Loom Knitting - Or How to Become Addicted to Yet Another Craft

I'm sure everyone that's ever done more than one craft/art already knows what it is to become "addicted" to that craft/art.  sigh.  It pretty much takes over your life.  lol !  We don't mean it to do that but it does.  And ususally without realizing it has until it's too late.  Then you are so far into it that it's just too late TO do anything about it.......except enjoy it, have fun with it and find as many places online or locally as you can to spend time with others that have that very same addiction !  :)  Been there - done that and am there AGAIN !  lol !  

This loom knitting thing is extremely addicting.  It's like with my beads.  I love it, can't wait to work on my project and look forward to learning something new.  I enjoy connecting with folks who are same minded.  There are LOTS of Facebook groups dedicated to loom knitting and of course a few on Ravelry.  I have enough looms for now.  Got all of them years ago except for the new KB "S" loom I am using now.  And I really have lots of yarn left over from all those years ago however they are not the type I need to use on these looms.  I bought them for Kumihimo  (yes that was another addiction too ! ) braids.  I am really drooling over all the yarn these days !   Especially all the newer types like the cake yarns.  So yummy but I am really controlling myself.  I recently used a gift certificate I had for Hobby Lobby all on yarn !  lol !  My next project already in my head.  lol !   

So yes, it's easy to become "addicted" to an art/craft - once you step into it.  So be careful.  No matter what it is  - it will take you in and hold you there until you can't take it anymore !  If that day ever comes.  lol !  

I'm still working on my first afgan using my KB "S" loom.  I've used up all the left over yarn that I had that worked in this project.  I wanted to keep it all one type of yarn - polyester so I still have left over yarns that I can use in other projects later.  I purchased 6 skeins of same namebrand yarn I started with and have 2 1/2 left.  As of today, I have about 50 inches of afgan knitted and thinking I need another 20 inches give or take to get a full 6 ft. long afgan.  Turns out those skeins are making only about 6 1/2" of afgan so I may end up having to buy another skein or two to finish UNLESS I just end it after the next two skeins.  I think it just depends on how "impatient" I get during the process to see the end result !  lol !  

Photo is of where I ended up a couple days ago at about 45".  Not to shabby I think for a first try at an afgan.  I made plenty of hats and scarves years ago and even a bag or two but never an afgan.  So, there it is.  

    Of course with loom knitting, you must have a few loom knitting tools - or as I call them, picks.  I just find it easier to say picks is all.  :)  I did have several already that came with the looms I had previously.  One came with the s loom as well.  I found they are all too short or too skinny or just plain uncomfortable in MY hand. As with the clothing industry - one size DOES NOT fit all with these picks.  So I searched and found a few that are longer and ordered.  One came yesterday.  I also saw a link posted in one of the FB groups of a video of how to add "padding" to the picks to make them "softer" or cushioned using those tiny rubber bands.  The handles of these picks that come with the looms are hard plastic and quite uncomfortable and even painful.  So I ordered some of those tiny rubber bands.  Those came on Monday.   Watched the video and made 2 rubber band "holders" for 2 of my picks and wha-la !  It works !  Easy to make, fun to make, fun to look at and most importantly - it HELPS tremendously !  I'll post the link to the video below.  Pictured are the two picks I added the rubber band holders too.  The red/orange/yellow colors represent the flame since I do make glass beads at my torch !  :)  The longer one is the one that I purchased and am thinking of ordering another one.  That one is 6" long.

     
Links:  How to make the loom knitting tool holder:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P762Ai88p8s

My FB page:  https://www.facebook.com/AllMyBeads/   Here you can find LOTS of items for sale such as my hand dyed 100 % silk cords/strings, jewelry clearance items, beads and Kumihimo braids.  

Thanks so much for coming by.  I hope you come back again sometime and join me on my loom knitting journey !  :)  

Cool - Crisp - Autumn Air = Making Beads !

Indeed it does !  Equal making beads that is.  This is the time of year when I can and do make beads ALOT.  At the torch most every single morning.  I love the fall weather leading into winter.  Winter is THE BEST time of year for me.  If only I could live in a snowy area, I'd be in heaven !  lol !  The colors of fall are what inspire me.  When I went to bed last night, all I could think about was making fall color beads.  And that color palette is more wide open than people might think. 

Fall and winter color palette's are truly wonderful with so many deep, rich and vibrant colors to choose from.  Think of the changing of leaves on trees in the fall.  Rich oranges, bright yellows and reds, soft and mutted browns and tans and green in just about any shade you can imagine.  Even purples are considered fall and winter colors.  There is a website that's pretty much indispensable for color combinations.  Here's the link  http://design-seeds.com/  and as you can tell it's called Design Seeds.  You can get inspiration in your email daily if you choose.  I was doing that for a long time until I took a break from making beads.  I'm starting it up again as there are times I do need that inspiration.  I am one of those people that I can try to make the same color combinations and sometimes I do however I have found that when I do, I get very bored and most of the time the beads just aren't the same.  I am no good at "production" work.  Anyway, fall and winter colors are the prettiest in my book.  I feel "at home" when making them.  Don't get me wrong, I love bright colors too.  Oh and of course blues and reds..........oh brother, I admit, I pretty much love all colors BUT fall and winter colors truly are my favorites.  

