TIPS ON HAND-KNOTTED PEARL NECKLACES, PART 2

Last June I wrote a blog post called "Tips on Hand-Knotted Pearl Necklaces, Part 1."  If you missed that post you can read it here. 
     
I've been meaning to write a follow-up to that post ever since then, but for some reason I just couldn't get motivated.  It struck me as quite a coincidence that I'm inspired to write about pearls again in June.  Maybe it's because the pearl is the traditional birthstone for the month of June.  I think I'm getting a little Heavenly nudge from my mother, whose birthday would have been on June 14.  I'm sure that I inherited my love of pearls from her. 


This is the 20-inch, white, 7mm, cultured pearl necklace that my mother gave me about 15 years ago.  I've restrung this necklace several times over the years.  I don't wear it very often anymore since I retired and traded in my business suits for tennis and ski clothes.  I'm going to make an effort to wear it more often, though, because pearls go with everything, from formal to casual.  And because it makes me think of my mother. 

    
I've been thinking about some things that I didn't write about pearls in last year's post, as well as some new things that I've learned.  I thought they were worth discussing.

1. Why silk?
2. Pearls have small holes.
3. Silk thread on a spool.
4. Silk cord on a card.
5. Comparing thread and cord sizes.

   
WHY SILK?
  
As I explained in  Part 1, it is traditional to string pearls with silk thread.  Silk gives the knotted strand a lovely drape and the silk has a soft sheen that goes so beautifully with the luster of the pearls.  There are two main reasons that the thread is knotted in between the pearls.  The first is to protect the nacre from wear, especially around the drilled holes, and the second is to keep the pearls from being lost if the necklace is broken.  With knots around every pearl, only one pearl can fall off if the necklace breaks.
    
A few years ago I had just restrung the pearl necklace that my mother gave me.  The next time I wore the necklace I leaned over to pick something up from the floor.  I didn't notice that the necklace caught on the wooden arm of the chair next to me as I stood up.  The necklace broke.  Because it was knotted, I only had to find the one pearl that fell to the floor.  The rest were intact on the necklace.  I was frustrated that I had broken it immediately after restringing it, but it was a relief to know that I could fix it myself.  Two restringings would have been expensive!
  
Speaking of restringing, your pearl necklace should be restrung on a regular basis.  The thread will get dirty, no matter how careful you are to apply makeup, perfume, and hairspray before you put it on.  Even if you don't wear cosmetics, your perspiration and body oils take a toll on the thread.  Ironically, your body oils are good for the pearls, helping to keep them from drying out.  If you wear your pearls daily you might need to restring as often as twice a year!  Restringing every three years is probably enough for most of us. 

Of course, there are other reasons for knotting between pearls.  One is that the silk knots make the necklace look beautiful and rich.
      
Some of us like to hand-knot beads other than pearls.  Gemstones can be enhanced with a complimentary color of silk thread knotted between them.  Of course, if the gemstones are expensive, the knots will protect the beads from wear and loss, just as they protect pearls.
    
     
PEARLS HAVE SMALL HOLES
    
The holes that are drilled into pearls are quite small in comparison to other beads.  Very small pearls have very small holes.  Larger pearls have only slightly larger holes.  Because the weight of the pearl is one of the factors used to determine its value, the smaller the portion of the pearl that is drilled out to make the hole, the better for the jeweler who drills and sells it. 

Here are some examples of the sizes of holes in beads and pearls, from left to right.  The 8mm, purple, glass bead seems to have the largest hole.  The 10mm, pink-dyed, fossil bead has a large hole as well.  The 8mm, faux "black" pearl has a hole that is almost as small as a real pearl.  The 4mm, white, cultured, freshwater pearl has a tiny hole.  The 8mm, lavender, baroque, cultured, freshwater pearl has a very small hole, barely larger than the hole in the white pearl.

   
It is possible to find large-hole pearls from a few vendors.  You won't want larger holes for knotting, though.  Large-hole pearls are predominantly for other styles of jewelry.  
       
There is no standard for the size hole that is drilled in a particular size of pearl.  Those of us who do a lot of pearl knotting keep several sizes of thread on hand.
    
    
SILK THREAD ON A SPOOL
    
One way to buy silk thread is on spools.  In the U.S. that used to mean Gudebrod Champion thread.  Gudebrod stopped making silk thread a couple of years ago, so that brand of silk thread is hard to find these days.  A couple of other companies have started to make silk thread on a spool.  I'll list the ones I know of at the end of this section.  
        
