Playing with Oglala

Ever since I first came across the instructions for the Oglala technique in Mastering Beadwork, I've been hooked. It's such an easy stitch to master (well, I thought so anyway), and it produces beautiful results. The stitch itself is a type of netting, and because more beads are added to each row it winds up being very frilly and ruffly.

A lovely repeat customer (Barbara) requested that I create an Oglala necklace for her using a mixture of copper- and bronze- colored beads and freshwater pearls. There was some discussion about whether to create the ruffly part of the necklace using a different color for each row, but ultimately Barbara decided she'd like just a random mixture. I haven't quite completed the necklace (still have to add the pearls), but I think mixing the beads (four different colors) was a good choice!

Not that I needed to practice, but I decided to make a bracelet using the Oglala technique before I began the necklace. Did I mention how much fun these are???

I recently purchased some really primitive looking brown and clear glass beads at a show in Milwaukee with the intent of using them to make a different type of Oglala bracelet than I've previously done. All my other versions have been very symmetrical, using the same size and type of focals, but I'm really happy with this one with all its different sizes and shapes. It's hard to tell from the photos, but there are some that look like root beer barrels (you know, those hard candies you like so much), one with a twisted pattern in the glass, one that has slight facets, and some plain round ones. All the clear beads have a white core, where they were removed from their mandrels, so they look neat.

The whitish colored beads used for the ruffly part are vintage Japanese beads - clear glass lined with white. This one had me thinking about that half gallon of ice cream stashed in the freezer, paired with some of my favorite Point root beer. So this one is called Root Beer Float. hehe.

I've just been sent a tip that is going to allow me to spend more of my time beadweaving... Feel free to use this yourself! You'll be amazed at how much more time you have. :-)

Always keep several Get Well cards displayed on your mantel...
so if unexpected guests arrive, they'll think you've been ill and unable to clean!

Rocks. I love rocks. Ever since I was a child, I've loved searching for rocks. When I was little, I would crouch down next to our gravel driveway for hours on end and hunt for the prettiest rocks. Whenever I found a good one, I stuffed it into my pocket and took my newfound treasure into the house. Unbeknownst to me, my Mom was retrieving my treasures from my pockets when laundry day came around and returning them to the driveway. I probably found some of those pretty rocks several times...

Now, many years later, my quest for pretty rocks continues. Just yesterday, I visited a beach on Long Island and found myself in Rock Heaven. After only a couple of hours of hunting, I came away with a gallon-sized ziploc bag filled with beautiful rocks. Anyone else would be satisfied with this haul, but I'd happily go back to that same beach to continue the search.

That picture doesn't do justice to the beauty of these rocks. There are some of the brightest white quartz stones in here, and they're perfectly shaped by having been tossed in the sand for years on end. There are also a few pieces of beach glass in there, but it's mostly rocks. How could I possibly leave those beautiful rocks just lying there in the sand?!?!

So today, having sat and stared at this bag filled with beauty, I decided to try my hand at beading around one of the prettier white ones. This is my first attempt at this type of beading, and I'm pretty happy with the result. After I finished beading around the stone, I used some of the same beads to create the netted necklace. These are going to keep me busy for a looooooooooooooong time!

And the winner is...

The winner of the Etsy BeadWeavers Stormy Weather Challenge can be found on the EBW Blog. There were an AMAZING number of votes this month! Thanks to Sarah (thebeadedlily) and Carol Dean (SandFibers), who both posted an equally amazing number of comments in the Etsy forums to keep the voters coming to the blog.

I didn't keep track of the number of visitors here, but I wound up with 24 comments! So I used a random number generator I found online, and the winner of the Chocolate Covered Cherries netted cuff is........... Jean! (totallytwisted). Jean's a member of the Etsy BeadWeavers team also, so I hope my little bracelet bears up under scrutiny. :-)

What's funniest to me is that I was reading all the comments as they were posted, and Jean's said that she never wins anything. I guess she can't say that any more.

**** V * O * T * E ****

No, this isn't to prompt you to vote in the presidential election (although you really should).

This is to remind you to go to the Etsy BeadWeavers Blog to cast your vote for your favorite entry into the Stormy Weather Challenge. You can see all the entries here, and if you visit the blog you'll find individual links that will let you see more pictures of these gorgeous pieces.

I decided to do another drawing this month!!! So go vote, then come back here and leave a comment telling me you voted (you don't have to disclose which piece you voted for); and you'll be entered into a drawing to win this beadwoven/netted bracelet, Chocolate Covered Cherries! I'll use a random number generator to select the winner on March 16. Make sure to leave your Etsy shop name or your email address so I'll know how to contact you!