Monday, January 23, 2012

Rings

I'm running on a bit less sleep than usual so forgive me if I ramble a bit more than usual. We've had some rainy weather the last few days and it seems to really kick up at night with added wind waking me from my slumber. I try to get back to sleep, but the chorus of frogs that are apparently happily living in our backyard add to the ruckus and I'm left lying in bed listening and not sleeping. Today is suppose to be the last day of it for a while, so hopefully this will be the last you hear me whine of it.

So, what did I do over the weekend, well my weekend projects started on Friday. I sent off a tatted ring to a customer and as I remade said ring I was struck that it might look neat were I to double up the design into an extra wide ring...so I did. Then as I worked I decided that I liked the bit where the rings nested into each other and thought a narrow ring with that design might be nice. When those were finally photographed and listed it was suggested to me that adding crystals might be lovely, so I did that too in burgundy.

After these I even tried out the double wide ring a different way, with two woven sections and the rings on the outside.  It's a little more delicate so I'm not sure I'll list that one or not. Speaking of delicate, when I posted these on facebook someone commented regarding the stability of tatted rings. So I thought I post some lessons I've learned about them. First, the tighter the twist on the thread the better. While softer thread is great for some wearables, I find the firmer thread is necessary for rings to work. I also don't use my usual size 10 thread, I think 20 is the perfect balance of strength and delicate here. The denser the design the sturdier too, the woven and nested bits really help these hold their shape over time. I know there was another tip or two, but the sleep deprivation is interfering.

So, what's up for today. Yeah, I don't know yet. I finally sold my first trailing scrolls necklace, the burgundy one, and since I have more of the bits I used for that one, I may remake it today. Other than  that and schooling  I've no agenda. Of course all these rings were never on the agenda and they all got made, so I think we all know I never know what direction the day is going. Here's to a creative, productive and successful week for all of us.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Those look lovely! What material are they, if you dont mind me asking?
I havent been able to sleep either, but its not because of rain -- I wish. More due to my insomnia. -.-
Have a nice day!

TotusMel said...

Thanks. Like almost everything I tat, they are cotton thread.