The Bead Spot

My sister-in-law is knitter, and quite often when she travels, she takes her knitting with her. Whether she travels by plane or by car, she can knit on the go. It seems like a relaxing way to pass the time. I wish that were doable with beads. Has any beaders ever tried beading in a car or plane? If so, what have you done to prevent spills?

I mentioned in a previous post that a friend was planning to move, and I wanted to make her a going away gift. She didn’t know when she’d be packing up and heading off to Missouri; it was dependent on when her house sold. In this bad housing market, I figured I’d probably have through the summer. However, it turns out I don’t. She’ll be leaving sometime in May. I’ve been busy, though, trying to get ready for an upcoming festival, so even though I know what I’d like to make now, I haven’t even started. Unless I suddenly pick up a big burst of speed, it looks like I’ll be sending it via the Postal Service.

Here is another kid-size bracelet I've worked on. I like this pattern, but I think it might be a little to dark to appeal to little kids. I'm thinking about making a few with plastic beads, which I have on hand in pastel colors, which kids might like better.

I have a long list of things I'd like to get done within the next couple of weeks, hence, my plan to have a beading marathon yesterday. I've shelled out money for an arts & crafts booth at an upcoming festival, and I'd like to feature my beadwork there. I hold no fantasies about selling even enough to get back the $75 I spent to reserve the booth, but I'd like to at least have enough in stock that it would be possible. The hope on this money-losing venture is more to build a customer base. However, seeing how I have hardly made a dent in the list of things I'd like to take, I'm cutting the list. I had planned: 25 kids rings 25 kids bracelets 10 adult bracelets 10 adult necklaces 10 adult earrings 5 wall hangings 5 small baskets I'm trimming that to: 10 kids rings 10 kids bracelets 5 adult bracelets 3 adult necklaces 3 wall hangings Hopefully, that will be enough that people won't just pass by my table because it looks l...

I had planned to have a personal beading marathon today, but thanks to a rough night trying to sleep, I didn't get up today at a reasonable time. I'm still working my way through the things I HAVE to do today -- then I can take on the things I want to do.

I always enjoy going to bead shows. We have one coming up very soon in my area, the  Bead Market . I can usually find beads in hard-to-find sizes, such as size 10/0. Looking forward to it!

Like many beaders, I often chart out a pattern on a grid such as this: (This grid works for ladder stitch and loom projects, in which the beads in each column or row line up.) Grids come in very handy for knowing what beads are needed for the row your working on. I don't, though, have enough colored pencils to allow for every color of bead I have, so, unfortunately, the grid for me is more of a basic outline. I can use my red pencil for all reds, but what if, say, I want to use two or three different reds? Do any other beaders have this problem? Or have a solution?