Chunky Bead Crochet Bracelet

Oct5

My first experiment with bead crochet resulted in this chunky bracelet. When I was in Michigan last month, I visited a yarn shop with my Mom who is an avid stitcher and knitter. From the moment I stepped through the front door, I was entranced with the bins upon bins of colorful, textured yarn skeins. All of those colors! It was like opening up a new box of crayons. I carefully made a couple of selections, having no idea what I was going to do with them. I just liked to look at them and feel their weight in my hands.

After reading Lindly Haunani’s post about setting creative goals for the fall, I wrote down 4 things that I would like to accomplish and explore. One of them was to teach myself bead crochet and experiment with various fibers and beads. A great resource for helping me achieve this goal is Bethany Barry’s Bead Crochet. So, I went through my bead stash and choose some colorful size 6 beads to match the colorful yarn I had purchased.

I single crocheted a tube 6 beads around and then finished it with a vintage button clasp. With a chain loop that fits over the button, I was amazed at how easy it is to put it on and take it off. My next experiment is going to be with size 8 beads and C-Lon cord. Stay tuned!

September Page Progress

Oct1

The beading on the Harvest Goddess is finished. For her long, luxuriant hair, I used a twisted fringe technique with my variegated beads and then tacked down the fringe. My eyes happened upon these lovely golden amber glass leaves in my bead stash and I couldn’t resist giving her a crown. I’ve been fascinated by crowns ever since I was in kindergarten. I loved to draw crowns on all of the ladies in my pictures. When my Mom took me to the library, I always made a beeline for the adult section to find my precious treasure – a big, heavy dusty old book containing color photos of the crown jewels of England. I loved thumbing through that book to gaze upon all of the beautiful, sparkly objects it contained.

Ideas about my October page are starting to glimmer in my mind. The image of a candle has been present in my thoughts all day. I think I will start with that and then see where it takes me.

Saturday Morning Tea

Sep29

This morning’s cuppa is a single estate Assam tea from the Rembeng estate. The Assam tea growing district is located in northeastern India. Now that we are past our little September heat wave and the leaves are starting to turn color, this full-bodied black tea is perfect for a bright, cool early fall morning. The tea liquor is a dark reddish brown and the flavor is hearty with a bright astringency. I like to smooth out that astringency with a dash of milk. The leaf is of the CTC variety. CTC means crush, tear, curl and refers to a mechanized processing of the leaf that results in a consistent, granular structure. It brews up fairly quick, 2-3 minutes in boiling water, so it’s also a good choice for those mornings when you don’t have a lot of time. It’s also strong enough for the addition of sweetener, if that’s your taste.

The leaf reminds me of dark grapenuts. Mmmmm, time for another cup!

Filling the Well

Sep28

Just like food and water hydrate and nourish our bodies, there are certain things we can do to nourish our souls. Most are special only to us but some things are common to everyone. I call them “Well Fillers”. Just like we fill our car’s tank with gas and then use the fuel and empty the tank by driving the car, we go through a similar process in our daily lives. Filling and emptying our life energy. I’ve come up with a list of what fills my well.

1. Laughing

2. Listening to an audio book while I drive

3. Sleeping in

4. Making and drinking tea

5. Going for a walk in the woods or on the beach

6. Reading or watching a good story

7. Beading

8. Taking photos

9. Sunday pancake brunch

10. Visiting an art or bead store

My list is a lot longer but you understand. What fills your well?

Being vs. Doing

Sep26

Lately, as summer stands aside for autumn to fully enter our lives, I have been contemplating the cycles and rhythms of life. The ebb and flow of the tides. The growth, harvest and dormancy of the seasons. The waxing and waning of the moon. The life cycle of a butterfly as its cocooning transforms it from a fuzzy caterpillar to a glorious winged soulbird. Life is constantly changing within its cycles of birth, death and rebirth.

This led me to think about the cycles of my own life, especially my creativity. Sometimes I feel bursting full of energy and ideas and my hands can barely keep up with my imagination. This is the “Doing” part of my cycle. At other times I feel empty and don’t want to do anything at all. It is during those times that I feel the need to fill up my emptiness. But first it is important that I sit with the emptiness for awhile before I start filling. This is the “Being” part of my cycle.

As a true Capricorn, I feel the most comfortable when I have a concrete goal and am working (Doing) hard towards that goal, whatever it may be. It is the times when my psyche starts sending me signals that it is time to enter the “Being” part of the cycle that I struggle with the most. Perhaps it is the part of me that thinks that I am not worthy unless I am being productive that finds it challenging to just “Be”. But isn’t the butterfly growing and transforming within her cocoon, her “Being” time? Isn’t the moon still there even though we can’t see it? The tide recedes but look what treasures it brings in.

So, I am sitting with these thoughts and am starting to understand that “Being” is just as important as “Doing. It is part of the cycle of our lives, yours and mine.

What do you think?