Tag: throwback

Throwback Thursday: crochet bracelet pocket

On By CarynIn Craft, throwback

In August of 2016 I was in the throes of crocheting bracelets and anklets with small pockets. It started with being annoyed at my fitness tracker on my wrist. When I walked, I was pushing a stroller and my steps weren’t being counted because my arms weren’t swinging. I had the idea that I could put the tracker on my ankle, but there weren’t any bands big enough to go around, so I crocheted one. I had friends ask for one, so I made a bunch and started to sell them.

Photo description: eleven crocheted and braided bracelets with button closures and small mesh pockets made from pearlized cotton in various colors and lengths
Photo description: closeup of the pocket, with a key inside, quarter on one side for scale, and a fitness tracker on the other side
Photo description: bracelet shown closed

The problem with the crocheted cotton was that cotton stretches with time, and each strap was crocheted to size with no adjustment. The button also wasn’t a reliable closure. Sometimes brushing against furniture would pop the anklet open. I sold a few, but after the design problems became apparent, stopped making them.

Throwback Thursday: the process

On By CarynIn Craft, throwback

I found a picture from December 2014 that shows how the creative process sometimes works, or doesn’t. I was trying to develop a simple, repeatable wire dragonfly shape and went through many, many iterations.

Photo description: twelve partially formed brass wire dragonfly shapes on a green table

I still wasn’t entirely pleased with the end result, although I did make a few more like the shape in the bottom left.

Sometimes my ideas work right off the bat, but more often they go through a series of trials, with mostly errors. If we aren’t willing to have a few gnarls in the thread, it is hard to achieve much of anything.

Throwback Thursday: viking knit

On By CarynIn Craft, throwback

In July of 2014 I was experimenting with making “viking knit” wire chains. I did a number of trials with different metals and gauges of wire. I stumbled across this picture that also showed the time it took to get a small section of work done.

Photo description: wood dowel with looped brass wire, a spool of wire, side cutters, needle nose pliers, awl, book, and ID card

I like viking knit chains, they have a nice feel and drape. The technique is looping, which years later I learned to do with yarn in a method called nälbinding. I still love nälbinding too. Neither are fast crafts, but they are satisfying.

Throwback Thursday: beaded daisy sculpture

On By CarynIn Craft, throwback

Back in June of 2012 I was still making jewelry to enter into the Fire Mountain Gem contest. I was just starting to put my head toward marketing and using purchased elements rather than components made from scratch. The contest really is to motivate buyers to purchase from the company, so the designs that win need to have a wow factor and inspire makers to buy. Custom sculpted elements aren’t usually in the standard beaders repertoire.

I fell short of the mark on this design. I love it, but it did not make the short list in the contest. I used a purchased wire knit chain and braided it, used purchased ribbon ends and clasp, and built a daisy pin using plated button and pin findings, crystal petals, crystal beads, and seed beads.

Photo description: daisy pin necklace with Viking knit chain and crystal beaded pin
Photo description: closeup of the daisy pin center
Photo description: side view of the pin, showing a peek of the base elements

I certainly had a long list of purchased elements, but maybe my color scheme didn’t fit what the judges were looking for, or I used difficult to decipher techniques. Hard to tell. I was getting better taking project photos, though.

Throwback Thursday: glass buttons

On By CarynIn Craft, throwback

In March 2012 I had a custom order for glass clay buttons for the Kansas State Button Society. I designed the button with input from my grandmother’s button group, made a silicone mold into which I pressed the glass clay, hand built the button shank, hand painted each button, and fired them in batches in my kiln.

Photo description: multiple colors of flower and fan glass clay buttons
Photo description: close up of the buttons with a ruler showing each button about an inch and three quarters
Photo description: one button mounted on the card that was given out during the Spring 2012 meeting

Making larger batches is a completely different animal than designing a single component. The glass clay was fun to play with, but was brittle, so the buttons were decorative more than functional.