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February 7, 2011

Procraftination

A procraftintor doesn't have a To Do List, rather a To Finish List. The necklace I began in October is finally done! (See my previous post, "What's the Rush?") Bronze Glow was my first attempt at using lark's head knots to finish the warp ends. This is the same knot that sales tags are fastened with.

Bronze Glow

Perhaps finish isn't the right term to use, since the coin dangles on the warp ends were attached before I started weaving. Dangles can be added singly, or at the base of a column of beads, making a nice simple edge. So why don't I use this technique more often?

The book by Helen Banes that inspired me to learn this craft pictured many beautiful beads and dangles, and the author employed the technique in most of her work. She also traveled the world seeking out unusual beads and baubles to use.

In my little corner of the world, there are plenty of commercially available beads. To fasten a bead or disk to a warp end, the hole needs to be at the top and run front-to-back, not side-to-side. This style of bead is less common, and the ones I've found have left me underwhelmed.

World travel isn't in my plans right now, but as the crafter's motto goes, "If you can't find it, make it." Remembering a class on copper enameling that I enjoyed as a child, I've decided to explore the medium. With it, I could incorporate as many colors, shapes (and hole positions) as needed.

Why would anyone with a habit of procrastination take on something new? To avoid completing something else of course! (Maybe this idea should go on a To Don't List) But seriously, I can already imagine lots of ways to weave some hand crafted beads into my work, and wean myself a bit from Hobby Lobby.