The promised beady stuff

I may just have cracked the photographing beadwork bit - grovelling on the floor and making my own tripod with my elbows. (Could there be an easier way??)



And a closer up detail.



Simple though they are in construction, I always find the tension tricky on spirals. But I love them. I think this one has come out all right. Hope so, it's intended as a present, and I suppose I am taking a chance that the recipient isn't reading this - or her daughter? If so, admit it now!

I also did these - a use for left over daggers!



I read somewhere about using lobster claws for stitch markers, and as they are very cheap and I have a bazillion of them, it seemed like a good idea. I have now gone through the bead stash as well as the fibre - only the books left to do. I have only chucked a very few, very nasty beads. The ones that have turned themselves in to bead soup, or that I cannot see myself using ever for very much have gone into a large box to have some play days, principally for knitting with wire. (D'ya want some, Helen? I could post a care parcel.....)

It may be having a bead FO, it may be the gleams of sunshine after the snow, but I feel a very faint stirring of possible inspiration regarding wire and knitting and beads. Well, two, really, one more to do with the sample of energised singles that I did recently, the all white one (cue for song, maybe - no, I'll spare us.) Hey, no point in getting excited, it won't last.....

The background to the photos, which is showing up nicely in the sunlight, is a linen guest towel that I inherited from my grandmother. Well, I guess strictly from Gwen, I can't imagine that Maud really had too much truck with such things, she probably used a bit of old sacking...if you think that is a harsh judgement, it is definitely not meant to be, just realistic about a woman who used the tissue from around citrus fruit as bog paper. And that was luxury, and in my book highly preferable to the usual newspaper. She did eventually stop doing it as she grew to old age...interesting. Anyway, I rarely use the towels for their true purpose, but can't bear to throw them out. One can only de-stash so far.....

And so I finally stop displacing, and head off to the wheel and fancy yarns......