Typically, silk thread on a spool is sized 00, 0, A, B, C, D, E, F, FF, FFF.  Size 00 is the finest and Size FFF is the thickest.  A big benefit to buying silk thread on a spool is that you get a lot of it, usually for under $10 per spool for the finer sizes and under $15 for the thicker sizes.  The information I found showed that spools can hold anywhere from 90 to 700 yards, with the finer sizes holding the greater yardage.  Getting that much thread is a big benefit if you'll be knotting pearl necklaces on a regular basis.



These are two spools of Gudebrod Champion silk thread. Notice how much finer the Size C is than the Size FF.  The C thread is white and the FF thread is ivory. 

    
Spooled silk thread comes in a large variety of colors.  No matter where you buy your silk thread on a spool, you'll usually find that Black, White, and Ivory come in all sizes.  However, colors like Royal Blue are less likely to be used on pearls and more likely to be used on gemstones, which have larger holes.  Don't be surprised to find that Royal Blue only comes in the thicker sizes, such as E, F, FF, and FFF.  Silk thread comes in dye lots, just like yarn—but if you've bought a whole spool of a color, it should last a long time.
        
You must measure and cut silk thread that comes on a spool and then put it on a collapsible-eye needle. That means that you're using doubled thread, which is my favorite way to make knots.
    
Silk thread will stretch, so it's wise to pre-stretch it before knotting your necklace.  See Part 1 for instructions on the way I stretch my thread.  
 
UPDATE May 22, 2022:  It is getting to be harder and harder to find spooled silk thread.  I used to have 2 links here, but they no longer work.  

Fire Mountain Gems sells "Purely Silk" thread on spools and in 28 yard lengths.  They are sized with letters, which is how you can tell it's thread.  Be careful of the 2 yard lengths, sized with numbers, as those are corded silk with an attached needle.

https://www.firemountaingems.com/shop/purely_silk-silk-thread

Amazon sells "Simply Silk" in actual spools and seems to have a good variety of sizes in whites and off-whites.  You'll need to do a search there to find what you need.  I searched for white, Size E and this was the result:

https://www.amazon.com/Silk-Beading-0-325mm-Stringing-Knotting/dp/B005P8UF4I

Simply Beads USA sells silk thread in 28 yard (25.6 m) lengths, but you might not find the color or size you need.

https://www.simplybeadsusa.com/category-s/1891.htm 
       

      
SILK CORD ON A CARD
    
The other way to purchase silk is in the form of silk cord on a card.  It has a bit more texture than the silk on a spool.  "Carded silk" comes in a single strand, already attached to a needle.  It is sized from 0 through 8, with 8 being the thickest.  The Griffin brand is sold in 2 meters (6.5 feet) lengths of silk cord on a card.




Here are 4 cards of Griffin cord, in a variety of sizes:  2, 4, 6, & 8.  You can see that this twisted silk cord has a little more texture than the silk on spools.  Note the leftover piece of cord with the needle still attached on the right side of the photo. 

   
Just like silk thread, silk cord comes in dye lots.  There may be times when you should buy an extra card or two of a specific color, just in case.  For example, you've knotted a 3-strand necklace, something happens to one of the strands, and you need to restring it—but you can't find the same dye lot and the color difference is obvious.  That means you'll have to restring all three strands.
  
With Griffin carded silk you don't have to measure your thread, but that can sometimes be a negative when you're limited to the 2 meters of thread on the card.  Because a needle was attached before the filaments of silk were twisted, there is no need to add a needle and it is used as a single thread.  Don't cut the thread until you've finished your necklace and you won't accidentally cut the wrong end and cut off the needle.

This thread must also be stretched and is typically done by yanking on small sections at at time, a method I don't really care for.
    
Carded silk used to be made primarily by Griffin, but there are more sources these days.  
    
