Minimalist Bead Crochet Necklaces

The most popular post on this blog so far has been the 2010 tutorial post for the Understatement Necklace, which was a very delicate clustered-bead, crocheted necklace. That tutorial is still a great place to learn how to make a beaded crochet necklace of your own. I'll add a link at the end of this post, so you can go check it out, and after the holidays, I'll try to get around to finally doing some more tutorials on the blog here.

Meanwhile, here are some of my latest bead crochet necklaces. All of these, except for the last one, are great wrap bracelets, too.

Green Beaded Crochet Necklace with Removable Christmas Tree Charm

Cobalt Caprice Beaded Crochet Necklace with Removable Dangle Bead

Stone Feather Beaded Crochet Necklace or Wrap Bracelet

And finally, this little beauty, in a clustered-bead style:

Flower Vine on Pagoda, Red Beaded Crochet Necklace

When worn, these necklaces are lighter and more minimalist than the knotted bead necklaces from the last post.

Here is that link for the Understatement Necklace tutorial that I promised you, in case you want to make a necklace of your own.

Boho, Southern Chic, Hippie Flavored, Advanced Style Knotted Bead Necklaces

Adding necklaces to the shop has worked out well, because people seem to like them. The style categories in the heading could be easily applied to my design choices so far.

In today's post the show-and-tell topic is long hand-knotted bead necklaces. You can click on the links to learn more detail about each one.

Pixie Mayhem Necklace

This one used some unorthodox knotting and a wild assortment of beads in a Southern Country Chic style. It's a boho beauty, so I also made one for myself, too.

Also as an homage to good Southern things, this one was named for delicious whiskey caramels:

Whiskey Caramela

Winter inspiration can be seen in the next two:

The Snow Queen

Snow on the Beach

The first three of these have sold already, so I am busy making more. Also, I'm making some bead crocheted necklaces that are more minimalist in style. You'll see some in the next post.

In the Studio Today

I have too much work in progress, and I am on a mission to finish some of it. This necklace is from a class in right angle weave that I took at a local bead store. Several years ago.

The tediousness of weaving beads is not a huge thrill for me, but I liked the look of the class project. It's a group of 16-inch strands of bead-woven size 11/0 seed beads.

Here's a close-up photo of the strands that I just finished. Delicate and lovely.

Now it  just needs a clasp, and this project will be completed finally.

Knottin', Honey

It was not to do nothing that I was away from the blog all those months this year. You won't hear from me any detail about the absence, but it involved a lot of stress. If you are glad I'm back, with no questions asked, that is unconditional readership, and you are a gem.

One of the things I did to de-stress this past summer was to make jewelry.  It was a nice change from working with fiber, and who wants to work with yarn in the heat of the summer!

"Pearl-knotting" was one of the types of jewel-making that I did. It can be very relaxing and soul-healing.

 Pearl knotting is easy to learn. If you are interested check out the great videos about it online.

 Hand-knotting beads has a nicely paced rhythm, like a slow foxtrot or a waltz.

It has a meditative quality, especially when working with smaller beads, like in these last two items.

Best of all, when Mr. Cha Cha asks what I'm doing, it's so fun to say "Knottin', Honey."

The Fantastic Pentastics!

I call them the Pentastics. Penta for five because each of these new bangles has 5 baubles of larger beads on it. They are a little narrower than most of my current stock and a little more flexible.

Some of these charmers are showing up in the shop today and the rest will follow this week and next. I have a limited supply of these fashion colors, so shop soon!

New Bangle Designs for Spring 2013

During the past two weeks I've been spinning yarn, working on design ideas for next winter, and producing some of my new bead crochet bangles for this coming Spring. Here are some that will soon be in the shop.

A pretty pair in glowing antique gold, bronze, and opal:

Sparkling bangles in rose and white, celery and blue-gray, lavender and lilac:

Muted opal colors of smoky grey, pale peach, and pale lilac, all accented with bronze:

Bangle Photo Styling

Up until now the bangle photos in my Etsy shop only show the one item being sold. Others sellers often show other styles or a group of items in at least one photo of the five allowed for each item for sale. I got to thinking about how it might be nice to show my bangles mixed up with some others.

