Color Fade Bangles and Circlet Earrings for tomorrow

I feel like I'm not making jewelry as much as I used to, but when pop-up sales happen, new jewelry also happens. The above large checker earrings I wasn't going to make, but then I just had to get them out of my head...and they're just as wonderful as I thought they might be. I wore them to work today before cleaning them and putting them for sale tomorrow. 

If you haven't noticed my posting until now, the Ann Arbor Holiday show is tomorrow (Saturday November 8th) at Zal Gaz Grotto, 2070 W. Stadium Blvd, Ann Arbor from 10am-4pm. It's nice to see people, even if you're just stopping in to say hi or are curious about the guild and what we're up to.

I created some burgundy, tan and black pieces...I keep seeing that "burgundy is the color of the season" and red tones always seem easy to lean into during fall and as the holidays approach. Then I saw a teaser for an article "Forget about Burgundy - This Fall is All About Violet"...so I popped some of the suggested violet tones into the next color fade bangle and circlet earrings I made. It definitely pops more than the previous set. 

More Checkers [earrings]

Tan & Light Yellow Checker Huggie Earrings 

can be purchased HERE

I've felt a bit...overwhelmed and lost lately. I haven't gotten to my next weaving on my big loom because I need to dye for it. I have a weave structure that I want to play with on my little loom but I don't have specific imagery in mind for it...I need a bit more direction to get motivated for that weaving. So. Beading checkers. Talking out the weaving issue with my husband led me to the fact I probably need to just start with checkers on the little loom too. Checkers are my default. 

Meanwhile I've been wearing my various colored checker huggie earrings a lot. They're lightweight, easy and out of the way, I've made a few more in different colors. Above is the yellow and champagne checkers, below I was inspired to bead with 24K gold plated seed beads. I did a spray finish to help with the plated finish but these should not be rubbed or exposed to much water, if any. 

Purchase Gold & Olive Green Checker Huggies HERE

I thought that the gold with white would be a classy neutral, I made those first (below). One of the clothing additions to my collection is an olive green midi skirt that I'm leaning towards accessorizing with gold, thus olive green and gold checkers was the next obvious stitching (above). 

And last, checker circlet earrings. I don't lean towards red much, especially wearing it, but, some of my favorite ska band tees are red and I had the red, white and black beads out already for the Resist Bangle. So these large circlet earrings also came to be.

Shop Circlet Earrings HERE

I took checkers to the next personal level adding them to my slowly growing tattoo collection. I have wanted a checker arm band tattoo since my late teens, early 20's. Back then I thought it'd go on my upper arm, but in my 40s...well, thank goodness I waited because upper arms can get weird (mine included) and they may have not looked as even 20 years later. I decided instead to have them tattooed below the elbow of right arm. I went with my friend (for her first tattoo!) we decided to do a walk-in and I ended up with Mo (@mo.mo.tattoos on Instagram) who did an amazing job lining up a very straight, linear design on a very not-straight part of my body. The idea for my checkers probably started with ska music, but they also satisfy my attraction to even numbers, multiples of 2 and 4, things fitting together in a certain way, and a way in which I am constantly using to express myself in my artwork. Checkers just always feel right.

Last night on our way out the door to go to see Cake
Made by me: Olive and Gold checker earrings

Green, Neon and Neutral Checker Bangle

Totally Tank, design by by Jessie Maed Designs

Checker Circlet Earrings and Bangle Inspired by Ally's Hair

I've been escaping into color lately, anything that draws me in and sticks with me. Ally's mohawk is half bright dark pink and half bright orange right now and whenever I see her selfie posts I can't stop thinking about the color combo and how much joy it gives me. So I decided to mix it in with checkers since I know her from the Michigan Ska Scene, and well, checkers are part of that. 

Shop these earrings HERE

I got to see Ally yesterday at the Splish Splash Bash and her hair was still these colors, it was nice to see her and her hair in person. Despite the heat it was a really fun show with lots of awesome bands, some we know and have seen before, some totally new to us. 

While I recuperate from yesterday's long day outside I'm actually getting everything properly photographed and posted. You can shop the bangle on my website HERE and the earrings on my website HERE. 

Shop for this bangle HERE

For those of you who follow along on my personal social media...Bryan's car became no longer repairable and, somehow, his dream car was within our price range in AWD. It's a 2023 Dodge Challenger in a custom pearlescent blue. We're both very color oriented and didn't think the blue was great until we saw it in person. So now whenever we peruse online shopping we compare it to see if it matches the car. I've missed having a fun car to drive, but I personally need something I can fit doors and looms in, so I'm glad we have a fun one now too! I suspect my next color influence will be towards this blue: 

(And yes, he was pulled over less than 24 hours after we purchased it for no real reason)

Checker Huggie Earrings, Definitely Ska

While I was on on roll making huggie earrings, I went with a bunch of checker options. Checker is basically a baseline in my own wardrobe so it's nice to have the go-to black and white ones along with some colors depending on what I'm feeling like that day. The original black and white ones I was wear sold over the holidays so I had to start with a new pair of those.

