The Crafting Thread

Crawfish · Dec 13, 2018, 1:10 AM

Sometimes I get to make cool stuff based on someone's writing. This set is based on an event that happens in a friend's novel, a woman and her lover escape to a city who's magical lights are run on blue crystals. She smashes a lantern and takes the crystal shards, having both fashioned in to single earring for her and a pendant for him.

These were made in trade in exchange for services, the other earring is extra as the hooks themselves can be used on other charms. I couldn't just give her ONE extra earring hook with nothing on it? All of it is sterling silver, the crystals are blue aura quartz which I'm not completely convinced are any kind of natural, and the little gem on the extra earring is a blue moonstone.

surreality · Dec 13, 2018, 1:20 AM

@sincerely Those are incredible. I have nothing but awe and admiration for anyone who can do metalsmithing. I have never been that brave and OMFG that silver piece is especially stunning.

The blue aura quartz is natural quartz (usually), that goes through a process that fumes it with titanium to give it an 'aura' of iridescence. It's pretty neat. There's 'gold fuming' process with glass, too, that a lot of lampwork folk do that tends to get an iridescent peachy-pink, from what I recall. It basically uses heat to adhere a thin layer of titanium to the surface.

This is similar (but not the same) as some of the beads you'll see around -- they coat them in titanium, first, then heat anodize them. It creates a stronger iridescence in a variety of colors depending on the temperature, but it's not as stable (as the titanium layer is more likely to scratch away), while the fuming process (supposedly) creates a more intense chemical bond. It's pretty neat, actually. I have a single crystal like this I've been hoarding for years I picked up an age ago -- I asked them what it was and how they do it, so that's how I found out.

Crawfish · Dec 13, 2018, 1:35 AM

@surreality OMG thank you for letting me know! I was reading 'natural' and I'm like, holding them in my hands, wondering if they're cast lead glass or something. They're dense and heavy, the edges on them rounded like they've been polished, but if they've been exposed to enough heat, that's a possibility on how those edges have been worn down, if they weren't also tumbled. Yay! Today I learned! Also, thank you for your kind words, my stuff ranges all over the place, these were meant to be earthy, rough-and-tumble, post-apocalyptical-fantasy-world type pieces. I just hope the author approves, these were a nice challenge; making custom-fit silver settings for crystals is -always- interesting.

Sunny · Dec 13, 2018, 1:41 AM

@sincerely

Your stuff is incredible omg. I am in awe.

Crawfish · Dec 13, 2018, 1:49 AM

@sunny I'll try to snap a picture of the lady wearing them tomorrow.

Crawfish · Dec 13, 2018, 2:16 AM

OKAY these are the last ones for a while. A created ruby pendant with a tiny little Ethopian jelly opal briolette; the latter is tiny because they are expensive and stupid fragile. Sterling silver. Also I'm sorry these images are so huge. I don't now how to put them behind a cut

Herja · Dec 13, 2018, 3:26 AM

@sincerely

boop · Dec 13, 2018, 3:44 AM

Yeah, sooo.... Where can we buy that?

Sunny · Dec 13, 2018, 3:49 AM

@sincerely

Noooooooooooooo need to promise to be the last ones for a while, I don't think ANYONE minds lots and lots of pictures of the pretty things you make. And if they do I'll glare at them after I finish making happy noises over seeing the pretty pictures. These things are really gorgeous.

Crawfish · Dec 13, 2018, 4:03 AM

@sunny How do I make the images smaller though?! X_X

boop · Dec 13, 2018, 4:05 AM

@sincerely said in The Crafting Thread:

@sunny How do I make the images smaller though?! X_X

We like 'em big!

Sunny · Dec 13, 2018, 4:11 AM

@sincerely said in The Crafting Thread:

@sunny How do I make the images smaller though?! X_X

What @deathbird said. Just like they are is perfect! More pretty!

Auspice · May 27, 2019, 5:23 AM

So soon as I can afford the yarn (might be a good few months as it'll cost me roughly $65 and I am broke-ass-broke rn) I have the next pattern I wish to try (Tania Richter was giving it away the other day <3):

I may have mentioned in the past that I do not wear shawls but I love to knit them because I find them fascinating and a fantastic challenge. It would be my first attempt at double-knitting also. I am ready for the challenge and while I know I will probably get angry and fail a lot (because I am bad at charts), I am excited.

Scorn · May 27, 2019, 5:35 AM

@Auspice - That is beyond gorgeous. Seriously.

Auspice · May 27, 2019, 5:38 AM

@Scorn said in The Crafting Thread:

@Auspice - That is beyond gorgeous. Seriously.

Tania Richter's stuff is just amaaaaazing. I do budget for the $1/mo to back her Patreon just to make sure I do not EVER MISS ANOTHER KAL. She does super geeky themed ones (like they are RPG themed! As in you MAKE WHAT IS ESSENTIALLY A CHARACTER SHEET AND IT DICTATES HOW YOUR KAL GOES) and I have missed every single damn one. So I have decreed I shall never miss another.

And this was a freebie she did this month (it's like, $8? on Ravelry usually) as a kind of apology for recent radio silence. She is one talented lady with so so so many patterns that us geeky types can fall in love with.

https://www.ravelry.com/designers/tania-richter

surreality · May 27, 2019, 5:38 AM

@Auspice Double-knitting isn't too evil, I swear. The idea of doing it while shaping even a basic triangle is making my brain hurt, I will admit, but you should be able to nail this one.

Auspice · May 27, 2019, 5:39 AM

@surreality said in The Crafting Thread:

@Auspice Double-knitting isn't too evil, I swear. The idea of doing it while shaping even a basic triangle is making my brain hurt, I will admit, but you should be able to nail this one.

If you can tell there, this pattern starts from the center. Which kind of hurts my brain ALSO but.
I have succeeded every pattern that has been a brand new 'level' of difficulty where I have just straight dove in.

surreality · May 27, 2019, 5:41 AM

@Auspice Like... not top down center, but center? Brave!

Auspice · May 27, 2019, 5:43 AM

@surreality said in The Crafting Thread:

@Auspice Like... not top down center, but center? Brave!

I am not 100% sure. I haven't pored over the pattern ITSELF yet because I don't wanna make myself too sad at not being able to start it (I have that whole deal where whenever I get it in my head to do a new craft I wanna start RIGHT THE FUCK NOW), but from the pattern page:

This shawl has a very strong Scottish background, as the Unicorn is the national animal of Scotland and the Thistle is the national flower. It makes a grand entrance for a new shawl technique that uses a center cast on to show off those vibrant gradient yarns to full effect.

surreality · May 27, 2019, 5:44 AM

@Auspice I will keep my fingers crossed she means top-down center.

I know that feel, though. I have not yet unboxed the new craft tool of doom because I know I can't set it up yet. The box sits there, taunting me.