The Good News Has Become Even Better

I'm happy to say that I was wrong about my glass skills in my last post. I was just a little rusty, and while I may not be totally back to my previous expertise, I'm getting there. And although I didn't make a bunch of beads to embellish Road To Oz/Poppy Fields Forever, I did make one large bead to match the colors in it, which I made into a pendant. It picks up the colors perfectly, and is a good companion piece for the wrap. And it HAS become a wrap; it simply outgrew its designation as a wallhanging, although it is still definitely a landscape.

The Wrap, Back View:

Front View:

Crochet Poppy Embellishment:

Pendant Front:

Pendant Back:

There are  more photos (probably more than you want to see) and info on my project page; follow the above link to view them.

 Now that the wrap is finished, I will definitely spend more time at the torch, and see what I can come up with. Some of my other knit and crochet pieces are crying for matching jewelry. And I've already had some inquiries about buying my beads, so maybe I'll be back in business; but I will probably stick to my resolve NOT to do shows anymore. 

But of course, I will also continue with my fibercraft projects; there are still quite a few WIPs waiting for my attention. Who knows what you'll find when you next check this blog: 

Fiber, Glass, and even Wire and Metal Work.

There's Good News, and.........

There's good news, and not so good news.  My glass studio is finished, 

but it seems I've been away from the torch for so long that my glassworking skills are a bit rusty. So I'll have to forgo making beads for embellishment on Poppy Fields Forever, and think of something else, which is what I would have done if the studio wasn't ready. If there was more time, I would play around a bit, and try to get back to my old level of expertise. But I still have more knitting to do, since I frogged a whole section yesterday. And glad I am that I did, too. I really like the changes I've made; it looks much better, feels much better, and I think it will hang much better, too.

Since I wrote that, I've done some more knitting, and it's going well and looking good. So maybe, just maybe, I will have some time to try my hand at the torch again. Who knows what may come out of that.

The Poppy Fields Are Growing

I've been so busy trying to finish my Poppy Fields Forever project, as well as going on a brief trip to LA for a cousin's 80th birthday weekend celebration, that I've gone 4 weeks without posting. This project has taken on a life of its own, as so often happens. What started out to be a landscape wallhanging seems to have outgrown that idea; just like Topsy, it keeps on growing and growing.. It's still definitely in landscape mode, except that it stretches out way too wide, and now seems much more shawl like, as you can see.

The problem lies in the ends, which are way too long, and unattractively shaped, which makes them hang kind of awkwardly. So I've come to the unhappy realization that I've got to frog the top 4" or so, and redo them with shorter extensions. Although, actually, that's not all bad; it'll give me a chance to redo the right side, which has been bothering me since I finished it.

But I'm very happy with the overall look of the piece; it really evokes the look of my inspiration: the Poppy Fields in the movie of the Wizard of Oz. 

Now that I've made the decision to rip out the bad ends, I'm anxious to do it and get on with finishing. The deadline for this KAL is July 31, and I still have to find or make some beads or other form/s of embellishment which reflect the subject of this project: the Poppy Fields and/or other facets of the Wizard of Oz. My glass studio is almost ready; I'm hoping to actually do some glass pieces for the embellishment. Wish me luck.