Off Loom Square Stitch Example

Some have mentioned they thought my work was done on a loom, but I am using an off-loom beading stitch called square stitch. One bead at a time is sewn onto a bead in the previous row. Below you will find an example.

Here I am part way into my June rune. I am ready to add a new bead:

I pick up the yellow bead on my needle.

I insert the needle back into the bead in the previous row

that will be directly below the new yellow bead.

Now, I'm sorry this is blurry, but I wanted to show that you pull the thread below the just added yellow bead. I'm sure you can just imagine it! :)

Next I go back up thru' the yellow bead & pull the thread thru'.

Ta Da! One bead added! Now how many hundreds more to go!

Each rune has 625 beads in it stitched on one at a time.

I hope this little example helps just a bit. At least you can see how it's not made on a loom! :)

Can you guess what it is?

Actually, it's called a Charlotte scarf...at least that's what the instructions said! Since I caught the crochet bug, I've been trying different things. The Twisty Lei I made for my hat is kinda the same way of crocheting...on it you crochet w/o turning stitches, but it's on the short side. On this scarf, you crochet w/o turning stitches only on the long side! It's amazing how just leaving out that turning stitch can make something twist so much!

Another WIP

Above is another WIP using the same yarn as the other WIP...I wonder how many things I could make out of one skein??? You can also see an earring on this one that I tried to use as a stitch holder. It kept getting caught since this is a small project. So I switched to an earring finding. It sure was pretty seeing it along with the yarn tho'!

WIPs

Above is a WIP...Work In Progress. It started with knotless netting, where you can see the blue, plastic needle, but it was slow going, so it turned into crochet! Now maybe I'll be able to get it done in this lifetime! :)

And above is a helpful hint...if you don't have any crochet stitch holders, you can always use an earring finding! After the first day of flu, I could only do a few things. I just didn't have the energy to do anything but get well. So crochet comes to me naturally. It passed the time when time was going so slowly! Yikes!!! Can you tell what it will be?

January BJP

While working on the January BJP rune called Star, I made a big mistake! I'm not sure if you can tell in this picture, but I started the off-loom beading with my size D bead thread! I just couldn't figure out why the thread wouldn't go thru' a gazillion times like it normally does! I was pulling it thru' with my pliers! Then it hit me...I use size 0 bead thread for my off-loom square stitch!!! ACK! And the weird thing is that I had just made the same error in a crochet project I'm working on! Wrong size hook!!! Must've been Mercury Retrograde! :) See if you can tell the difference in the size of thread! And remember to always check your supplies before you start a project!

So, I switched over to size 0 to finish the project below.

The Star Rune

I don't have time to go into such depth on this one as I'm behind on projects, so I'll just give a quick summary of the meaning behind this one. The Star Rune represents the realization of a dream or wish. It speaks of hope, a prize, a huge achievement as well as the presence of higher guides, spirituality, angels & the immediate future. It's a promise of fortunate developments in your life. It also speaks of financial and material gains, assets, prosperous ventures, wishes granted, etc. So I guess we all should be wishing on those stars out there! :)

OH, and the birthstone for January was garnet, so the background was done with the beads that I had that were closest in color! I chose a complementary color for the symbol. I'm really trying to use just the beads I have set aside for this project!

Again, all info adapted from "A Witch's Runes" by, Susan Sheppard.

Beading Frenzy!

Wow! Been awhile since I posted! Had my nose to the grindstone (what is that?) & have been getting gifts ready for the holidays & orders ready for the museum. So alot of stuff I can't show!!! Don't want to give away the gift ideas! :) So here's another prayer pocket top. This one was really hard to photograph as I used all shiny Delica beads! Yikes! I'm gonna fill this pocket with lavender when I get it put together.

Also, a fellow beader mentioned in one of my previous posts that I should not only say that these are the same amount of beads, but the same size!!! They are both size 11s. The one on the left is made with Delicas, & the one on the right is made with seed beads. 625 of each, same size, different kind of bead. Amazing, huh?

Helpful Hints

OK...last time I posted back around Labor Day, I promised more Helpful Hints! Well, it's taken me awhile to get back to posting, so decided I'd add more than just one! You may already know all of these, but they sure helped me along the way. I hope they can help someone out there!

First, a thimble makes a great bead scoop! Who knew?

Second, I keep my leftover beads in a jar & use them in my beaded zen bracelets. I have all sorts of jars from tiny condiment size for Delicas, to larger crystal cruets that sparkle in the sun!

This next one I think I remember getting out of an old bead magazine. It has to be at least 15 years old 'cuz I don't think I've worn lipstick much in that time! The lipstick case is just the right size to hold bobbins of beading thread. Where the mirror is, some people would put a magnet to hold their needles. I left the mirror where it was & just used some foamy stuff to hold my needles. This is good for travelling to go with your tins if you need different color threads.

And last, but not least, I don't like counting, so am always trying to figure out an easier way to follow the charts I make. Here I used a bit of double stick tape to hold a copy of the pattern down to the tin's lid, then I cut a piece of strip magnet to hold my place on the chart. This works great for small patterns like my Pockets. I left the release paper on it so it wouldn't grab my needle or scissors when I travel. (Note: the pattern I'm working on here is one I adapted from a piece of old filet crochet that my Italian Grandma did long ago!)

Hope a hint or two helps you!

Warmest aloha!

Tin Kits

In cleaning my studio...or reorganizing the mess...however ya look at it...I happened to find some really old tins with projects in them that I had never finished! Well, I decided to dump those old projects 'cuz, guess what? They are the exact size I need to put my monthly BJP pieces in!!! Here's a pic of September's project RTG:

I also discovered that I could use this for other patterns I'm working on. I'm making some Prayer Pouches & the designs are the same size, usually, as the BJP pieces. So the graph I made fits in the top of the tin, & I can carry the whole kit, including small scissors, thread heaven, beads & pin with me wherever I go. Just thought I'd share the idea. I had some kind of felt with adhesive that I glued to the bottom so things didn't pop around in the tin. But it's been so long, I can't remember what it was called! Anyway, here's a couple other pics to give you an idea of how it works: