Completed Wire Crochet Necklaces

I have finally been able to complete my wire crochet necklaces.  This first one I present to you are wire crochet rounds with a turquoise nugget wired onto the center of each round.  I simply joined the rounds with jump rings and then added the chain I found at the bead store.  I have discovered it is a little tricky to find nice copper chains.

The pattern for the rounds is the drop daisy pattern, remember, I posted on an earlier post when I began the experiment with the wire crochet, it is the link under resources Thread Bears Blogspot.

I chose to use the turquoise nuggets because I happen to have some but as you can see, you could use any type of bead that suits your taste.

This next necklace design is one that came to me because I was learning to make the wire butterfly then I wanted to make a dragon-fly, I already had the frog and the fish, I made them years ago and they were actually little pins.  I just took the pins off and made them into charms.  So with these little charms I figured these would make a themed necklace, a “Pond Theme”.

I call it “Pond Life”

Look closely you will see at the base of the necklace is a small fish swimming among some blue glass beads then working up both sides there are some brown beads representing the bank of the pond then on one side you see a green glass bead frog and on the other some wild flowers and a lady bug, then some white bead cloud topped off with the butterfly and the dragon-fly.

The Butterfly is made from the pattern on the link to the left, Nana Sue’s Blog spot. the dragon-fly was my own invention, the wings are made from a simple crochet leaf pattern then I left the wire long enough that I could tread the bead onto them to create the dragon-fly.

I haven’t decided which is the best way to create yet, getting beads I like then let them tell me what they want to be; or decide what I want to make then try to find the beads that will work.  The latter seems to be the most difficult for me.

I hope these designs will inspire others to experiment with these techniques who haven’t tried them yet. As I got into the work of making each component of the Pond Necklace and I could see the scene come together, it made me giggle, to realize, there is not another one of these on the planet.

And isn’t that the fun part of creating.  Making something that never existed before.  I hope you will view this link and feel even more  inspired by the words and the video that is presented to go forth and create beauty in the world.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhLlnq5yY7k

 

Still working the wire…

Catchy title huh? …I guess it means I am trying to walk and keep my balance on the “high wire” between being “mom” and “me”.  It has been a trying few days.  Teens can be a bit trying on their own, but teens that are adopted, or have experienced loss of a parent, and have come to us at ages that they have already developed their personalities and characters and have gone through loss and tragedy can be particularly tedious at best at times. So to try to balance the needs of these kiddos and my basic need of sanity I work on my crochet and do other things I enjoy. To try to give each day something pleasant that I can look back on the day and say, “This one was a toughie, but at the end of it, I did accomplish such and such, and so and so was pleased with me today.”

You know maybe the best part of having 20 children other than the great number of grandbabies we may have, is the fact that at the end of each day SOMEONE still likes me.  I mean I can’t possibly, as a mother, alienate all 20 children in one day! So no matter what happens in our current home of 4 teens, There is still a chance that I will get pleasant phone calls and visits each day, from some of the adult children that have since moved past the teen stage into adulthood and have found that Mom is pretty bright and they have gratitude for the manner in which they were raised and the overall knowledge that they actually use what they were taught.  When as teens they thought it was all hooey, just as these last four think.

So in the midst of the chaos of raising teens, I am also still working on the wire crochet projects.  I have not completed a project yet, but here is a necklace I am currently working on.  The pattern is still the daisy drop earring pattern I gave you the link to a couple of weeks ago.  I just didn’t add the drop and I am linking the daisies into a necklace.

I am using copper wire and actual turquoise beads that I have on hand.  I chose copper for the obvious reason…price.  I would use silver but I am still learning the techniques so until I get better copper is a more financially sound decision.  And if my project works out copper and turquoise jewelry can make a nice gift.

You will see in this next picture I have a crocheted butterfly.  I used the crochet thread size 3 for this one.  I was doing some research to make a wire crochet butterfly.  I searched the internet for just the right pattern; the link is in my resources.  The pattern could not be the usually fold over crochet butterfly wire would not work well for that pattern.  The pattern needed to be an appliqué type, but not too intricate, too many bends and the wire breaks, this pattern will be just right I think.

I made it first out of crochet tread so I could learn the stitches and see how the process works before I did it in wire and made lots of mistakes.  The new stitches in this pattern for me were the”picot” and the double treble (Dtr).

So to all you adoptive and step-moms out there who like me, deal with the challenges that come with these children, don’t despair get out your crochet hooks, recipes, sewing machines, paint brushes or poetry books, genealogy, go to school, etc. and “work the wire” with me.  Find the balance to be “mom” and “you”.  Because at the end of it all the kids are going to grow up and go out into the world and you will still have you.  Take the time to develop you and be of value to your fellow-man.  It will make you smile!

 

Something new for me…Wire Crochet!

As I was researching through to see what other things I may be interested in trying with my new-found interest of crochet. I came across wire crochet. This is a beautiful art form. I was intrigued by the ability the craftsmen have to manipulate the wire just how they want it, and of course the ability to design an aesthetically pleasing piece of jewelry as well.

As I continue reading and watching tutorials on the subject, I do notice that just as in other art forms; sewing, cooking, sculpting, crochet etc…the experts all still have many failures in their work and have to begin again. This is good news to us that are just beginning; it gives us the incentive to keep pushing forward in our new endeavor. It gives me courage and I do not feel defeated when I fail at a project when I know the expert has is days too. We have to look at these little failures not as failures but as learning opportunities, what did I learn that I can improve upon.

I was ready to begin so, I found the most appealing piece of jewelry online, that I thought I could manage to make, it is 8:30 p.m., I got my jewelry wire out, grabbed my crochet hook and began. Oh, yes, I did, just happen to have jewelry wire. I am 51 years old, and through all my years of creative endeavors I have acquired quite the inventory of craft supplies. I may not always have exactly what is called for, but I have what I need to give something a try to see if I want to buy further supplies. If someone needs something in my home, I usually have it on hand.

Anyway I got the wire and my crochet hook and I sat down with my smart phone with my directions running on it and I practiced. I am happy to say, I did only have to cut the wire and begin again twice before I actually got the feel of the wire and how to use the hook effectively with this medium. In one hour I had this pair of earrings. Not too bad for my first try. I have made jewelry for a long time and I enjoy it, now I crochet and I enjoy it, so like the “Reese’s Cup”, maybe I can put these two good things together!

I think I will go out today and buy a steel crochet hook, it seems to be what the experts use and like the best.

The pieces of jewelry you see in this post are some of the pieces I have made through the years

Ladies just a tip about the watches; don’t spend 12 dollars or so on a watch face at the craft stores or inexpensive ones online, take time to go to the thrift stores and get unique good quality watches and take the bands off and use the watch. You can get watch batteries fairly inexpensively to replace old watch batteries, and I have found it less expensive to go this route, and I like the watches I find, sometimes I also find fun necklaces that I take old beads from. These will be one of a kind items when you use vintage supplies.