Black and White Checker Huggie Earrings

My obsession with checker melds somewhere within my love of ska or "two-tone" music and love of nice even numbers, particularly multiples of 4. You may notice these are all 8 beads wide, the checkers in 4s. It's just very satisfying for me to work this way. 

Black and Blue Checker Huggie Earrings

I'm getting into whatever colors inspire me. Orange has been on the forefront for the last year: 

Black and Orange Checker Huggie Earrings

Purple is a staple in my life along with checkers: 

Black and Faceted Purple Huggie Earrings

I also made a pair of lime green and black ones, but Bruce has been playing on my table in the studio and I think he must have hid them somewhere on me. I have been digging around for them hoping to get them posted (or make a new pair) but alas, I'll just have to wait for them to turn up in a studio cleaning session. I am on to beading other things to send to the Crooked Tree Arts Center Shop in Traverse City.

Night & Day Cowl (Is this Ska?)

I'd been eyeing some checker-esque cowls on Ravelry and with Bryan's help finally picked one out to knit myself for my birthday. The Night & Day Cowl by Andrea Mowry was the perfect project to become obsessed with. I'd usually take a little more time knitting something like this but I had 2 or 3 days of being sick which landed me on the couch knitting when I wasn't sleeping off whatever has been going around. Thus, I knit this up in 12 days. 

I had gone to Woven Art to get the yarn for this project and Meg was super helpful with suggestions, as was Bryan. I landed on a Rowan Felted Tweed in black and Berroco Renew for the off white. I bought 2 balls of each but ended up only needing one of each. I almost used all of the white, but not really since I had done a sample swatch with it too. I had plenty left of the black tweed.

When I initially read knitting instructions I feel a little overwhelmed, like, I-cord edge? That sounds hard. It's literally part of the pattern, I just needed to start knitting, follow the, very clearly written out, instructions and it comes together beautifully.

One of the reasons I loved knitting this is because it uses stitches/rows in 4's for the "checkers." I love multiples of 4. Nice even numbers that my brain is drawn to. My favorite number is 4. I try to keep to multiples of 2s and 4s in my own artwork because it's just so satisfying for me. So, this pattern was a dream. 

Lois models it's progress

This pattern isn't true checkers, so is it ska? Sarah says it's ska-adjacent. It's much easier and faster to knit than checkers and gives a nice illusion of them. I enjoyed knitting this so much I offered to knit Bryan one, his is on the needles already. 

Bryan's colors are both in the tweed

I still keep a pair of socks on my needles for when I'm on-the go. The pattern is just too easy at this point and it rarely takes my attention from a meeting, movie or coffee dates so I'm on my 38th pair of socks (which I started knitting when I started going to AA meetings) which I'm thinking I'll wear at the I Voted for Kodos show in Chicago in May. I'm excited about these socks, the pink is black-light responsive...and it's weird being excited about pink. I recently saw a post that said "girlhood is realizing the "I hate pink phase" was never actually about pink" and that resonated so deeply. I like pink, but on my terms, don't you dare get me something pink, especially a pastel pink. It feels like pressure to be girlier and clearly I'm not alone in that lifelong fight. My last tattoo my artist wanted to add pink, and I balked, but let it go because it's his art style that I wanted, we discussed my issues with it and visa versa, he's always liked pink because of the neon pink in motorbikes he's had...so there's some pink in my colored thigh tattoo.  I could rant about pink for forever, so we'll leave it at, this pink I like, especially with the black. 

Pink and black stripe sock in progress

Neon with Muted Greens and Tan Jewelry Multi Loop Checker Earrings and Bangle

Between perusing Pinterest for current color ideas and watching the movie Poor Things I had the urge to play more with the neon green-yellow beads I have stocked up. The colors of, everything, in Poor Things from the costuming to the entire set and spaces was a feast of color combinations I wouldn't normally think of. I'm attracted to the color but sometimes struggle to use specific colors in a meaningful way. I like the neons but they're just...SO bright and that's not normally "me". Then I started seeing it blended with muted tans, browns and the sorts of greens that I know I can work with. 

I was in and out of consciousness with a cold at the beginning of April and these colors called to me when I couldn't get back to sleep in the early mornings. While I was stuck in bed and on the couch for 2 days straight trying to get over being sick I decided to bead in my waking moments starting with the Multi Loop Checker Earrings. These earrings reminded me that I had made the Two-Toned Double Weave Bangle which sold much too quickly. So I pulled out that pattern draft as a base idea with this collection of colors.  

