" (Doesn't it look a bit from far as if he has lost his head?)
"He's gone. He didn't want to play with me."
Needless to say that I had a hard time helping Ponder to get over that loss ... until the next Harry or Chuck turns up!
How are your furry masters around spiders? Do you have a story to share?
It was pure coincidence that I rummaged around in my "various beads" drawer and received the YouTube subscription email in the same week. That way I was not only reminded that I still had some tile beads in my drawer, but I also got an idea what to make with them. I had only worked with tile beads once before and that had been inspired by my ribbon and bead bracelets (that are made using a loom, but are not bead loomed). While my tile stash wouldn't have been big enough for another one of those, the Bollywood Bangles design by Jill Wiseman worked perfectly.
Only my bangles are so not Bollywood at all. My tiles were silver and a marbled lavender and beige, I only have two colors of size 15 seed beads (for a different project), black and gunmetal, and my Twin Beads are limited in color choice as well. I could have used some bright colored crystals to make up for that, but for now I decided to stay subtle.
For this bangle I used the marbled tiles with brown and gold lined seed beads in size 11, matte metallic golden Twins, but instead of using size 15 seed beads and smaller bicone crystals as in the video I chose these bigger beautiful firepolished crystals (originally I had got them to use them with a tutorial that I lost patience with). Actually I think they sit better than the bicones, and I don't mind that you don't see as much of the tile beads.
Then there is this set of bangles with crystals in grey, pink and a light burgundy. They are very sparkly in the light and they do look great stacked!
I already have some more ideas for small variations, but that will mean a bead order which is not in my plans for the moment as I really have to finish up some WIPs first. Remind me, though, if I forget! ;-)
Why do people spell words if they don't want anyone else to understand what they are saying? Take a cat that has to go to the v-e-t for example. Believe me, neither spelling nor whispering helps with that one because the furry masters feel the vibrations coming from the human. It's unnecessary around babies, but okay, there might be a chance that it helps if you have toddlers around.
Or maybe sometimes it does work to make things sound less harsh ...
Maryann has just been told that all of her credit cards have been blocked. Being used to spending money without thinking about it she doesn't react well to that.
Cybill: Okay, Maryann, here. Breathe into this bag. It's Chanel.
Maryann is whimpering.
Zoey: What happened?
Cybill: We just came from a meeting with her business manager. She's b-r-o-k-e.
Zoey: Oh my God. She's illiterate?
Cybill: No, she's broke!!! (Maryann starts screaming and trying to strangle herself with the bag strap - maybe spelling it was better after all? ;-))
Cybill, USA, 1995 - 1998
"And they are looking for knitters to donate a scarf", my friend from the USA wrote.
Except for a WIP (no, don't look at it or it will wake up and demand to be finished!) I hadn't knitted in years. "A scarf is not that difficult, though. Won't take that long. You won't have to think much. You can take it on the train. It's gonna be fun." That's what I thought and I volunteered to make one.
Don't get me wrong, it almost worked out that way. It was fun. It felt good to work with yarn. It was easy to take on the train.
What I had forgotten was that I wasn't used to knitting like this anymore and that my thumb had been acting up lately. I hadn't realized I was going to need breaks in between. I hadn't realized how long a scarf can be and how you start to measure it all the time because that deadline is coming nearer fast. After all the postal services have to play along, too.
Another row. Another row. Another row before the train is in the station? Seems I also had forgotten how much I hate stopping in the middle of a row just because I had to get off the train.
Will there be enough yarn (no - another trip to the store became necessary)?
On top of that was a different kind of pressure. My sister. No, she didn't pressure me, that's not it.
When I asked her if she wanted to go to the department store with me, I also told her what I wanted to get yarn for. And believe it or not - I come to that store and the first thing my sister does is pull a scarf out of her bag.
What the .... When did she have time to knit a scarf? It turns out that she had made it for herself, but finally got tired of it (oh, how I know the feeling). There were two halves in different colors to match it to two different coats, and only the fringe on one side was missing for which she also handed me the yarn. It almost seemed as if this WIP had been waiting just for this.
This is not about sibling rivalry, but how embarrassing would it have been to send her scarf and not finish my own one? The pressure was purely self-inflicted.
About thirty minutes ago I put the last thread in the fringe. Yay!
Now all I need are some crossed fingers that they will both make it in time when I send them off Monday!
I'll be honest, though, it will be nice to go back to the jewelry, too :-D
I love Art Nouveau. The patterns in this glass cabochon (made by Deronda O'Neill) always reminded me of Art Nouveau flowers with their beautiful flow on the matte black background.
I felt the cab called for something more organic looking, not symmetrical, with a little flow of its own.
First I crocheted a bezel from fine silver wire, widened the stitches here and there and then filled the whole top up with randomly placed freshwater pearls - pearl by pearl individually attached.
Shimmering in different colors, those small pearls match the pattern in the cabochon so well and are so beautiful. I tend to sit on them like a dragon on his hoard, but pearls need light, not a shut drawer.
Last I added a wrapped bail, very small this time, so it wouldn't distract too much from the pearl clusters.
And here's the pendant now ...
Don't miss the new episode of the stash tackler series next week! ;-)
I would think that each one of us has worked with some kind of clay before, the natural kind or the polymer kind, as a child, in school or as an adult.
For example I remember the little pots we had to make at school (how many of those ended up as ashtrays in the old days?) or someone sunbathing (mine was not exactly a masterpiece, but I still remember exactly what the poor guy looked like, he had a very ugly nose). Then there are the attempts at making beads or miniatures of all kinds from polymer clay.
This week's Jewelry Artisans Community Oldies but Goodies Challenge was all about both kinds. I hope you'll enjoy my little selection.
1 and 6 Cat's Wire
2 and 7 MC Stoneworks
3 Jewelry Art by Dawn
4 and 8 Violetmoon's Corner
5 and 9 The Crafty Chimp
