Seed beads

I really like beads. I've tried out just about every kind of bead making: handmade glass, paper, fabric, clay, rose petals, resin, gemstone and of course metal. I also collect all kinds of beads, except one, seed beads. I mean, I have a bunch of them, but I only ever use them as accents or a few embroidered on fabric. I never got bit by that bug that you see other ladies dealing with at shows, eyes focused with laser intensity, carefully selecting piles of tubes of sparkly color, searching for that perfect shade. I love the colors, but the idea of putting hours into a project made from thread seemed strange. I had been given a beaded glass ornament early on and a thread had caught on a hook and made a terrible tangle, ruining the piece. I suppose that fragility had stuck in my mind, because I never so much as glanced at a seeded beaded anything. Then, a few months ago, my friend Emily Miller showed me a necklace she was working on made from nylon string and metal beads. I remarked how fragile it was and she told me I could try and break a piece of the thread. I couldn't, so was intrigued enough to try it. Now, I'm hooked. I've made loads of the crocheted stitched necklaces and have a few spools ready to go in my bag at all times. Of course, I had to try dyeing my own colors of thread! I really like that the thread is part of the design, rather than just the unseen base.

Emily showed me how to crochet a rope, but it was a little too intimidating a project for the moment. That is until a couple days ago, when I decided I wanted to try it. I fiddled with it for several hours, having zero luck. I looked at videos, but most of them just confused me. I stumbled on Beadaholiques video and then I got it. Now I need to find more antique seed beads in that greasy opaly color I like so much ( since those were dug out of heaping piles of beads at the African Village in Tucson)! I'm really enjoying using these beads and can't wait to start designing clasp and pendant components. After I search for more beads, since I clearly don't have enough.