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.

downward spiral

Have you ever heard, "Necessity is the mother of invention?" Well I needed some festive earrings that weren't snowmen or Christmas trees or santas or anything else that could only be worn for a month out of the year. After playing with some vivid red wire and adding Swarovski bling, these were my little invention:

They're almost 3" long and nearly brush my shoulders. They're so light and swingy and definitely festive! They also multiplied like rabbits. Somehow one pair turned into five, with more on the way. I'm now overrun with spirals! Here's the whole collection so far:

From left to right - pale pink with gray pearls, Sterling silver with real amethyst gems, dark blue with sodalite, the original red with Swarovski crystals, and black, also with Swarovski crystals. Get them here.

Speaking of amethyst, did you know that amethyst has been "...thought to control evil thoughts, quicken intelligence, make a shrewd man in business, preserve soldiers from battle wounds, aid the warrior to victory, help the hunter in search of his game, protect the wearer from contagious diseases, and put demons to flight if the figure of a bear is inscribed on the jewel. Amethyst was known as a gem that would bring forth the highest, purest aspirations of human kind. " credit: JewelsForMe

Sodalite, the marbled blue and white stone that accents the blue spiral earrings, also has some positive attributes associated with it. From TrinityLondon: Sodalite is "...believed by some to instill confidence and courage. It is also thought to be a soothing stone which can increase sensitivity to others."

Who knew that stones could have such positive attributes, and, some even believe, actual poweres? Whether they increase intelligence or confidence, semiprecious gems certainly are beautiful.