So onto some eye candy.  I have been busy at the torch lately but did manage to remove myself from that torch for a few mornings last week.  Life gets in the way of torching mojo sometimes.  lol !  The days I did torch were mostly test beads.  Trying different color combos and playing with my new toys too.  :)   I did get a few sets done along the line. 

         This first set I love !  Made on one of my new toys called the Baroque bead shaper.  LOVE !  This set has 3 graduated sizes of the baroque shape with donut spacers.  The color is actually 2 fairly new glass colors and each rod is a mix of two colors.  A good size set to be sure.  This is available on my Facebook page  https://www.facebook.com/AllMyBeads

This set is quite organic.  With chocolate brown, silver, ivory and turquoise all swished, swirled and twisted about so it has no set pattern . I like that. :)  Sorry but this one is not available but I can make more !  This one I wouldn't mind redoing at all.  This sort of  technique is always fun to do.  You can contact me on my Facebook page here https://www.facebook.com/AllMyBeads if interested. 

Yes, I'm pushing my Facebook page.  It seems to be the way these days.  So come on over and check it out. 

I am having a sale in my Etsy shop.  EVERYTHING expect the hand dyed silk cords is on sale for 15% off !  Come on over and do some shopping !  The link to my shop is on the right.

Time to start my day.  Thanks so much for coming by.  I hope you come back again soon !

Beads and Silk Cords

Beads - they're in my blood.  I can't get away from them.  I don't want to get away from them.   All kinds of beads make me happy.  Lampwork beads are my favorites of course but I enjoy all the rest too.  Seed beads, clay beads, wood beads, ceramic beads, metal beads and on and on.  They are addicting.  Maybe that all goes back to my "hippie" days.  Afterall, I am a child of the 60's.  I didn't make them back then but I did wear them and often.  Plus as a child we all played with plastic beads in some form and who didn't play with marbles ?  Marbles are beads - they just have no holes.  Beads have been around for so long I don't think there's too many people that haven't done something with some kind of bead in their life.   Beads - they are a part of our society and many others - like it or not.  They're all around us and have been for centuries.  They aren't going anywhere and I'm sooo very happy for that ! 

This week, I've had the pleasure of being able to be at my torch a couple of mornings before the heat sets in.  The thing about that is it means the mornings are becoming cool again, slowly but surely, which also means, fall is just around the corner.  Yay !  My absolute favorite time of year - next to winter !  lol !  Which also means, many more days at the torch and for longer periods of time.  Which also means more beads are coming.  As long as my back and hands hold up.  lol !  Anyway this week, I was able to make a couple of sets, managed a pumpkin for Halloween and pulled some special stringers for some special types of beads.  Those stringers, took TWO, yes TWO hours to pull !  That was my day at the torch yesterday.  See, sometimes these pretty beads you see, all pretty with special decorations added in, take ALOT of prep time before even making one bead.  And then with so many additions to the bead, it can take a very long time to make that one bead.  Anyway, I wasn't able to make one of those beads yet but they will come.  :)  The beads I did make are still waiting to be photographed and a set is still soaking in the water.  Will have to show those beads later. 

I also worked on some brand new colors for hand dyeing silk cords and that's exactly what I did last weekend.  There are more new colors coming very soon too.  Colors I've never dyed before so it's pretty exciting for me !  :)  Anyway, photo's below of the newer colors.   All will be in my Etsy shop soon but are also available on my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/AllMyBeads  All of the cords now available in my Etsy shop can also be purchased via my Facebook page.  Just message me over there.  :)

                                   Deep Blue.  So pretty.

                          Deep Red  This red is darker than it shows and really stunning.

                              Neon Green !  Yes it's NEON !  :)  LOVE this !  More neons coming.

                              This is more a strawberry red.  Pretty.

                              Two tone turquoise.  Nice.

 

That's it for this week.  Thanks so much for coming by.  I hope you come back very soon ! 

Information Please

Hello to one and all !  This weeks post is simply put, all about information about this and that.  Probably not going to be very long post but hopefully some fun and info about my little corner of the world.  :)

First of all, I am hosting a giveaway over on my Facebook page.  Click All My Beads Facebook  to go directly to my Beads page and LIKE my page.  Once I reach 100 LIKES on the PAGE (not on a post) then I will be hosting the giveaway and will post what the giveaway prize will be and the rules.  Don't worry, the rules won't be a hassle to deal with.  lol !  Some fun little game or something.  :)

My Etsy shop listings are finally dwindling down.  Slowly but surely.  Just an FYI - If you want anything over there, please shop now.  As all of the listings expire, I am not and will NOT be relisting any of it EXCEPT for the hand dyed silk cords and bellflower beads/headpins.  You can check out my Etsy shop HERE or click on any picture to the right in my Etsy shop.

