Kheops beads are small triangular beads with two holes, one either side of the point. The jury is out as to how to pronounce the word! Back in February we went to a beadweaving class at The Bead Shop Nottingham to make a design called Kheops windmill.
I love to use colour so have very few neutral necklaces, other than silver pendents. For this necklace I chose dark grey and light silver Kheops, silver size 11/0 seed beads and Scabacious green Swarovski crystals. The colours in both these photos are really off!
It was quite a quick pattern to weave and I would have finished it in class if disaster hadn't struck. I had a bead stopper on one end of the necklace, but not on the other. I held it up to my neck to see if it needed to be longer or shorter and dropped the other strand. Beads everywhere!! I rescued the crystals and weaved it again. This time I didn't drop it and put calottes on both ends. Then I went to put it on and one of the calottes fell off. Beads everywhere!! I haven't had the heart to mend it yet...
Another jewellery post about another workshop at The Bead Shop Nottingham! We had a flurry of classes recently and there were a couple I still hadn't told you about. As I was away last weekend I had to write these posts in advance as I knew I wouldn't have a chance later to had to go with what photos I had.
This bracelet is made with Kheops beads, I don't know if you remember me showing them to you before when I made a couple of necklaces? They are paired with size 11/0 seed beads and 4mm crystals in this bracelet.
It's pretty striking, I think. I also love the closure. One of those bars pulls down onto the other to close it, ingenius!
As this is a jewellery post, you can probably guess that I went to another workshop at the Bead Shop Nottingham. I do have ideas of my own for jewellery, pieces half done, patterns I want to try, but my illness/condition just seems to get in the way a lot of the time. I know I've mentioned it a few times recently, but it is a big part of my life, like it or not (and I don't), and I've stopped being so scared of people finding out that I'm depressed. Anyway, back to the subject of the post.
The workshop was to create a pendent or brooch using Kheops beads bezelled round a Rivoli. Did that sound like I was speaking Greek? I'll break it down.
These are Kheop's beads:
Before you start thinking my photography skills have improved, the photo is stolen from the Bead Shop's website, but I give them so much free advertising, I'm sure they won't mind.
This is a Rivoli:
It's a round crystal made by Swarovski, (photo stolen again). We used an 18mm diameter rivoli in the class. It's rounded on the front, but kind of pointy on the back. This allows you to encase the sides in a beaded casing and it'll stay put. Oh, here we go, I've stolen a photo of the back:
Bezelling, or creating a bezel, is the way that you encase the sides of the rivoli, holding it in the middle of a piece of beadwork. What I've done below is made a bezel round the rivoli, then added rows of Kheops and Swarovski bicone crystals.
I just couldn't capture the colour very well. The Kheops I used are the same ones as the first photo on this page, the sead beads are clear and turquoise, the crystals are turquoise too. I've added a couple of size 8 beads on the back so that I can add a piece of silver beading wire through and hang it very simply. You never know, in a few months when I get round to it, I might even post a photo!
Wonderful mum and I did a great workshop at The Bead Shop, Nottingham a couple of weeks ago. It was beadweaving using the new Kheops par Puca beads. I didn't think to take a close-up of one of the beads, but they are a triangle shape with two holes. We paired them with Superduos to make this lovely necklace.
I can't take credit for the colour scheme, I stole it straight out of the workshop leaders, Steph's, sample. I used teal Kheops and purple Superduos with black seed beads.
I've been playing around with photography again and tried some photos in full sun and some in shadow to see which would be better. I've used a selection here and I'm still not sure! When I win the lottery I'm going to get a photographer. And a housekeeper. And a handy man.
I made this necklace to go with the many navy tops I own as navy beads are really difficult, if not impossible, to come by. I love this necklace and plan to make another with a different colour scheme.
