It's All About the Minis

This summer is flying by! My supremely adorable nephew is here, and me being a knitter and all meant that he needed a blanket. I've known about his impending arrival for some months, but only started his blanket two weeks before his scheduled arrival.

2 inches down, 34 to go

It was certainly a change of pace to work with an actual fiber. I forgot how deliciously soft and squishy yarn can be, and thoroughly enjoyed the marathon knitting.

Squares within squares, finished!

All ready for the baby <3

However, the wee one now has his blanket, so I've dived back into the wire wholeheartedly. First I got out my favorite pearls and combined them with aqua wire and a few darker teal glass beads for a bracelet I call "tranquil seas". Usually my bracelets have an odd number of stitches to make the beads look more random, but this time I used an even number and ran the pearls right up the middle. It worked so well that I'm going to play with the design a bit more, using different materials.

I also had friends and fans help design a deep purple jewel toned beauty. The jewel tones are a great look for fall.

Purple Jewels in the making

And finally, meet the little sisters of the long spiral earrings I did earlier this year. It started with a fan request for a more petite spiral in blue, but suddenly I had four pairs! The only reason there aren't some in every color of the rainbow is I ran out of ear wires to finish them. They're addictive to knit, fun to wear, and make me smile.

The minis are coming! The minis are coming!

I hope you're having a lively summer! Super hot days mean more inside time for knitting, so I'll be posting more stuff soon. There are some gorgeous gems heading my way as I type, which will end up in bracelets, earrings, and maybe a necklace if I'm feeling up to a challenge.

bangles, bangles everywhere

I can't seem to stop making these bangles! First there were simple beaded ones in saturated colors, like these ones. I've got most of the rainbow here! This rainbow is available individually or as a set of cool blues (the bottom three) or hot tropics (the top three). I've found that they're a lot of fun to stack for more visual impact.

I beaded each one with matching glass seed beads because I can't seem to make "plain" anything.. Next, somebody wanted crystals instead of beads for extra sparkle, so these ones appeared. They're my favorite so far, and I can't wait to do more with these larger crystals.

Finally, someone else thought that a charm bracelet made with this technique would be a great idea, so she picked the charms and I knitted them, along with some Swarovski crystals, to form this set of bangles.

They're pretty easy to make, and definitely fun to wear! I'm wondering if anyone would be interested in a tutorial or pattern to make your own, or perhaps a kit with all of the supplies, as well as directions? Please comment with your thoughts. :)

In the meantime, I'm working on a special project. Every year, one of the churches in my area hosts a Mother's Day Tea, and part of the festivities includes a raffle of a variety of products and services. There has been everything from a movie night basket, to Avon products, and even a full photography shoot donated by a local photographer. I'm making this set of bangles for the event:

Time to chug some coffee and get knitting.

99 days until Christmas!!

Wow. There are only 99 days until Christmas and the stores have been decorating since August. Some unusually organized people I know have already started shopping and wrapping their gifts. I am NOT one of those people.

But maybe you are super organized and getting a jump on your holiday shopping. If so, here are a few ideas for some beautiful sparkles that are sure to be a hit, and you know that your gift will be truly unique. Some of these new products were inspired by my lovely customers - you all have the best ideas. :)

Crystal Ball Earrings

The Swarovski Crystal Ball Earrings are only $14 and they're gorgeous. True story: My friend was wearing these sparkling earrings that I just loved, and I was about to ask her where she got them. Then I realized that they were the crystal ball earrings that I'd made for her the week before! Right now I have crystal clear ones in stock, but I can order any color you'd like. I plan to work some up in other colors and would welcome suggestions on what colors you'd like to see.

Petite Pearl Drop Earrings

The  Petite Pearl Drop Earrings are a smaller version of our pearl dangle earrings, with two freshwater pearls instead of three. They're available in gray pearls as well, and copper can be substituted for the silver if you'd like. They're classic pearl earrings with a modern twist, and range in price from $14 - $17.

This is the final piece I'll show you today. The Couture Pearl Cuff is the most luxurious pieces in BooJay's collection, with nearly 80 luscious freshwater pearls dancing on the wire. The colors range from cream to charcoal gray, with a few lavender and pale silvery gray pearls for added interest. This is also closed with a sterling silver slide clasp, which is different than our normal toggle clasp closures. It's definitely a statement piece! It retails for $75.


Hopefully this has given you a few ideas for your Christmas list. In the coming weeks I'll be posting more about specials, new pieces, and showcasing some new designers. TGIF and have a wonderful weekend!

Playing Catchup

First, apologies to my lovely readers for completely abandoning you all month. I've been working through some personal stuff, and although I've had many ideas for posts worked up in my head but they just haven't translated well to the virtual page.

So... here are bits of what I've been working on lately.