With the heatwave still in full force with temps in the high 90's and with heat index temps of over 100 degrees, I'm still unable to sit at my beloved torch and make glass beads.  sigh.   Even very early in the morning it's still in the 70's with 100% humidity (we live near a huge lake).  Just can't justify opening that window to draw in back up air and heat up my work area anymore !  lol !  With a kiln set at garaging temp of 950 degrees to 960 degrees and the heat of the torch PLUS humid outside air, UGH !  Really not worth the impending heat stroke it will cause me !  lol !  So, I sit and wait for the cool.  sigh.  It'll come.  :)

Still no inclination what-so-ever to make, design, create jewelry.  Not one iota of creativity either.  What's up with that ???  lol !  Usually summertime, when I can't torch, is the high point of my jewelry making.  Not this summer.

Very soon I will be updating some posts I've made in the past.  One in particular, tips and tricks for using the bellflower press.   If there are any other posts you'd like to see updated or revised, please leave me a comment below.  :)  It won't show up immediately but it will be posted.  :)

Below are just a few of my favorite photo's saved from the web. 
I don't know the photographer or even remember where I got the first photo but isn't the color amazing ! 

Just for fun.  I LOVE Snoopy.  One of my all time favorite characters.

Think Snow !  :) 

Ok that's it for now.  Thanks so much for coming by !  I hope you come back again very soon. 

 



 

Time Change - Kumihimo - Dragons - What a Week

Well, it's that time of year again where the clocks had to be changed.  sigh.  This is so stupid.  Leave the clocks one way or the other for petes's sake !  There is no need to do this.  It is proven it takes some people weeks to recoup from the twice yearly change and that's just not good let alone productive.   I could go on a major rant here about all this but I won't.  Time to move on.......

The last several weeks have been so busy (as I have stated more than once) I've had barely enough time in the day to finish up what I start.  Doesn't matter what it is.  So time to slow down, like I mentioned last week, and pace myself.  Do you ever find it's just too much sometimes ?  I'm there.  lol !  I have a list of what I NEED to be doing and as I look at it, I am making plans on when and how much time I will spend on each item.  Maybe it'll take more time than what I planned for a particular "job".  With that, next time around I'll plan it better.  :)

I have been "playing" with beaded Kumihimo of course as I have been for months now.  Have I learned anything new recently ?  Not alot but that's only because I haven't had the time to sit and learn something new.  lol !  I have several new books to read, a BUNCH of tutorials to go over and actually make something, including a new lampwork bead tut.  I've glanced over a few things and am anxious to try it all.  So in the meantime, I'm still making some jewelry pieces, as time permits, and having fun with that.

The first necklace I made weeks ago.  It was one of the braids I made to go with the shell pendant - possibly.  It ended up going with the little blue dragon seen below.  Such a great match !  Turned out really good together.

This second photo is of another dragon necklace.  This little dragon is Esmeralda.  For whatever reason, as I was braiding the Kumihimo braid, I kept thinking the braid belonged to Esmeralda, the little purple dragon.  :)  There she is.  The braid is made with my own hand dyed pink silk cord, purple satin cord and one "strand" of gold color seed beads.  LOVE it !  She is for sale if anyone is interested.  Just message me.

That's a couple things I was able to finish up last week.  I really enjoyed making the pink and purple braid.  I love working on my Marudai and would do it daily if I could.  ;)   The beaded Kumihimo braids are all made on a foam disk.  Which is fine but I get more pleasure out of using the Marudai.  Not exactly sure what it is.  The feel of the fibers ?  The movement of the cords ?  Could it be I can actually DO more on the Marudai ?  Meaning making more movement of the cords ?  I'm not sure but I love it.  :)


 Please remember to come on by my Etsy shop for a look at my new hand dyed silk cords !  Lots of colors available with more to come in the next week.  All are available by the yard ! 


That's all for this week.  Thanks so much for coming by.  I hope you come back again sometime. 

Hand Dyed Silk Cords/Strings Revisited

Last week was such a busy week but there was some fun involved too.  :)  I am not complaining cause I like to stay busy but we all need a break once in a while right ?  So I think this coming week I'll slow down a bit.  Get caught up on some rest but do what needs to be done too. 