Also, I've been using a new camera. My (very) old one is a 5 megapixel Nikon Coolpix5000. I think I do pretty well with it in spite of its age, but this new 14.1 megapixel Panasonic Lumix is a dream to use. Its capture rate is much faster and the digital display in the back is larger so I can compose shots faster and spend less time on photography.

So here are some of the results. Tell me whether you think the styling looks better with the bangles stacked or fanned out on the surface. I can't decide which looks better. 

Here they are all stacked up like layers of ingredients on a mouthwatering burger.

This is short stack with a little tilt.

Overlapped somewhat neatly, like cards laid down for a winning poker hand.

A little group in natural disorder, like you just took them off and laid them down.

Another sandwich-style stack a little messier than the first photo above.

What do you think? Do you have a favorite? Do they all work? I cannot afford live models nor the time it would take to photo style them, so hopefully these new product shots will convey some options for buyers.

The Flowers of Mae: Wire Crochet Splendor

Charming Mae Barraclough teaches and works at the bead shop where I occasionally teach classes.  It was her Rose City Cuff that first grabbed my attention and convinced me to feature her here. Be prepared to be impressed.

The organic beauty of Mae's work with wire crochet will, as they once said in the sixties, blow your mind! Her designs evoke the splendor of flowers frozen in time, and many of her designs remind me of the intricate ironwork in Barcelona, Spain. Her work inspires you to imagine yourself in some exotic locale such as that, perhaps while sipping red wine as you picnic at Park Guell and gaze over the city.

Rose City Cuff

Tell us a bit about yourself: who you are and who you want to be.

I am a 24-year-old jewelry artist who moved to Portland in September 2010 from my hometown of Ashland, Oregon in order to pursue art and a dream to build a thriving business based on my jewelry designs that eventually expands into a bead store and gallery/studio space.

Currently, my work is for sale at several boutiques throughout Oregon as well as on Etsy. I also love teaching and am right now in the process of writing up many of my designs into patterns to be shared with fellow beaders through my blog.

Light Heart*

How has your career path led you to being a jewelry designer?

I have been obsessed with beads and jewelry making forever. I started selling designs to friends and family as a teenager mainly to justify buying more beads! Throughout college, work at the Bead Studio in Ashland was where I really began to push myself to become a jewelry artist and a professional beader, honing my skills and teaching classes in a variety of beading techniques.

I was a resident artist for one year at an Ashland gallery called Studio 5 and then became a studio artist at the Ashland Art Center until the recent move to Portland. I'm now pursuing my business full-time while teaching classes and working part-time at Dava Bead, where I get to hang out with a wonderful group of fellow artists.

Passionflower ensemble

Your Etsy store has some sensational wire crochet pieces. How did you get started working with wire crochet? What inspired you to focus on this area?

An avid crocheter and beader since childhood, I realized several years ago that the two techniques could be merged. It has since become my absolute favorite jewelry-making technique. I love how the classic stitches of crochet can be combined to build virtually any shape. Never content to work from patterns, I have developed my own techniques over the years through much experimentation. I consider my techniques and designs to be on the cutting edge of both beading and crocheting.

Greenwoods Go-Go

How does the process of creating a new design begin for you? What are your methods of visualization?

It varies from day to day, project to project. Sometimes I start in the three-dimensional realm by playing with materials and making it up as I go along. Other times, I start two-dimensionally by sketching many divergent designs and formulating a loose plan before beginning.


Do you have a special creative routine when you are designing or making a project, like listening to your favorite music or working in a special spot?

The spare bedroom of my house has been converted into a cozy little studio. It has become a private retreat from the hectic outside world where I can hole up and focus on creative pursuits. The work desk is set up right next to the window in order to take advantage of the natural light and be inspired
by the microcosm of nature that is my backyard.

La Dorada

What other types of handwork interest you?