More wire jewelry, of course. The copper one is a new design experiment of mine, placing beads close together just along the edges, so show off the knitting a bit. The "Favorite Jeans" bracelet is for a friend of mine who's moving several states away. :(



simple copper bracelet



earthy blues bracelet



I've also picked up some actual yarn for the first time in a few months (!). This ribbon yarn is so gorgeous, love the ombre blues and silky feel. I've been wearing the blue bracelet a lot - can't believe how well it matches my wardrobe, and I love the pop of color. It's also comfy and lightweight. Don't worry, all ordered bracelets are custom made for you the customer. You won't get any pre-worn items.

blue gadget case

textured ribbon bracelet

Finally, here's a pic of my precious baby girl, who is almost a whole year old!! She's my very reluctant model, and she thinks hats are toys to be played with, not worn. The hat she's "modeling" is a new design, made for a friend of mine who's expecting a little boy. Oh, and those ears took me several HOURS to figure out. I reknit those puppies many times before finally hitting the trifecta of size, shape, and placement on the hat. I cannot wait to make more in other colors! I'll work on "traditional" colors first, like pink and tan with cream trim. Have an idea for a good color combo? Leave me a comment and if I use it I'll send you a coupon for my studio. :)



   knit baby hat blue bear



Love the devilish look on her face in the second pic. It was taken a second before she ripped it off.

If you would like one of these adorable hats for your little one,  drop me a line. I need a more cooperative model to take better pics before I can list it in my studio. The gadget case isn't listed yet, either, as it needs a button for a closure and I haven't found the perfect one yet.

However, everything else is availble in myonline studio. You don't need an account to order, which is a nice plus.

Do you have a little one who likes to wear hats and will hold still long enough to snap some nice pics? Are you a photographer who needs a cute prop for baby pics? Please contact me by commenting or emailing and I'll send you a hat in your choice of color and size. You can keep the hat in exchange for some cute pics that I can use to promote it. :)

Tropical Orange and Blue

OK, so I just realized that for the past month my posts have been all about the color challenges. I have been knitting other things, but often selling them before having a chance to blog about them. Which is a good problem! Anyway, I'll try to blog more often in the future. :)

Last week's challenge colors were vibrant oranges and blues, very tropical. Unfortunately I once again had a lot of personal stuff going on and didn't have time to incorporate those colors into something knitted, so I made a simple stretchy bracelet. I love the blue beads in this... check out the tiny painted flower in the center of each one!



Also, I got an amazing camera for Mother's Day, and can't believe the difference between this pic, taken with my new baby, and my older product pics. So much clearer, even when cropped in close! Love it.

This is a new project, a custom order for my sister. It's a multicolor selection of beads, mainly cool blues and green, with a few other colors thrown in for contrast. It's quite fun and summery. I was playing with autofocus, and the camera focused through the front of the bracelet to the back. Here's a different shot:

Sorry for the ramble, but I'm so excited about this project and my spiffy camera. :D Now on to my favorite color challenge pieces for week 24. First we have another Studio V design. The little turqoise bird accent did it for me. So unique!

Next is an entry from Blue Sharky. The copper is so pretty, as are the bright beads she used. I like the overall style of this set.

The third jewelry piece I chose was a piece from Vintage Mom. I liked the deeper colors she chose for her piece.

The final piece I chose wasn't a jewelry item, it was a self portrait. As soon as I saw it I knew I would be featuring it. It's so pretty! The artist is Jen Ashman.

As always, there were many beautiful submissions from this extremely talented group of designers. Looking forward to seeing the results of this week's challenge, greens with accents of smoky gray and teal. Some of my very favorite colors!

PS If I showcased your work and I don't have a link to your site, please leave one in the comments. Thanks!

Success!

Ooooh... pretty! Here's another pic:

And one final one:

This is the finished result of the cuff I was working on earlier this week. I'm so happy with it, and unlike many other projects, it didn't require hours of tinkering, ripping out, or otherwise redesigning it.

The best part? Someone else loved it, too! It will soon be mailed off to its new home.
Success!

Bling

This is my latest creation. I worked on it for most of last week, because I could only do it when my kids were asleep. The wire is too fragile to risk being tugged or twisted by little hands. The finished piece is delicate yet strong, and measures approximately 2" wide and 7.5" long measured from each clasp. The knitted portion is just over 6".

I tried to capture the shine of the piece, and the contrast of the black and silver. It's truly gorgeous! Try it... add a little shine to your next outfit with this one-of-a-kind bracelet. I can't wait to make this in other colors.

I would love to hear your suggestions for future color combinations! Do you have a favorite metal or color? Or maybe you have an outfit that needs that something. Maybe even a favorite sports team? (Black and gold, anyone??) Whatever it is, I'd love to hear it. :)

birth of a necklace

Here is the birth of my new bauble, in pictures. *Warning: LOTS of pics!*

First, the centerpiece in progress... over 100 silvery bugle beads strung on black wire and knitted:

Here's the finished piece:

Next, I used a ribbon yarn in shades of blue and knitted a thing cord approximately 42" long, then doubled it, threaded a silver toggle clasp onto it, and connected the ends.

Finally, I threaded the centerpiece onto the doubled cord. It's easily removable, so you can wear it with or without the centerpiece.

Finally, here's a modeled pic:

The knitted cord has various shades of blue, ranging from deep indigo to pale silver, which sets off the silver beads nicely. I'm envisioning this in other colors as well, perhaps silver or gold wire, earth toned and neutral beads, and perhaps a luxury fiber for the actual necklace. Silk or cashmere, maybe? I'm putting this up for sale on my Facebook site. Get it here