wire crochet....not your granny's tablecloth

Extra Extra Read All About It!

2007-03-03T04:20:00.000-08:00

We are taking a big step here, trying something new. In the past I have sold my own designs and hand made jewelry, sold at art/craft shows and loved being in the thick of crowds, with the people who love to shop and talk of good jewelry. People who want to know so much more about wire crochet, and this excites me. I have been asked for several years if I would consider teaching or selling patterns or kits.

Didn't think I would, really. I had been writing for Lapidary Journal Magazine since 1997, when the editor of Jewelry Journal, the inset that featured 13 workshops of projects each month from start to finish in step by step methods. I felt very lucky to have been asked, and got that project out very quickly, sending in a second in the same package. And another and another...I was very spoiled. 13 projects in 10 years was wonderful.

(Golden roll up rose,very easy)

I already have projects thru the publications, Step by Step Beads and Wire, but most of the very old projects are on the very old computers, so I'm gonna be doing some high tec digging to get back directions. There will be just the patterns, on projects, that I will have on the website.and there will be kits. Lapidary journal is also selling online several of my projects on their own.

Kits will be complete with beads and wire, all decorations necessary to complete the project. Directions will be written out in the manner I did for Lap Journal, in my speak, not crochet speak. My shame, I can't follow a written pattern, can't understand the way they are written.

Guess I should also mention I am still making new items and still taking special bridal orders. The bridal line is new this spring, and is wonderful.

I have also started to give classes thru our local bead store in Pinole Ca. I hope to branch out to a couple other local stores, but haven't reached out too far.

The reason/ Well, some of you already know, health concerns have reached the level where doing shows are no longer possible. There are a couple this spring my daughter Amanda will be doing with me, last time I did one on my own i was found face down on my table, very embarrassed, a jade teardrop stuck to my forehead. I was told it was tasteful.

Cancer is not pretty. It is not kind or fair. However, it can be slow, and I have be very lucky in that regard, in that I spent most of 2005 in Hospice. I was kicked out of Hospice in December 2005 because I was not dying fast enough. A personal best! I'm not giving up nor giving in to this illness. so there.

The fact that I have not lost weight really ticks me off. even my dr told me I can't even get cancer right. Hey, he has been my dr for 20 years, he knows me. And he gives great hugs when you leave.

So, anyone who has wanted to make sometning they have seen on my site, contact me if you would like a special kit made up just for you. If there are enough people asking for the same one, that will be the first official project that will go out the door, and I already have a vendor who will sell it for me.

And of course, i will still be selling the hand made beauties I still make on a daily basis I have some new designs that will just be perfect for summer, and for the end of the year Holiday season. Ebay and maybe Esty look out!

Keep going, doing what you do best. i will try to find out why i can't do pictures
pat

wire crochet and St. Valentines Day Countndown

2007-01-15T04:17:00.000-08:00

Time can get away from you, as it has me again. This blog was started back on the 15th of January. 2007. At least it is the same year.

When you make jewelry, that can be bad. When there are deadlines that can not be fudged. You may have heard of them, Christmas, that is a biggie. Mothers Day, another big gift holiday jewelry folk and Valentines Day. That indicates you should have brushed off your beads of pink and red hearts/silver and gold hearts/white and irridecent hearts, way before now.

Romantic jewelry is in now, and would be in wether it were around heart day or not, styles are showing amazing designs in Swarovski(tm) Lead Crystals, in lampwork by hot glass astists like Diane, Saternschild on Ebay.com. She has some beautiful work, both hearts and flowers! I also owe her a huge apology, she told me I oculd use her full name, and now I can't find her email. I'll correct it as soon as I can. But, please check her ebay store, she has no website. You will love her work. I will add the links as soon as I get them found.

Another lampworker I adore is Mavis Smith, her site is http://mavissmith.com
and her ebay ishttp://stores.ebay.com/Beads-by-Mavis.

