this designing thing takes brains!

Seriously. That's where I've been. I finished the first thing for summer Knitty, which [thanks to my own rules] I can't tell you about. I'll blog it after we go live. I can tell you that I didn't set out to design a pattern for the magazine. I set out to make something I really wanted to have. And then I realized there wasn't another quite like it on the web, so now you can have it, too.

Then there's the other thing. See, I found this amazing yarn [again, can't share deets yet. Sorry] and I wanted to make up something in it for the summer surprise. But this design was harder to push out of my brain and is only now on the needles, being knit.

Anyway, soonish. You're all busy having summer fun anyway, so you can hang on a while, right?

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Meanwhile, in jewelry-making world, all is very interesting. Few FO photos to share with you for reasons beyond my control, but I do have this one:



Thanks to my 40+-year-old eyes, I can't see the wibblyness in the edge of the bezel when I wear it or even when I'm working on it. Only when my macro lens shows it to me. Frustrating? You bet. I think I'll be buying a magnifier. But in any case, this pic does show the depth of the chalcedony stone and the interesting orange glow it gets at certain angles. Amazing, for a piece of polished quartz, eh?

Anyway, the ring is absolutely what I wanted, wibbly bits and all, and I'm very proud of it. I made a matching plain band for my husband in silver [no cab] and it's as comfortable on him as mine is on me. He's actually wearing it.

I also made a pair of silly earrings and a small cuff bracelet. Which is still at Sarah's because someone polluted the tumbler and it needs, um, a bit of repair work. She's gonna make it all better. That one I'll post when I get it back.

Lost wax is very interesting so far, and I'll be excited to see what I can ultimately produce. For now, I've been rooting around the house, collecting all the yellow and broken gold I've been hoarding for years so I can sell it to the refinery and buy the new white gold I'll be using for whatever it is I make.

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Several years ago, I took a weekend class at Riverdale Farm to make a silver ring. I was quite proud of that one as well, but never wear it because it requires longer fingers than I have to be comfortable. [I can wear a child's large gloves, if that helps you imagine how short my fingers are.]





It's about a size 8, is very smooth on the inside and comfortable, as long as you have longer fingers than I. Is anyone interested in purchasing my first silversmithy work? I'll give it a beautiful buff before it leaves here so that it's like new for you, if you want. I'd like $75 for it.

Talk about a collector's item! :-)

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Knitting? Besides, the two things at the top of this post, I've been working on my Sea Silk Tuscany [in moss!] and staring longingly at my pink Cables and Os, which will soon reappear in my WIP file. And the turquoise cotton vest is also nearing completion. I just need to measure me and do some BGK numbers so I can add in some tit room.

I'm stalling, yes.