 

As of May 2022, the following sites sell corded silk: 

Fire Mountain Gems sells the Griffin carded silk cord, sized with numbers, with attached needle.  They also sell the Purely Silk brand on cards in both cord and thread.  The thread will have about 28 yards, while the cord is usually 2 yards.  The cord will have an attached needle.  If you look closely, you can see the texture in the corded thread photos. 

http://www.firemountaingems.com/thread_cord.asp#SilkThreadbyPurelySilk
  

https://www.diybeads.com/100-griffin-silk-cord.html

https://landofodds.com/silk/

https://artbeads.com/silk-bead-thread/
  
  
SPOOLED THREAD & CARDED THREAD COMPARISON CHART
    
I'm used to the lettered sizing system of the spooled silk thread and I get a bit confused if I have to buy carded silk.  I finally made a comparison chart of the two types of thread so that I can make substitutions without going nuts.  My chart supplies the diameters of each thread in millimeters so that you can see why the substitutions work.  Unfortunately, I'm unable to figure out a way to copy a multiple-column table to Blogger, so this is the best I can do.
  
                 Spool   =   Card
                       00   =   none
                         0   =   0
                        A   =   1
                        B   =   2
                        C   =   3
                        D   =   4
                        E   =   5
                        F   =   6
                      FF   =   7
                     FFF   =  8
     

Please note that these are not exact conversions, but simply the closest diameters.  Also, when you use spooled thread, it is doubled, while thread from a card is used as a single strand.  So when I say that Size B spooled thread is comparable to Size 2 carded cord, what I mean is that two strands of Size B thread are similar in diameter to 1 strand of Size 2 cord.
  
  
The next thing I want to talk about is measuring thread and knotting techniques with a single strand of cord vs. double strands of thread, but I think this post is long enough. 

Look for the third and final post on pearls here:  "Tips on Hand-Knotted Pearl Necklaces, Part 3."  
  

  © Copyright 2012 Linda's Art Barn. All rights reserved.

Crystal Creations for Spring

Two wonderful girls in our family are celebrating milestones this spring, so I decided to make something special for each of them.

The first big event was a few weeks ago, in May.  Our eight-year-old great niece received her First Communion.  I decided a year ago that I wanted to make rosary beads for her and her mother told me that she would like pink.  I was a little apprehensive about how much work it would be.  I thought that making all the loops to connect the crystals would take forever, but once I figured out exactly how long each piece of wire needed to be, it worked up fairly quickly.  To my surprise, I didn't get tired of making the loops.  I was thrilled with my results and plan to make rosary beads for each of the other two great nieces when they receive their First Communion. 

I will be making more rosary beads, which will be for sale on my Etsy site in a few weeks.

Pink crystal beads, sterling silver wire for loops, pewter crucifix and centerpiece.  Her name and the date of her First Communion are engraved on the back of the crucifix.

    
    
Our second big event is our only grandaughter's high-school graduation, which takes place in two weeks.  My husband and I and liked the chained pink crystals in the rosary so much that we decided I should make a necklace with matching earrings for her.  I was very unhappy with the first set of earrings that I made because they were too ornate.  Once I realized why they didn't work, I chose to make simple earrings, with a loop below and above the crystal, just like the loops that chained the crystals together in the necklace.



Pink crystal beads, sterling wire for loops, sterling toggle clasp. 

© Copyright 2012 Linda's Art Barn. All rights reserved.

My Latest Cane

I'll bet you thought that this would be about a polymer clay cane that I made and wanted to show you.  Instead, it's about a real cane that belongs to my friend, Kathleen.  She's been using a cane for awhile now because of hip problems. 

A couple of years ago she got a black metal cane and she asked me if I would paint some roses on it.  I painted a vine of rosebuds that wound it's way around and down the cane.  I love the look of pink rosebuds against a plain black background, so I was pleased with the results.  Kathleen really liked it, too.

About three weeks ago Kathleen was in the supermarket and she put her cane in the shopping cart.  She unloaded her groceries into her car, but forgot to take the cane out of the cart.  When she arrived home, she realized immediately what had happened.  Her husband went to the supermarket, expecting to find the cane still in the cart out in the parking lot, but it wasn't there.  Nobody had turned it in to the customer service desk either.  It was gone.

At first I was really angry that somebody would steal a cane.  I thought about all the times I've read of thieves who have stolen wheelchairs and even vans that are specially set up for disabled people.  I don't condone stealing in any situation, but to steal from someone with a disability is a special kind of wrong.

Then I decided to believe that the person who took the cane needed it desperately and couldn't afford to buy one.  Or maybe the person who took it knows someone who needs a cane and can't afford it. It's amazing how much better this makes me feel.

Kathleen's husband got her another cane and I painted roses and vines on the new cane.

© Copyright 2012 Linda's Art Barn. All rights reserved.