Actually I just spent way more time than planned peeking around, check out the http://listings.ebay.com/Lampwork-Crystal-Glass_Handmade-Lampwork_W0QQcatrefZC12QQfromZR40QQfsooZ1QQfsopZ1QQsacatZ34068QQsbrsrtZdQQsocmdZListingItemList

With the choices of hearts and flowers you will creat wonderful things, to be focal points for your wire crochet designs. Like mine!

wire crochet....not your granny's tablecloth

2007-01-08T04:30:00.000-08:00

I will not post the same blog twice
I will not post the same blog twice
I will not post the same blog twice
I will not post the same blog twice
I will not post the same blog twice
I will not post the same blog twice
I will not post the same blog twice
I will not post the same blog twice
I will not post the same blog twice
I will not post the same blog twice
I will not post the same blog twice
I will not post the same blog twice
I will not post the same blog twice
I will not post the same blog twice

counting 1234? part 2

2007-01-07T03:43:00.000-08:00

Don't hold your breath on this one... well, there was more to follow on this.

However, I have no idea what happened to the rest of this entry, but there is one whole, actually several missing. I am going to have to research to find out what could have happened to have them dropped from the blog. We can tell that I have more to learn about blogs.

I would like to tell you about my favorite stitch in crochet, the afghan stitch. congers up long flowing soft panels of woven yarn that is then stitched with designs, and when joined completed to be as big or small as you need it to be, and with the promise of years of use to keep you and your loved ones snug.

Um, no. The afghan stitch, yes, same one, the hook, way different. the complete work, oh so way different. But it does translate well to wire crochet. In normal times, the afghan hook more resembles a knitting needle in length, but has the hook end. You carry the stitches on the hook, just one, not at all like knitting.

When you are making jewelry, you have the crochet hook to use, so you are limited to how wide your piece will be, as you can only carry about 15 stitches on the hook at a time. I have made some pieces, Amulet Bags come to mind, OutStanding in his Field, a Sharon Peters Blue Cow bead, published by Step by Step Beads, January,2005.

(This can be seen at http://imageevent.com/patmcaudel middle album. I am not sure why I couldn't get this to post here on the blog.)

I needed more room than the standard 15 max. I ended up adding on to each side with bringing the strap down to the bottom of the bag, so each side gained 5 stitches, so I had a total of 25 across. More than enough to build my field, crocheted fruit tree, which indeed grew every fruit you could imagine as it stood tall. There was also a smiling sun, that was placed mid way on left strap, offset the size of the cow and the tree.

So, we adapt!

Dec. 30th Saturday ducks in a row?

2006-12-30T03:58:00.000-08:00

One thing I hope will be obvious will be my new years resolution, using capital letters when called for, and no longer using my now familiar to family and friends... . Those three little dots that I love so much, as they say so much. Brings in one dangling sentence to another, certainly brings two short thoughts into some kind of sentence. And can make the longest run on sentence in history.

Not that I would ever do that. Not me. Never. Look, 4 capitals, and only one . To be seen. Almost like I was respectable or something.

On the silver front, I have had several thoughts for new designs I am really excited about. One is most likely going to be a just for me, a variation on the sterling silver safety pins I love making. This one will have one loop for a dangle to hang, and yes, I know the dangle, the rest of the pin will be shaped like a pig. I collect pigs. It started in college, I was a criminology major and the teachers called us piglets. Hey, it was the 60"s (yes I'm old) and lived not too far from UC Berkeley where the screams of PIG were the norm at the cops. Inn fact, back then the term cops was a tad derogatory itself.

It happened that I married a cop. A Fed cop at that. Some grumbled it was to complete my pig collection, but they were wrong. I will NEVER complete my collection, donations are always accepted.

For the crocheted wire pieces, I am planning to do a series that starts out with a simple geometric shape and then show how versatile it can be adapted to become from one basic piece to a very different finish. I'm hopefully that some of you will want to play along and comment in with your designs.

You do know comments can be made, right? I mean, just a hello would be nice. Nothing fancy. Sigh. I know, no motherly guilt. But I'm told I'm very good at it. That is one resolution I am NEVER going to do. It was a goal! Just ask my daughter. Oh, but to do that, you will have to...write a comment... ... ... ... ...it's not new year yet...

