Erina Pendant

Over the weekend I finished a beading project I started a couple months ago.

Here's the story behind this piece. (I had intended to take pics and blog about this, but I guess I didn't even take the pics, let alone blog about it, probably because July was so incredibly busy.) In July a Ravelry member who admires my beadwork offered to send me her small bead stash because she wasn't going to be using it. She didn't want any money for it. Not even for the postage. It was just a gift. I was SO surprised. Of course I said yes.

A couple days after receiving the package I started this necklace which  I intend to send to her in thanks. I strolled through her Ravelry notebook and found out her favorite color is blue.

The pendant is mostly herringbone stitch. It's a free pattern called Erina Pendant. It's written in Hungarian, but the drawings are good enough that I didn't even need to translate it.

If you're interested in the pattern, click here -->  Erina Pendant.

I used some Sodalite beads, glass druks, Swarovski bicone crystals, delicas, and size 11 and 15 seed beads-all in shades of blue.

I went with a simple sterling silver lobster clasp.

The necklace is done in tubular herringbone stitch using bugles and size 11 seed beads.

I decided to do a 6-around rather than my usual 4-around, but I could not get the tension tight enough to keep the tube from collapsing. So I put 2 strands of white cotton yarn in the center to give it the body it needed. I had to use 2 strands because 1 was too thin. It was sport weight. I had to look pretty hard to find it too. I have very little cotton yarn in my stash.

I hope to get this in the mail to her on Thursday. I don't know her name because she didn't include it in the return address on the package. So I guess I'll address it to her Ravelry name.

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We had some visitors this evening. The moose twins born earlier this year came back! I blogged about these guys last July. Haven't seen them since, though I knew they were still around because they were leaving signs in the yard.

Here they are eating the ripe plums that have fallen off the tree into the lawn. Can you believe those funny looking little bony butts? And man have they grown!

They're about 5 feet tall at the shoulders now. Here they are munching on the snowberry patch in the back yard.

Mom was around too, though she didn't stand near them so I could get a pic of all three together.

She seemed to really enjoy my Pussy Willow tree.

Cable was antsy all day barking at the woods and being in a decidedly guarding stance. Now I know why. I will have to be careful when letting her out for a few days. Wouldn't want her to make these guys angry or feel threatened. Cable pancake is not my idea of fun.

Live long and prosper. \\//