Infinite Skew Polyedra Pendant with CRAW

Last week I showed you a bunch of progress photos of this infinite polyhedron (4.4.4.8) and gave a little background on the mathematics I used to design this piece. I've since learned it's called the runcitruncated cubic honeycomb.

It's made with a variant of cubic right angle weave (CRAW) using cubes and octagonal prisms.  Since not all of the units are cubes and not all of the angles are right, I think it might better be described as prismatic weave or even better, a 3D angle weave. Just saying...

Anyway, this piece looks really different depending upon how you hold it.

Here you can see the back, with a tiny sterling silver tag that's stamped with my name nestled inside one of the squares.  You cannot see the tag from the front.

In case you're wondering what to do with such a thing, it's a pendant. Here you can see it hanging simply on a piece of cord.  You could also hang it from a nail in the wall and make it wall art.

It's for sale in my Etsy shop.  Thanks for looking.

Tutorial Beaded Lace Hearts Part 6 of the Beaded Lace Adventure

Using nothing more than seed beads and thread, beaded lace hearts are designed to look like Irish crochet and tatting lace hearts and leaves. Use square stitch to make hearts in two different sizes. Although the shape varies with the size and shape of the seed beads you use, this pattern explains how to adjust the counts so you can make beautifully shaped hearts with your particular seed beads. The big heart is 1 1/4 inches (32 mm) tall. The small heart is 1 inch (25 mm) tall.

The tutorial is 12 pages, including 37 illustrations and photographs. The tutorial is a PDF file that gives step-by-step instructions explaining how to make beaded hearts in two sizes. I give detailed instructions for weaving the hearts, plus the last 5 pages include photos and several design possibilities for bracelets, earrings, and necklaces with these hearts, some of which use other beaded motifs from the Beaded Lace Adventure. While many design inspirations are included, this tutorial does not explain how to finish a specific piece of jewelry.

This is part 6 in my series, The Beaded Lace Adventure, where I aspire to write a series of tutorials designed around making large collar necklaces out of beaded lace. I am carefully documenting my process in this series, and I invite you to make a lace collar or cuff bracelet with me. For example, this section is the front of the third collar I am currently working on.

Part 1 of the Beaded Lace Adventure is “Athena’s Acanthus Bracelet”

Part 2 is “Beaded Lace Flowers”

Part 3 is "Beaded Lace Swags"

Part 4 is "Beaded Lace Medallions"

Part 5 is "Eucalyptus Leaves Bracelets and Clovers"

Infinite Skew Polyhedron (4.4.4.8) W*8

I'm beading an infinite polyhedron, also called an infinite skew polyhedron.   This structure continues to be full of surprises. 

It is a patch of the infinite polyhedron (4.4.4.8), called that because every vertex is surrounded by 3 squares and an octagon.  I copied this picture below from Crystal Structures I: Patterns and Symmetry by M. O'Keeffe and B. G. Hyde, Figure 7.42 because it's precisely my inspiration for this piece of beadwork.  You can see it's made up of cubes and octahedral prisms.

I'm simply placing one seed bead on each edge of this structure.  Accordingly, I'm using cubic right angle weave to make this, with bits of prismatic weave.  Really, it's just a 3D edge-only angle weave where some of the loops have four beads and some have eight beads.  I also added little bicone crystals on both bases of each octahedral prism for sparkle and structure.

I think I first learned about infinite polyhedra (or at least the idea first sunk in), when I read this paper

Patterned Triply Periodic Polyhedra, by Douglas Dunham. 

Here are some action photos so you can see my process a bit.  Here's the first bit I beaded.

After I added a bit more, it looked like a little square crown.  I might modify this little guy to make a new pendant design.  I think it's got a lot of potential.  This is precisely what is shown in Figure 7.42 above.

And then it turned into this, but my thread ran out just before finishing the last crystal filled bit (i.e., octahedral prism) to make the whole thing look like a cube. It's the center front rightish that's missing, right where the big hole is.

And here is where it is right now (and the first photo).  I think I'm going to keep going because every time I add more, it surprises me and looks different.  Why stop now, right?

 

It's done.  You can see more here: http://gwenbeads.blogspot.com/2014/01/infinite-skew-polyedra-pendant-with-craw.html, and it's for sale here.  Thanks for looking.

Tower of Felt: Textile Bracelet No. 48 Pink

This tower of felt features five different felt cuffs made of wool, silk, mohair and sparkle fibers.  I made them using a technique I developed that I call felted lace. 

The latest felt bracelet (No. 48) is made with pink and orange wool, mohair, and I also added a bunch of silk in orange, burgundy, and red.  It's maybe a third silk which makes it extra soft and gives the colors a luminous quality that is difficult to capture in a photo.  The colors are rich like fire.

The pink one really plays nice with the other felted lace bracelets I've made.  Here you can see it with a purple one. They are big, soft, bold and comfortable.

 

I think these three make a nice "pair." Think of it as cozy jewelery for winter wear.  

The white one can be worn as either a bracelet or a little crown on top of the head.

 

Thanks for looking!

Beaded Lace Adventure Necklace No. 2

Last time I reported on the Beaded Lace Adventure, I showed some beaded motifs from my latest tutorial, Eucalyptus Leaves.  Today, I have the complete collar to share with you that uses a bunch of those motifs. 

Eucalyptus Leaves is a two-for-one pattern that shows how to make a bracelet as well as the Eucalyptus Clover, which was the basis for this collar.  The top edge of this collar is composed of nine eucalyptus clovers in bronze, silver, black and matte gray seed beads.

I also used nine beaded lace flowers with 3 petals and eight pieces of beaded lace swags on the bottom edge. Swarovski pearls in cream connect the various motifs.

I have to admit, I'm thrilled with the drape of this piece.  It fits perfectly at that place where the base of the neck meets the top of the collarbone.  Considering how heavy it is, this collar is remarkably comfortable.  I used gold filled chain, lobster clasps, and jumprings to make the clasp adjustable for a perfect fit.  Actually, it didn't really want to lie flat for the photos where I laid it flat on the table because it's not designed to be flat. But since it's lace, it will stretch and compress to fit.  That's what all of those holes are good for!

This Beaded Lace Adventure Necklace No.2 is for sale in my Etsy shop.  Thanks for looking.  Happy holidays.

Free Tutorial - Holly Leaf & Berry Earrings

Here's a free tutorial for Holly Leaf & Berry Earrings (PDF).  It's my way of wishing you a very happy holidays. 

Enjoy!

Holly Leaf Earrings

Late last night, after a couple of tries, I worked out a design for a tiny seed beaded holly leaf. Today, I got the illustrations drawn, and next, I'm working on a pair of earrings with red crystals for the berries. The design is quick and easy. So, look out for a free tutorial on holly earrings from me later this week. It's going to be my little Christmas gift to all of you bead weavers out there so you'll have something seasonally appropriate to wear to all of those holiday parties that I hope you'll attend.  

Here's the first earring.  It took a couple of tries to get the berries as I wanted them, but now I'm happy with it.  Thanks for looking!

Update: the tutorial is now available here: http://gwenbeads.blogspot.com/2013/12/free-tutorial-holly-leaf-berry-earrings.html