Ok so what kept me busy last week and actually the last 2 weeks - hand dyeing silk cords/strings.  Yes indeed.  I've gotten back into it once again.  Left doing that some time ago mainly because I had enough to keep me going for a while.  Recently, I looked at what I had left of those colors, I decided it was time once again to start dyeing.  :)  So far, I've done 30 skeins with more in mind.  I manage about 10 a day with single colors.  When I start painting the cords it will probably take longer.  Painting the cords can be fun too.  Still I want to expand on the single colors before I start painting them.  :)  What I managed to get done I have listed in my Etsy shop which you can see to the right of this.  Just click on any photo to go there and see all the colors.  More will be coming !  These cords are perfect for Kumihimo braiding.  You can use them on either the Marudai or the foam disk.  Either way works.  I use them on my Marudai which is what I'm use to using with fibers and keep my disk for beaded kumihimo. Also would be great using them in Friendship bracelets.  

Below are a couple of samples of the 8 strand braids using my silk cords.

The first one is a square braid using my sky blue silk cords and hand dyed satin cords.  The square shape is very distinctive.   

  
The second braid is made only with my hand dyed silk cords - Red and Black.  This one is available in my Etsy shop. 

I am anxious to try out some of my new colors just dyed.  They all look GREAT if I do say so myself.  lol ! 

I was able to finally finish up a couple of beaded Kumihimo braided necklaces as well.  I'll show those next post.  :)  I need to get back to work.

Thanks so much for coming by !  Come back again soon to see what's happening.    

Kumihimo Edited

As you can see this page has been edited.  I've deleted most of my posts on Kumihimo as there is so very much on the web now about that subject that my posts were outdated. 

 

Enjoy the eye candy below which includes my hand made lampwork glass beads and flowers and some beaded kumihimo pieces I made. 

 

Come by and visit my Facebook page at:  https://www.facebook.com/AllMyBeads 

This is where you will find my beads, jewelry, hand dyed silk cords and Kumihimo braids.  Some of these things are still available in my Etsy shop which you can go to by clicking the pictures to the right.  :) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kumihimo

Updated and Edited Page


Necklace made with seed beads and my own hand made lampwork focal bead.

                     

 My beads are available here  https://www.facebook.com/AllMyBeads   My hand dyed silk cords are available on my Facebook page also but are in my Etsy shop.  If you click on any of the photo's to the right, it will take you there. 



  

Keeping it Fresh - Post Edited

Post removed.  It was time as it was a bit outdated.  As much as beaded Kumihimo was a huge part of my life for a time, it no longer is therefore the clean up continues. 

I am back to what I have always love doing - making glass beads - melting glass - lampworking - flameworking - torching.  Whatever one wants to call it.  It has been a part of my soul for over 10 years (on and off due to no torching in the summer) and always will be.  I even quit for about a 2 year period thinking that was it.  Uh uh, nope, it sure wasn't.  I've been back now for a while and LOVE IT just as much as I first did.  Only difference now is I'm back to simple, basic stuff.  My hands are older and can tolerate only so much.  lol !  Anyway, sorry this is not what you were expecting when you clicked on the link. 

Come on over to my Facebook page for a look.  There are beads that would be PERFECT for adding to your beaded or not beaded kumihimo piece.  Also have hand dyed silk cords there as well as in my Etsy shop. 

My Facebook page link  https://www.facebook.com/AllMyBeads

Thanks for coming by.  Please feel free to check out all my other Blog pages. 

Some eye candy for you.  My bellflower headpins/charms.  On my Facebook page for sale.

 

Bracelet and Earring set made with my own lampwork beads on my Facebook page for sale.

 

Silver and gunmetal beaded Kumi bracelet. Fits three sizes.  Contact me on my Facebook page or Etsy shop if interested in this bracelet.   

 

 

 

 

 

Edited Page

Original post was removed due to it being outdated.  There are HUNDREDS of pages of free information out there about Kumihimo, beaded and not beaded.  Just search the web and be amazed ! 

In the meantime, come on over to my Facebook page for all of my hand made items.  Lampwork beads, hand dyed silk cords/strings, jewelry and braids. 

 JEWELRY SUPPLY DESTASH ALBUM -  All My Beads Jewelry Supply Destash
 

Link to my Facebook page -  https://www.facebook.com/AllMyBeads
 

Thanks for coming by.  :) 

 

Beaded Kumihimo

This page has been edited due to the fact there is so much on the web now about Kumihimo that my information was a bit outdate.  Do a search and you will be amazed at what comes up.

Links to my Facebook pages.  First one is a jewelry destashing album which has kumihimo end caps and much more.   I WILL have MANY kumihimo making supplies listed so check back often. 
Second one is to my page.

ALL MY BEADS JEWELRY MAKING SUPPLIES DESTASH

https://www.facebook.com/AllMyBeads


Two of the first beaded kumihimo bracelets I made.  There are so many more I've lost count. 

    

 

 

ALL MY BEADS   - FACEBOOK PAGE