Dec 26....We did it

2006-12-26T22:03:00.000-08:00

I know, there was a day there, something like the 25th, I believe, that should have been in here, but it sorta got away from me. The posts, not the day. The day was here, and it was lovely, happy, frantic, and sad/sniffle/makes your heart sigh.

Lovely, as I looked around as Jon drove us over to the apartment where Mandy, Nana Debby,(other grandma) and Paige-Noelle, age 3.5yrs. The street we live on was p shape, with us the start of the figure. 3rd house in, and looking out our front window, there is the street that ends the curve. We have no cross the street neighbors. The small farm that was at the end of the circle, was broken apart years go, and new houses built, they are so beautiful...And their Christmas lights and displays are very pretty. I got to see all the lights.

ah, the gifts, everything was happy and frantic as paige ran from person to person, dressed in a Barbie Princess gown, note to mandy, yeah, tutu would be good under it, or lacy slip.It was a beautiful gause layers in pinks lite and dark shades..she was thrilled with the crown i found and the magic wand. She loved that wand, a star fashioned in silver wire with tiny stars off the big star and ribbons that cascaded down. We were turned into frogs, toads, chocolate chip cookies and well.

the well? Ok, this was the end part. Paige had been pretending she was a Doctor who made house calls, and had built a kit for my husband, puppa Jon, while he watched TV. He found a Dr kit and we got it for her for one of the gifts she loved. She had lots of patients, and was telling us how over worked she w as, but she had to finish with one more special patient.

I was sitting in a leather chair and was trying to figure out how to sneak it out of apartment, on the 2nd floor no less. that chair is so lovely, deep cranberry red leather.....and making jewelry. Of course. With Swarovski butterflies in crystal ab 10mm with topaz and pink bicone top and bottom. When she got to me. I moved gift making jewelry supplies, and she climbed up in my lap. She did the exam, and pronounced me well, then put her hands on each side of my face, and said. "Nana pat,, you are all better, you uured." i must have looked confused, she said it again, louded and slower. Jon caught it and said "Cured?" she nodded and said "yeah, that's it.u not sick anymore"

it was then, after i kissed her face off, i noticed there were sniffles, and looked around, not a dry eye in the room...Ok, small room, only about 5 of us...

seems she diagnosed everyone else, with being sick. She fixed me. It was like she got the cancer out of me and shared it with everyone else...and that is what she told me she did. Gave parts of it to everybody.so i didn't have it all.

cool. Body, listen up. But, I don't want to share it with anyone, so when it is gone from me, make it go fffffssszzzzzzz oooop all gone.

Early start on New Years people who know me, and my writing style, my resolution this year, is to use Capital Letters, when and where they should be, and i'm trying really hard to lose the ... and end sentences correctly. Hey, I'm old, this could take time. But I'm trying....... will try to slap spelling check on too

Christmas Eve all day!

2006-12-24T04:20:00.000-08:00

December 24, 2006 has begun. Course ca time of 4:05 am when i began this, not alot of activity going on right now. Jon is out cold, sleeping, the mighty ridgeback hound armonti is sacked out on love seat, and border terrier brutus the short, is under covers with me.

The 2 kittens are bigger than kittens, their entering their teen age years, long tall gangly legs, and still sleeping all in a puddle of cats. Can't really tell where one starts and the other begins. One is always washing the other one. And if you are eating, hold a plate with food on it, or any food or actually anything on it, they will find out.

So, today I wanted to work on a design i did a couple years ago, a heart with flowers that spill down the side. My granddaughter Paige loves a necklace pendant i made for Mandy,a 4 leaf clover, each leaf is done with woven 4mm and 6 crystal bicones. it is made with swarovski crystals, in this cool color cantaloupe, that changes from a soft green in house lighting to a peach color in outside lighting.

