Jun 112010
 

Spiral Necklace

This necklace is a further exploration of the round peyote stitch spiral weave already shown in my Spiral Bracelet.  In this necklace, I tapered the  spiral to two ornamental “Dragon Claws” which create a transition from the spiral to the loop and toggle clasp.  I learned the “Dragon Claws” from a kit by Laura McCabe, but I was not fond of the colors she selected and so I ventured off into exploring other forms of color combination.  The shape Laura teaches is four sided and evolves from a combination of herringbone (Ndebele) stitch and peyote stitch.  I have seen it done in a two sided version which yields a similar, but simpler shape.

Spiral Necklace - clasp

Spiral Necklace - detail

Apr 092010
 

spiral bracelet with tubular peyoteThis is another design that is so interesting , that as a beader, you just have to give it a try at some point.  This bracelet is made from tubular peyote stich as is my grey necklace, also on this site.  However, with the spiral bracelet, you change the size of the bead as you work, going from a small 15/0 bead or charlotte to a 6/0 bead and back again.  The result is this fascinating spiral which happens automatically as a result of the change in bead sizes.  The hard part is connecting the two ends together to form the circle, but when you get the pattern lined up properly it all clicks in to place.  Well, more or less.

 As it happens, this is another kit.  Although, it is a fairly common technique shown in a variety of books and magazines.  What you get from the kit is this lovely brown/green colorway. 

 Kits are great for developing a feel for what colors go together and for that lazy day, or week when you want to experiment but don’t have the right collection of bead colors or sizes.