Easy to Knit 28X28 Fingerless Mittens

Haha!  You didn't know I could knit, did you?  Actually, I'm not an expert, but I do find it enjoyable to knit simple items.  Last Christmas I made fingerless mittens for my sister and my niece.  I was pleased with how they came out, although they were surprisingly time-consuming to knit because of the intricate design. 
   
Saturday night we had our coldest night of the season so far here in Vermont--it was only10 degrees around 10:00 PM and my husband said it was 2 degrees at 4:00 Sunday morning.  I have two little Yorkies who like to dawdle when they go out to potty.  I can't hook up the two leashes if I put my gloves on first, but then they get so excited to go out that they dance around making it almost impossible to get my gloves on afterward.  So I decided that I need a pair of fingerless mittens for myself.  I can put those on BEFORE I hook up the leashes.

Daffney is 9 years old and weighs 10 pounds.  She's big for a Yorkie.  That's a freckle on her ear!  She's the Queen--can you tell?

Oakley will be 2 years old next month.  He weighs 6 pounds, which is normal Yorkie size.  He's full of the devil!  That's the camera flash making it look like he has green eyes.  They're really dark brown, almost black.       

This is the logic of a lazy knitter:  I want to use big needles with chunky/bulky yarn and a really simple pattern so that my project works up quickly.  Chunky yarn can be warmer than finer yarn, but...if the needles are too big then there's open space between the stitches and the cold air gets in.  I already had some Bernat Softee Chunky yarn which is rated 5-Bulky and some large needles in various sizes.  I don't use wool because of allergies, but if you can wear it, wool is warmer.
  
I decided that, for a really simple design consisting of ribbing and stockinette stitch, I'd make my own pattern.  My first effort was with #15 U.S. needles, but the stitch was too airy and my small hands find it hard to get consistent stitches with such thick needles.  My second effort was with #13 U.S. needles and that was an improvement, but the mitts were too big for me and the stitches still a little too loose.  Rather than reduce the number of stitches, I decided to try my #10-1/2 (6.5mm) bamboo needles and those were the best.  I love the way those bamboo needles feel in my hands!
  
I prefer to use circular needles whenever possible, even when I'm knitting a flat item.  I find them easier to hang onto and they don't get in the way when one of the dogs decides to cuddle up in the chair with me.
  
If you can knit, purl, cast on, cast off, and sew a simple seam by hand, this project is really easy.  It only took me about an hour per mitten.  I call them "28X28 Fingerless Mittens" because you cast on 28 stitches and knit/purl 28 rows. 

This is what the fingerless mitten looks like when it's finished.  The thumb and fingers are free, while the rest of the hand, the wrist, and a couple of inches of the arm are kept warm.

If you need a little help with the basics I love this website:  http://www.knittinghelp.com/videos/learn-to-knit
    
The long-tail cast-on is my favorite because you don't end up with a loose strand of yarn between your needles that keeps growing:
http://www.knittinghelp.com/video/play/long-tail-cast-on

There are several ways to sew seams.  Here's an easy one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxLLcwjiwk8&feature=related
    
    
SUPPLIES--If you want to try this out, these are the supplies that I used:

• 1 ball (100 grams) Bernat Softee Chunky yarn (100% acrylic)
• #10-1/2 (6.5mm) Bamboo needles (I use 29" circular needles, but they can be much shorter for this project--or you can use straight needles)
• A yarn needle for sewing the seam (I like the steel ones with big eyes for chunky yarn)
• Scissors
• A knitting counter (optional)  This is a necessity for me because of frequent doggy interruptions.

  
There are three sections:

1. A long ribbed section (Knit 2, Purl 2) for the wrist. 
2. A stockinette section (Knit a row, Purl a row) for your hand and your fingers up to about the first knuckle.
3. A short ribbed section at the top

   
My Gauge for the stockinette area (the ribbed area will be a bit different):
    -  10 stitches to 3 inches
    -  10 rows to 2 inches
    
INSTRUCTIONS (For ease of following, there are no abbreviations in my instructions!)