I thought the heart could have a spray of the 3mm coming down, with couple contrast beads, maybe white ab now all i have to figure out how to keep her from twisting her neck funny, to see the color change. i know, putting on a longer chain would be the easy solution.

But who ever wants to do easy when you can see a 3.5yr old twist and giggle trying to see it! Bad Nana Pat. Bad!

pat
blog: wire crochet....not your granny's tablecloth

http://imageevent.com/patmcaudel http://members.aol.com/patmcaudel/2index.html

my other passion:
http://members.aol.com/somebdychd/index.html
missing child education and prevention material on parental/stranger abduction/runaway issues in child friendly manner, in 10 books of fiction/interactive book and 2 plays and a parent guide which you will really never need but info you should know..... but you will never need it

Wire crochet....not your granny's tablecloth: we begin

2006-12-21T02:18:00.000-08:00

December 22, time is getting away from me, every year I swear I will have things under control. The holidays, I'm more than ready for, it's life that goes swirling around us that I have trouble keeping up with.

Today is the day i go to mom's house and collect things she borrowed, pick up things she wanted us to have, and take more final steps to sale of the family home we grew up in, since 1959 anyway. Time marches on, i know that. i just want it to march with smaller steps, please.

Time i want to spend working on a new design, i thought of an amulet bag or large necklae i want to call the Northern Lights. Guess in honor of my brother, he and his family just moved to Alaska in the past month. I have the beads in shades of pinks with touches of yellows with blending of blues that go to the next color...really pretty blend, in my head.

now just a simple matter to get it translated to wire, and paper. I have been thinking of getting a small voice activated tape recorder so that when I am working on what I just did to the piece, I can keep going, talking the instructions out, and not stopping to write it out.

I work with the piece and plan out the next thing to do as it comes, in my head. I should plan ahead, have problems addressed before they occur, be prepared,by doing some of the work on paper first. That's just not how it works out for me. No, i think the idea, i think twice i did do a pencil drawing, of what i want to achieve and then work out the changes as they happen.

when you work in wire you realize that if you make an error, no, placement of stitches where they are unplanned, and unwanted, sounds better than error.... or screw up... You can back out slowly,and carefully re do the stitches one time. If you screw up a second time and yes, that so happens, use it as a new design point cause you will break the wire, as every bend/smooth work hardens the wire, and it will snap.

the very good thing about working in wire is that if you need to hide an error, you can easily. Wire will stay in place where you put it, if you are a bit short on one side, pull on it, and there you have it, It fits. If it is too wide, shrunch it together, and you have a denser piece, but it will work.

it truly is a wonderful medium!

pat
http://imageevent.com/patmcaudel

http://members.aol.com/patmcaudel/2index.html

my other passion:

http://members.aol.com/somebdychd/index.html

missing child education and prevention material on parental/stranger abduction/runaway issues in child friendly manner, in 10 books of fiction/interactive book and 2 plays and a parent guide which you will really never need but info you should know..... but you will never need it

Guess it is time to just do it and start.

New beginning life without Mom

2006-12-19T04:29:00.000-08:00

Monday was a difficult day, my mom Violet Margaret Moses, was buried next to my Father, her husband of what should have been 61 years had the fates been kind to them. There was only a small gathering, immediate family only and then the grandkids that could get the time off of work.

I had no clue we were to be asked to say something. The first story that came to mind, was the sterling silver safety pin. I was doing a show during Mothers Day weekend, did it every year. I had this idea to do a sterling silver safety pin, with a round loop so that a dangle could be suspended to hang as a lapel pin. I got so thrilled when it worked, I created pins that had 3 loops and even 5 loops. It was a very large pin. Mothers Day, I presented her with a pin, and a series of pendant dangles, and waited for her response. "you gave me a safety pin" "yes mom, but it is a sterling silver pin, and I made it" she looked at me over the tops of her glasses, "you MADE a safety pin?" "yes, mom I did, but it is silver." She still looked at it strangely, I could see where this was going, so I said, "mom, you put it on your desk to look pretty and you wear the pendants on a chain." "Oh, wonderful, where is the chain?"

later in the evening we had the memorial dinner, in a beautiful hotel, buffet. Mom would have loved it. The tables were assembled in a U shape, the intro to the evening made, and then, more about us telling a story. argggg ok, I'm middle kid, older sister Nancy started off, in fact, she had notes written up, unfair! She spoke of mom teaching her to cook, um, nope I couldn't use that one, my idea of home made soup started with Bear Creek dry soup mix, hey, I added cubed potatoes...And other stuff, but baking pies? We are working on 30 years of marriage I have never made a pie from scratch. She was no help to me.