I started the bangle with the same colors as the earrings but I had also pulled a very dark matte green bead too.  As I was beading I wasn't sure I was going to add it on and then it just..happened. I need the dark I guess, even if it's just a little bit of pop. It looks black in these photos against all the other lighter colors but I promise, it's green.  

I've worn the earrings to work a few times and gotten compliments, I plan on wearing this set to Cathryn Amidei's gallery reception tonight night at WSG Gallery with the neon boatneck bat wing lace top that I knitted last summer. 

Yes, And: Second Sample and Checker Colors

Before I got going on the full-sized weaving for "Yes, And" I tried a second sample warp with a little bit of color in the black warp. I was curious as to how it might read. I didn't want to be weaving that idea later and think "oh man, this would have been great in Stacey's weaving." I got 6 inches of it done before my meeting with the church to take as a sample to pass around. 

Ultimately I think the color in the black warp is a little too distracting.  The color portions came out as dotted lines in the twill weave structure and I feel like it takes away from the design overall. I am glad I tried it out just to see what it did and so I could confirm that it wouldn't work how I wanted it to with curving text. 

Now this...

I had warp left over to just play and weave fabric. I decided to see how I might want the color to move in and out of each other for the final commission piece.  To keep things simple, a little quicker and not mess with another paper cartoon I went with my favorite pattern: checkers. I really love how this fabric turned out and it confirmed that the way I want to move the colors through the 48 inch long weaving; bright to dark to bright again...I don't want it to look like a rainbow but I still really want to use as many colors as I think will look good without being stripey feeling.   

With the checker pattern I don't feel like the dotted lines of color in the the black warp are as distracting. I suspect its because because the design is straight lines so the dotted lines of colors just sort of fit in. I really love this fabric and I'm torn between finishing it to make it into a little wall hanging or washing it to use as part of a clothing accent piece. One of the things I enjoy about being a fiber artist is I sometimes get to wear my work. 

I had created a smaller checker sample at the end of the warp for "Playing with Fire" so I could see how it washed up. I usually don't wash this fabric as it ends up as wall-hangings so, even though I know weaving has shrinkage, it definitely shrank more than I realized it would. 1 1/8 inches to be exact. The twill allows the fabric to get a little squishy with some stretch.  It washed up really nice though, which is what I was hoping for.

Open Circle Chain Earrings

 

Open Circle Chain Multi Fade Earrings .33in W x 2.5in H x 1in D

Do you ever finish a piece, take a few photos and think "those are even more amazing then I realized"? I have been loving the earrings in the above and below photographs. They go with my entire wardrobe (black, purple, muted greens) and are my current favorite go-to earrings. They are 2.5 inches long and because they are glass seed beads they are very lightweight which is important. I know I need lightweight in my ears these days but I still want to wear statement pieces.  I made this dark and moody multi colored set sometime after the holidays and I am just now getting around to getting photos and posting. 

I was dragging my feet on posting about these Circle Chain earrings because I have been wanting to make more but I keep getting distracted with other projects. Then the inspiration hit me to try out St. Petersburg Chain Stitch side by side with peyote (more to come as this idea brews more). So I set off on the below earrings:

Open Circle Chain St. Petersburg Earrings .33in W x 2.5in H x 1in D

This navy/purple/lavender set has a peyote stitch circle (mini bangle?) with a St. Petersburg chain loop.  The way I stitch St. Petersburg Chain it doesn't have the same kind of structure as its below circle.  I think this adds a nice little change in the shape and swing of this design. 

When I am coming up on teaching specific stitches it makes me think about other ways I can apply them, so these earrings are a little bit prompted by the St. Petersburg Chain Stitch Bracelet class that I am teaching with the Midwest Weaver's Conference in June.  Check out their classes and registration HERE. I still have plenty of room in both of my classes (I'm also teaching the Russian Leaf Stitch)

Then I got back to checkers. 

I made this first checker style earring in a color fade which I wore the NYE that we got engaged. I can't seem to part with that set just yet, I wear the earrings all the time and get tons of compliments. I had been meaning to make more so below is the first set that will be available for purchase.

Open Circle Chain Checker Earrings .5in W x 3in H x 1in D

Speaking of being able to purchase; I will have my jewelry at a 1-day Pop-up show at Gutman Gallery. It's on Saturday, March 18th and my pop-up will be in conjunction with a ceramic artist named Kris Cravens. I look forward to seeing and selling, I haven't done so since December. 

"Open Circle Chain" still feels like a mouthful for the name of these earrings. I had a few responses on my social media about ideas for names of these babies and this variation settled in the best in my mind. I think I'll be able to remember it to reference regularly.