Well-Aged

So old story boring: I have what seems to me like a rather large collection of lampwork beads. I use them less often than I wish I did mostly because it can be hard to figure out how to use seed beads in such a way that the lampwork beads are complimented and that isn't, well, boring.

I don't have to be challenged all the time, but it's hard for me to contemplate a project which is simply "herringbone rope" for example.

Then blah blah blah the hands no knitting so I started with the kumihimo and have spent a certain amount of effort getting my ropes to look the way I want them to, using a variety of beads to get interesting textures, stringing patterns, etc. I made lots of ropes using size eights (and I will probably make more incorporating shaped beads) and then in an effort to slow the rate of production, I switched to smaller seed beads, which is somewhat effective.

And then I realized that a decent number of lampworkers use a mandrel which is the perfect size to accommodate a braided cord of thread such as would be used when making a beaded kumihmo rope with size elevens.

 It's quite lovely wandering through the lampwork stash to find the treasures that really only and exactly need a lovely round rope to display them to advantage.

Most of the beads were acquired ten years or more ago, so it's not as though they haven't paid their dues in terms of patience, not to mention age.

Meanwhile (as usual if I must admit) I guess I'll make my deadline for class proposals. I hate that inspiration isn't consistent over every four-month periods so that when there's the call for classes I simply have to assemble them; instead inspiration strikes hard and fast within the week or two after submission, and in the two or three weeks before the deadline, just when I'm convinced I'll have to dig up something old that I've taught before (I'm no longer enamoured of some of my older designs; besides, the people who most often take my classes have already taken those).