I love knitting and crocheting with yarn as well as wire. I also enjoy paper crafts and I'm very interested in learning to draw, paint, and sculpt.


What do you do when you are feeling "stuck" creatively?  What helps you get back into the creative mode?

When I'm feeling stuck, I usually change gears completely for a while until the creative urge strikes again. It helps to go out into nature or do something physical like dancing. Sometimes I'll also pull out various materials and play around with them until a new idea begins to form. I also like to study jewelry of various cultures, both ancient and modern, and think about how various constructions would look in crocheted wire! Etruscan, ancient Roman, and ancient Egyptian jewelry styles are especially fascinating.

La Dorada 

What are you planning for the coming year that most excites you?

Another beading passion is off-loom beadweaving. I'm currently writing up patterns and creating kits for several beadweaving designs to be sold online through my Etsy shop. This will be my first foray into retailing beads themselves rather than finished jewelry, and it's very exciting as I've had a dream since childhood of opening my own bead store.


What is something you think people would be surprised to know about you?

My educational background is actually in biology and psychology. For most of college,  I wanted to go to grad school and become a therapist.  I dropped out after four years of full time study due to some financial and personal difficulties.

After much soul-searching, I have decided to return to school at Portland State University this coming Fall to pursue a different path: art and business. I didn't study either of these disciplines before because I have had a hard time taking myself seriously as either an artist or a business person.

Through much proactive effort, I have learned how to give myself permission to follow a dream of being an artist. Still with a strong desire to help people, I'm excited to explore how I can integrate this passion with my art and business in the future.

Lily Pad Deluxe

What advice do you have for someone who wants to learn wire crochet?

First get comfortable with crocheting with yarn. It's easier on the hands to learn how crochet works with yarn, since it's a lot softer and easier to manipulate. Once you have mastered the basics, get some metal crochet hooks and 28 gauge craft wire and start playing. How do different sizes of hooks affect the look of your work? What unique shapes can you make with standard crochet stitches? Look at granny squares crocheted from yarn and see if you can reproduce the designs in wire.


Do you have any advice for aspiring jewelry artists in general?

Spend time getting to know your artistic self and developing a clear vision of what is unique about your art.

Discover what truly inspires you through experimentation and let intuition be your guide. What materials feel right in your hands? What colors images, themes, and textures speak to your heart?

Be yourself, nothing less and nothing more, as big as you want to be, and others will resonate with the purity of your expression.

Stop by Mae's website and visit her online store for more of her work and friend her on her Facebook page, LMB Jewelry.

*Mae's piece, Light Heart, will be competing in Bead Dreams at this year's Bead and Button show. Wish her the best of luck in the competition!

Viking Knitting

For years I've been waiting for the right opportunity to take a class in viking knitting--and a few weeks ago the time was finally right!

Working with wire can be really challenging to learn, but the finished pieces are so much fun to wear.

This technique does in fact create a knitted wire tube, but the process of creating it is counterintuitive.

The work is done in the opposite direction as you normally work with knitting needles. That is, the "stitches" are worked from the top down by weaving the wire underneath the previous round.

It really is more of a weaving technique, but the end result produces a "fabric" of twisted knit stitches that is very durable.

Here the ensemble that went on my arm to the office today. It's a lot of fun putting different textures together. I made the top bracelet using an old 2-ply braiding technique and the middle one is a bead crochet rope bangle.

And the viking knit bracelet really needed a companion necklace. Here's a little detail showing one of my favorite frog beads.

If you like wire jewelry, be sure to stop back by the blog on Friday. There will be an interview with a young artist who does amazing jewelry design with wire crochet.

Dimensional Bead Crochet Samples

Tango Tassel Necklace by KnotChaCha

The interview with Linda Lehman in the last post reminded me that I wanted to reshoot some photos of this tassel necklace from my shop and that another bead crochet necklace that I made last year still needs a clasp. (It's been sitting in the "To Do" basket for some time now.) Both of these necklaces show the dimensionality that comes from combining beads of different sizes.