• Cast on 28 stitches, leaving a 10-inch tail to be used later for stitching your seam.
• Rows 1 through 14:  Knit 2, Purl 2.   Repeat until you reach the end of each row.  This makes a long ribbed section that will keep your wrists warm.  If you want to cover more of your arm, simply add more ribbed rows.
• Row 15:  Knit
• Row 16:  Purl
• Row 17:  Knit
• Row 18:  Purl
• Row 19:  Knit
• Row 20:  Purl
• Row 21:  Knit
• Row 22:  Purl
• Row 23:  Knit
• Row 24:  Purl
• Rows 25 through 28:  Knit 2, Purl 2.  Repeat until you reach the end of each row.  This makes a short ribbed section at the top.
• Cast off (also known as bind off) in a pattern of Knit 2, Purl 2 until the end of the row.  Leave a 10-inch tail for stitching the seam.



This is what you have after you've done the cast-off/bind-off.

• Fold the piece in half with the wrong side showing. 

The piece has been folded in half with the wrong-side-out.  I'll use the bottom tail to stitch up the entire lower ribbed section.  Then I'll used the top tail to stitch down as far as the opening for the thumb.  Don't forget to weave in your tails.


• Using the bottom tail (the tail left over after the cast-on) stitch a seam from the bottom of the wrist ribbing to the top of the wrist ribbing.  Then leave an opening in your seam long enough to allow your thumb to fit through.  My opening is about 1-1/2 inches.   The opening starts where the long ribbed area meets the stockinette area.
• Using the top tail (the tail left over after the cast-off/bind-off), finish stitching the seam from the top of the mitt, down to the top of the thumb opening.
• Weave in both tails so that they don't show.
• Now turn your mitt right-side-out and it's ready to wear!    

NOTES:
       
I have fairly small hands.  Before stitching up the seam, my mitts are about 8  inches wide in the non-ribbed (stockinette) area.  The mitts measure 6-1/2 inches from top to bottom.  They're still a little roomy on me, so next time I might make them 24 stitches wide.   I've also decided I'd like them to go further up my arm, so next time I'll add an extra 6 or 8 rows to the long ribbed section.
     
If you need bigger mitts, you can use bigger needles.  If you don't want to change the needles you can cast on more stitches.  If you decide to cast on more stitches, be sure to add the stitches in multiples of 4 for this pattern.  In other words, cast on 28, 32, or 36, etc.
  
If you have long fingers, you may also need to add some rows in the stockinette section--not the ribbing section.  For each Knit row you add, you'll need follow it with an added Purl row.
  
If you want the mitts to go further up your arm, simply add more ribbed rows to the long ribbed section.
   
Also, don't forget about gauge.  Remember that if you knit more tightly than I do, your mitts will be smaller than mine.  If you knit more loosely than I do, your mitts will be bigger.

© Copyright 2011 Linda's Art Barn. All rights reserved.

Daily Etsy Holiday Special

From December 11 through December 15 I'll be giving free shipping on a different, selected jewelry item each day.  I've also decided to include a hand-painted jewelry gift box with each of these special items.  Please check my Etsy store each day so that you don't miss out. 

http://www.etsy.com/shop/LindasArtBarn

December 15 Special

December 14 Special



December 13 Special



December 12 Special--includes necklace, bracelet, & earrings

December 11 Special



If you don't love any of these items for yourself, I'll bet you know someone who would love receiving them as a gift!

First Few Rows of Flat Peyote Stitch

Just as I was wondering what I should write about next, Amber came up with a question in a Comment on one of my other blogs about the Peyote stitch: 
  
"I was wondering if you had any suggestions on how to keep track of the beads in the first couple of rows. My beads always slip around and I end up threading through the wrong beads. I use a toilet paper roll to keep them straight with tubular peyote but can't figure out what to do with flat. Any help would be greatly appreciated."  
  
I do have suggestions!  I have two different methods that could help.  So this is for you, Amber.
 
Before I talk about the two methods I recommend for starting the Flat Peyote stitch, I'd like to point out that anyone who is not familiar with the flat, even-count Peyote stitch really should practice making the swatches I talk about in my earlier tutorials.  Start with Tutorial:  Beadweaving the Peyote Stitch.  It will be easiest to learn if you make those practice swatches with 6/0 beads.

What I'm talking about here is how to work the first few rows in a real project, where you're probably using smaller beads.






I've gathered 3 different colors of beads for Method 1 and a piece of wire for Method 2.  I'm using 6/0 round beads because they're large and easy to photograph.  I 'll also need a #10 or #12 beading needle and some thread.  I recommend Fireline because it won't slip around like nylon thread will.