Younger sister Barbi was sitting next to Nancy, across the room, far apart as we could be, she was making eye contact, and I gave the universal signal to jump on in, cause I wasn't gonna say anything yet. As the silence grew longer, she got the message, gave a loving glare and stood up. wheeew, had a bit more time, but she wasn't talking like her story would be long. And it wasn't, but the thread seemed to be that mom's have this innate ability to nail the essence of you as a kid, and keep it after you grow to adulthood.

my turn, first I had to say, ok, people, I don't stand,and if I do it's just not pretty, so just listen ok? (I guess I never mentioned the wheelchair) and I spoke of the up the fact that when I was in high school I worked at an upscale department store, in all departments, including China and Glassware. My duties there included selling place settings of Lenox/Waterford/you get the idea. Stock was kept on tall shelves, ladders were used. One handed at times. Yet, when ever she came to meet me for a dinner hour or break, I would get the same speech, "watch your sleeves, hold your handbag in front of you and don't touch anything. And I would do it, till I caught sight of my other sales people doubled over laughing. I also should mention at home and at school I was a mega Klutz, and could and did, trip over my shadow.

It is just built in to mothers. I myself have planned ahead, taking pictures of our daughters bedroom disasters, so when she had kids, and yells and screams, I can bring out the appropriate age/picture and say,"hey kids, wanna see some dirty pictures.....Of your mamma's bedroom..." Hey I warned her I was doing this. Not my fault she didn't believe me. (or the fact I have no clue where I put them to be safe and sound

course she was sitting next to us, her sweet daughter asleep and missing it all, and missing mandy's mention of when is it I needed the next oxygen tank exchange? Um, I turned the floor over to baby brother. Age in 40's some where.......Wait I didn't mention o2 either? gezzzzz. I got to get the very first entry finished and out.....

.....ah, but is it crochet

2006-12-18T03:14:00.000-08:00

amazing how many times I have been asked that very question. What they are looking at is a beautiful piece of jewelry, apparently spun from strands of sterling silver or fine silver, sometimes 14k gold fill wire or even color rich wire that is copper based.

Beautiful neckpieces, lacy, some with the addition of gemstone beads and crystals, amulet bags, just waiting to hold anything from "pin money" or of late, I have been making them sized for condoms. They are surprisingly popular. I have also been working on cell phone bags, but those have a way to go, due to different diminution of phones out there. Bracelets are also popular, again I use lots of crystals and a weave like stitch called the afghan stitch, very wide cuff of over 1" with random sparkles. gotta have sparkles. Is this where I confess that I am known in the family as the sparkle slut?

I have so much fun making these and everyone who sees them comment on how different they are from other kinds of jewelry. The funny thing is, most people want to learn how to make it, or want to buy a kit cause they know how to crochet but want everything gathered together for them. So I now find myself not just making jewelry designs once...I need to write down how I make it, while I am making it. Family members will not sit with me any longer while I'm working and they watch TV, all cause I have been known to yell out, "write down chain 5 skip 3 then double cro...Wait, where are you going...No wait" no, it's not pretty.

I have been very lucky and for the past 10 years have been writing exclusively for Lapidary Journal/ Step by Step Beads and then Wire. In that time 13 projects have been published, and I plan on bringing them out as kits. And I have begun to teach, so that's new too.

Doing this blog is another new thing for me, so far not too bad. Course, I opened the blog April-06 and here it is December. I'm usually better at deadlines that this...