The necklace above has recessed dimension in a basic spiral. It was created by sparing use of smaller beads in the same two colors as the larger beads around the black spiral. Here is a close-up:

In the African Turquoise necklace below, the dimensionality is raised. This type of dimension is more commonly seen. In this necklace larger dark green beads that alternate with turquoise and brass square beads spiral around a simple rope.

When I was swatching for the turquoise necklace, this was one of the rejected design choices:

This sample uses beads of three sizes in a pattern that creates a ribbon-like spiral wrap. It was a pleasing combination but it overpowered the turquoise focal bead.

I've purchased some patterns from Linda Lehman in order to explore dimensionality that goes beyond simple spirals. Her ZigZag pattern, shown in the last post, has me fascinated.

Bracelets in Cube Paradise

It was such a beautiful autumn day: a freakish warm 70-degree surprise in early November, and I couldn't justify calling in sick to stay home to bask in the sun. No deck, just desk, for me.

Well, at least I could brighten up my little spot in cubicle nation. First, I chose to wear some cheerful bracelets that remind me of summer,

and next, I looked at all the blinds around my corner spot

and drew them back so I could enjoy the sun and the lovely forest of trees surrounding the parking lot.

Heavenly! It's always easier to work with the sun on your back.

Tutorial for the Understatement Necklace

This is a tutorial for the understatement necklace that was featured in the previous post. Go there for pictures of the finished piece and for the supplies list.

This post will cover the steps to make one for yourself. If you want one, but you don't crochet, you can buy one in my Etsy store. If the store is sold out, I'd be happy to custom make one for you. Just let me know.

Crocheters, to start you need to pre-string your beads in the following order: a small 11/0 seed bead, a drop bead ( or a size 6/0 seed bead), and then another 11/0 seed bead. Do this 120 times.

You will be crocheting the beads into 120 clusters.


After you have them all strung, it's helpful to have a little cup in which to put your thread and its supply of beads in waiting.



We are going to start by making the button loop. You may remember that I did not include a button on the supplies list. That was intentional. Some of you crochet a little tighter or a little looser no matter how closely you try to match the gauge. You will want to crochet the button loop before choosing the button because you want to have a snug fit.



The button loop:

• Leaving a 12" tail, make a slip knot with your thread and insert your hook into it. Ch 12.

• Join with a sl st to form a ring, being careful not to twist the chain. Ch 1. Do not turn.

• Work 24 sc into the ring. Join with a sl st to the first sc of the round.

• Pick up the tail and ch 3 using both the tail and the working thread together as one.

• Drop the tail. Ch 3 with just the working thread. Do not cut off the tail. At the end you will come back and bury the tail by weaving it into the back of the sc sts of the button loop.
  

Gauge and Finished Length:

For this project, the gauge is not critical, but I recommend that you aim to get it as close as possible. Your gauge will probably vary over the length of the necklace anyway. Don't worry about it. You can add more beads at the end if you crochet too tightly and want a longer necklace. Conversely, if you crochet more loosely, you can finish the necklace without using all of the beads that were pre-strung.

Aim to have 10-11 bead clusters per 4 inches. You will want to have a finished piece that is 46-48 inches in length.

The Strand of Beads:

• Work a bead cluster chain stitch (see the following explanation). Ch 3.

• Repeat the above until you have used all the beads or have achieved your desired necklace length.

The Bead Cluster Chain Stitch:

Step 1: Move three beads close to your hook as in the photo above.



Step 2: Yarn over.

Step 3: Pull the thread through the loop on your hook, locking the beads into place.




After you have made all the bead clusters, find a button that fits your loop snuggly and sew it on the other end. Weave in the tails at both ends of the necklace.

Finishing:

To give your necklace a professional look, you will want to block it before wearing it.

Put your necklace in a bowl of warm water and let it soak for 20 minutes or so. Then blot it with a hand towel. Next lay the necklace on a blocking board (or your ironing board) so that all the bead clusters are on the same side and the necklace is not twisted. Stretch it ever so slightly and pin it into place. Let it dry for a day before you wear it.

If you make one let me know. I'd love to see photos.