      
  
FIRST METHOD:
I think that the easiest way to start a Flat Peyote project is to use 3 different colors--a separate color for each of the first 3 rows.  Well, I'm sure some of you are rolling your eyes and saying, "But what if I don't want to use different colors?"  Trust me!  Use 3 different colors for the first 3 rows.  Make your third row the color (or pattern of colors) that you want  all of your work to be, then continue stitching rows in that same color (or pattern of colors).  The first two rows are only temporary--the third row will become the real first row of your piece. 




The pink Stop Bead is on the left.  Green beads are the Temporary Row 1 and red beads are the Temporary Row 2.  As you'll remember from my Peyote tutorials, I'm right-handed, so I stitch from right to left.  This piece has been turned in preparation for starting Temporary Row 3 (which will eventually become Row 1).

 

Blue beads make up Temporary Row 3 as well as the remainder of this piece.  This is the start of Temporary Row 3, which is stitched into Temporary Row 2, the red row.  That means that I pick up a blue bead and run the needle through a red bead.  Repeat as many times as it takes to complete this row.

 

Temporary Row 3 is complete.  Try to keep the beads snug and don't forget to turn the piece to begin Temporary Row 4.

 

Temporary Row 4 is complete.  At this point, your beads may look messy.  Just try to keep them snug.  Smaller beads, especially cylinder beads, will fit together better and look much neater.

Temporary Row 5 is complete.

 


Temporary Row 6 is complete.

  


Temporary Row 7 is complete.  I now have enough rows so that I can remove the Temporary Rows 1 & 2.  Carefully remove the  Stop Bead at the beginning of your first row and pull out red and green beads from the first two rows--the colors that you don't want in your work. Replace the Stop Bead if it feels like you still need it, but you probably won't.

  


You can see that the pink Stop Bead, the green beads from Temporary Row 1, and the red beads from Temporary Row 2 have all been removed.  This leaves 5 complete rows of blue beads.

 


There are now 9 rows of blue beads.  Oops, there's a defective bead in this piece.  Make sure you check your beads so you don't end up something like this in your work.



SECOND METHOD:
In this case you may use the same color beads in all your rows.  In addition to your stitching needle, you'll either need a piece of wire that will fit through your beads or an extra long unthreaded needle.  I've used a piece of copper wire. 
   
Beware--that same wire that will help you keep the rows separated can also get your thread wrapped around it as you stitch.
     



Here I've picked up a red Stop Bead and then the first two rows of beads for my piece.  Then I turned my piece in preparation for the next step, because I work from right to left.

I've run my wire through the Row 1 Beads.  This isolates them from the Row 2 beads, making it easier to see which beads are in Row 2, which are called the "up" beads.



Now pick up a bead and run the needle through the first "up" bead in Row 2.  Repeat this until you complete the row.  Turn your work in preparation for stitching the next row. 



Continue stitching rows  until you have enough work to hold onto comfortably.  Then slide the needle or wire out of Row 1.


  
Try both methods and see which one you prefer.
     
        
If anyone else knows another way to make it easy to begin the Flat Peyote stitch, we'd love to hear about it.
  
  
One more thing.  I mentioned above that Fireline won't slip around like nylon thread will.  Fireline is great for bead weaving because it "grips" and doesn't slip.  Personally, I don't like to use nylon thread for bead weaving because it slips and makes it hard to snug up the beads.
  
On the other hand, if I'm making fringe, nylon is my thread of choice.  It is much more supple and won't stiffen up like Fireline will.

ETSY STORE IS OPEN--FINALLY!

This morning I finally built my light box and took better photos of some of my hand-made jewelry pieces so I could list them in my Etsy store.  I created the shop about 18 months ago, but I knew I had hours of research to do before I could get it off the ground, so I kept putting it off.  It took me so long to figure out shipping and shop policies today that I only got two items listed.  Pretty pathetic for Cyber-Monday, LOL!

Here are the two items that I listed today. 

1.  An Aurora Borealis blue crystal necklace.  You can see in the closeup how sparkly the beads are.

 2.  A beadwoven necklace of blue seed beads and clear drops.  If you look closely, you can see a tiny purple core in the drops.  Sandra Halpenny created this lovely design, but I put in hours and hours weaving it.

 





Please check out my Etsy site at http://www.etsy.com/shop/LindasArtBarn.  I wouldn't mind if you let me know how I'm doing.  Thanks!