Another birthday, two more paintings, a new word

    Jumping back into painting, I was shocked to find I had not posted the Early Morning Dog Walk, completed a few weeks ago. Joe framed it and it is hanging in the living room. A simple painting, for me, it relaxes me as I walk by it daily. This month, I also invented a more complicated painting, Carpe Beadem, about The Beadsprouts, a group that got started after Anna taught me to bead crochet, the most difficult craft I ever encountered. The painting was complicated as well, but fun to paint.

    The dog walk painting took about two hours for two days before everyone told me to STOP.  The Beaders I worked on longer and am fixing even after taking these photos. Hannah is in my lap putting beads on her arms as she did long ago....sort of a carrying on of the craft. When older, she did visit our group to demo her origami bird.

     The little banner floating under the crocheting hands is inspired by a Medieval European speech scroll or banderole. It was a precursor of our bubbles in cartoons. Such communication goes back way before the Middle Ages.  Click on photos to enlarge, and thanks for looking!

     

Children take the lead with elastic bracelets

      Bracelets are big time with the youngsters these days: colored rubber bands woven on a Rainbow Loom keep a wide range of children occupied. At beading, every grandmother but one had grandchildren quite engaged with elastic bracelets...and Chrissy's Charlie made $25 selling them on the New Jersey boardwalk! The basic kit comes with a bag of assorted colors, a loom, some instructions and a tool. Although I found a book of several patterns at Michael's, I find most children follow designs on You Tube.

 Click on the photos to enlarge..

       As a baby Hannah would put on all my crocheted bracelets up her arms...and even try to pull them over her head as in a necklace. Tonight I thought I would get a photo of the girls, now older, with their creations on their arms! David is trying to catch up so he goes to their room for help. Joe and David show bracelets they were gifted...Joe's for his birthday, from Hannah. The guy's are darker colors, sport team colors often.

        When Hannah finished making a duct tape bag and wallet, I asked her to write down some of the names of bracelets to look up on-line: Sailor's, Fishtail, Triple, Mohawk, Double X, Starburst, Butterfly, Blossom. She says likes them all and learned to work so fast with her hands by folding origami birds when she was younger. Erika left for a Halloween party and David sang Happy Birthday to Joe in Hebrew. I spent the day making Ina Garten's carrot cake to take to Beth's spectacular dinner for Joe. Grandmothers probably should think twice about adding walnuts and raisins. Strike two!

      

Bead Crochet patchwork bracelet

   Often regarding a craft, I say, "It is so easy to do!" Not so with bead crochet. I always say it is the most difficult craft I have ever learned.

click to enlarge

    However, it is a very portable craft. On vacations, in meetings, and waiting for appointments, it is relaxing to have something involving small motor skills. 

    For my birthday Nancy made a patchwork crocheted beaded bracelet that I had admired. I wanted to make more since I am so into quilting these days. The patchwork is a 6-around pattern. This diamond pattern is found in many crochet bead books and on-line but you can create any pattern.

    It is good to start learning by stringing 6 different colors, repeatedly, on a topstitch thread and we Beadsprouts use Gutterman's 30m thread, a size 10 or 11 crochet needle, glass seed beads, a bead blanket made of a cut-up Velux blanket, a long wide-eyed needle, and a good light with magnifier. Sitting in the sun helps to see. There are wonderful books with techniques and YouTube demos on-line. Gradually you can expand to work in silver and gold, pop-up and other beads to vary. Below I have included the patchwork pattern.

    I was excited by the craft six years ago when Anna mentioned that she and her friends each made a segment for a necklace for the birthday girl in their group. The Beadsprouts were soon to follow. In this pattern for the patchwork bracelet, B stands for the background color. Vary the colors As and Cs. Usually 42 to 44 inches is a good length. String the beads, wind them around the thread spool, put them in an eyeglass case and you are ready to roll. 

ABBCBB

AABCCB

BABBCB  

Beading Day

Thursday is beading day with five other friends. Today, Nita finished the gold and silver bead necklace she crocheted for her mother’s dear photographer friend in Concord. I beaded a fibrillating quilted heart, an artist trading card.

The six of us have been beading together for about five years. At first we wanted to learn the difficult bead crochet bracelet. Anna taught me, I taught two, and we taught three. We enjoy good lights at our dining room tables. Originally, at birthday time, we would each crochet a few segments that would be joined into one necklace for the honoree.Each member has other art interests as well.