Holiday Wish List

[battah]

Oooh those kasumis are delicious! They have such bold colors.

 

[BWeaves]

They actually photograph more intense than they look in real life. Florida sun washes out their color. I didn't think I liked Kasumi pearls or ripples, and then I saw them in real life and fell in love.

 

[Katbran]

The intense colour looks wonderful! Those earrings are amazing and looks like the pendant is very similar in colour - it’s quite remarkable how the colours shift around on ripples and Kasumi.

 

[lary007]

That made me stop drinking my tea, I was that taken aback. That is stunning, bweaves!

 

[CathyKeshi]

Stunningly lovely, BWeaves!!!

 

[kalmen22]

Bweaves the colour is incredible!

 

[BWeaves]

Thanks again, Cathy. You need to teach us how to right the photos, so we can try to fix it ourselves. Is there a trick to it?

Thanks, everyone.

 

[annie]

Sanippy, Katbran, kalmen22, and SunSeeker thank you for the complements on my ring.

BWeaves, your new pendant has fabulous color!

 

[CathyKeshi]

BWeaves, I do not know why some photos flip. Some have speculated it has to do with file sizes, or maybe when posting from phone or tablets? Here's what I do to fix photos; others may use simpler/different methods. I copy the photo off PG onto my laptop and drop into Photoshop, where I rotate the image in whatever direction it needs to be ... usually 90 degrees clockwise, but occasionally otherwise. Then I resave the image as a new .jpeg and repost back into PG. In doing that, I have a default "medium" size setting for the .jpeg. It works for me so long as I have access to my laptop. Then I delete photos from my laptop, which is full enough already lol. Really, no thanks needed; I'm happy to do it; I love to see the pearls rightside up in all their glory

 

[annie]

This sterling silver pendant arrived today. I had planned to give it as a gift but I'm really loving the pearl...it might stay with me. It is from PP and the pearl was listed between 9 and 10mm.

 

[BWeaves]

Annie, that's a gorgeous pendant. I'd find it hard to part with, too.

Cathy, all photos come from my phone onto my laptop and then onto PG. I usually crop the photos, but it's possible that the flippy ones weren't cropped. I'll have to play around with that and test. Thanks for the info. I also might try tipping the photos over in my laptop and see if they rightside up when posted.

 

[SunSeeker]

annie, that is one perfect pendant - I doubt I could part with it either. Unless the recipient is a true pearl lover AND lives nearby so I could visit. hahah!

BWeaves, your new kasumi pendant is stunning, I especially love it on your gold knit choker with the rose and gold tones in the metals complementing the overtones in the pearl.

 

[Purranha]

BWeaves I adore your entire new set from Kojima!!!! Just absolute purrfection!!!!!

 

[Pearl Dreams]

BWeaves, to rotate photos I drag the photo onto my iMac desktop, then I "open" it. Above the photo is an icon to rotate it. When it's oriented the right way, I upload it.

 

[ewewhojane]

Surely I'm not the only person seriously lusting after the Temptress strand from Kojima Pearl?

 

[BWeaves]

Oh, yes, I lust after the Temptress rope, too. I've tried it on and it's just too heavy for me.

I did play with my new toy last night. I hung my Kasumi pendant on a diamond hoop, and put one of my Mom's South Sea pearl earring drops on the other hoop, for a mismatched pair. The Kasumi pearl didn't work on the huggies the SS pearls came on, but it works on the longer hoop.







And today I wore the Kasumi drop on my yellow gold knit choker, with my Kasumi and tanzanite drop earrings from Kojima. My top and shawl are my latest handwoven pieces. The copper and green in the pearl match the copper and green silk and wool in the fabric perfectly.

 

[battah]

BWeaves, that shawl pattern is mesmerizing. Do you actually weave the texture in, or is it blocked/ironed afterward? That's so, so gorgeous.

 

[ewewhojane]

Very beautiful colorplay there!

 

[Sanippy]

Gorgeous BWeaves!

 

[BWeaves]

BWeaves, that shawl pattern is mesmerizing. Do you actually weave the texture in, or is it blocked/ironed afterward? That's so, so gorgeous.

It's a variation on woven Shibori. Shibori is the Japanese version of tie dye, except you sew the fabric, draw up the sewing threads tight, and then dye the fabric. The dye can't get in where the sewing is drawn up tight, so the fabric isn't dyed there and makes a resist pattern.

In woven Shibori, I weave in the draw up threads, in this case in a diamond pattern. The loom does the work for me. Then I pull the drawup threads tight and steam the fabric. I didn't dye it this time. Because some of the threads are Orlon, instead of silk and wool, the Orlon melts just a teeny bit when it's steamed, and holds the pleat. Then when I snip the draw up threads, the fabric stays permanently pleated. When I wear it, it's like wearing a woven Slinky toy. I play with the pleats constantly.

I'm a bit of a natural fiber snob, so having to use Orlon, Nylon, or polyester in this technique makes me feel icky, but it's the only way to have the pleats stay permanent. I have found that I don't need to make the fabric completely artificial, though. I can get away with only half or even a quarter of the fabric be Orlon and still pleat successfully. The wool and silk is a nice complement to the Orlon, as I have both yarns in the same colors.

About the shawl. I couldn't decide which side of the fabric I liked better, so I gave it a twist and sewed it together as a Mobius strip. When I wear it, the fabric flips on my front, and you can see both sides of the fabric. There's a seam up the back that I somehow managed to make look invisible. That was total serendipity.