Work in Progress

If you know me at all, you know this sitting around at the homeschool resource center waiting around for the kid to get an education is driving me nuts. Nuts. It's such a waste of my time, and he doesn't need me there. But rules are rules. (If you know me at all, I also hate rules, but I follow them when required.)

Some of my friends suggested learning Viking Knit as a past-time.... and I have to say, they were right on. I love making it, I love how it works up into something so nice and rich, and I love how I can just put in my ear buds, blast my playlist, block out the crazy school stuff and create something. At school, while I'm sitting around waiting.

Today, I got started on this necklace, an idea I've been holding on to from the beginning (but I had to do that Bead Soup and OWOH thing first!), and I'm very happy with it so far. It needs a clasp, and a bail. And it has a secret little function that I'll tell you about later once it's done. Assuming it works the way it's supposed to. I'll find out next.



This is the bead:



Completed necklace coming soon!

Random Thursday Thoughts

Did you know... that if you have been hitting that "follow" button on all your friend's blogs... that you also have to update the widget in the sidebar to get them to show up? I did not. But now I do... so I'm happy again and will be better about "following" blog. I was so lost!

Also, do you know? Of a shopping cart solution for websites (like mine, BlueBetween.com) that will allow me to list items and also will mark them as sold when they are? That is my problem, I need them to be marked sold so they don't sell twice. Ideas?

Guess what! I'm so excited about the viking knit stuff. But... I'm waiting and waiting and waiting... for my end caps and findings so I can actually do something with them.

And guess what else! I'm so excited to start working on my Bead Soup Blog Party project... Ernie the fish is getting bored sitting around... but still, I'm waiting and waiting for my special supplies to show up. Since I never work with gold, I had to order some gold-filled things to go with my "soup". And it's still not here yet. Do you think the snowstorms all across the country are possibly holding up my mail? Probably, huh?



Oh, and don't you think?! That this One World One Heart thing is amazing? I have found several new blogs to follow and am loving all the comments I'm receiving. Fun! But there are far fewer people participating this year... it's not too late to join in, you know.

Oh, and guess what we did yesterday? Well, not we. Luke. Luke gets to do all the fun stuff these days. Anyway, HE started a metals class and is making a ring. He's learning to manipulate metal and use a torch to solder! How cool is that? We (and I do mean WE) need to learn how to make some fused glass cabs so he can learn to make bezels around them and make his own glass and metal works. Way too cool for a 10-year-old to be working on, don't you think?

And hey, speaking of 10-year-olds... we discovered this set of books that we L.O.V.E - and yes, it's about history and we both L.O.V.E them. Seriously. Your kid would too - so much better than those boring history books the schools are buying with your tax dollars. It's an 11 book set called "History Of Us" and it's interesting and engaging and we can't wait to read the next chapter. Really!



Well, that's it, my mind is blank again... isn't that a relief?!

Fun with Viking Knit

I got my viking knit kit and wire last week and couldn't wait to get started. So I sat in my car at the homeschool resource center and in one hour, figured it out. Luke was impressed. So was I. Here is my first attempt - one side (on the left) is single stitch, and the last inch or so (on the right) is double stitch:



Then I made several more. One while sitting in the car waiting for Luke to have Racketball lessons. That one was not so great, but I learned from my mistakes. It took a little to figure out how to get a wire spliced in without it showing too much. But now I have it.

Here are my last three attempts, from top to bottom - single stitch, drawn through the two largest holes, then single stitch, drawn through all four holes to the smallest size, then double stitch, drawn through... I think the two larger holes.



I just ordered some silver wire and need to order some end caps next. Fun!

Viking Knit, Anyone?

Yesterday I ordered a kit and a tutorial - the tutorial looks fantastic - you can find it here: JewelryLessons.com. The kit I ordered also looks great, but I don't have it yet: Rocio Viking Knit Set.

I also spent a lot of time surfing around looking for ideas - some wonderful bracelets out there... like this one: SNOW FLOWER Woven Wire Sterling Bracelet by Donna Millard - it's beautiful, check it out!



And this necklace, which is equally yummy - Copper Viking Knit with Green Fire Agate by Sneekbead.



Can't wait to get my supplies and give it a try!