31.10-29.12.09 Kizhi Beaded Butterfly Earrings

I see in these Russian Kizhi Butterfly Earrings, inspired from 18th-19th centuries Russian Earrings, an Homage to my dear virtual friend Svetlana Eltsova, for being a constant source of inspiration to me. Again THANK YOU Svetlana!
Following the Kizhi Narcis pendant I was very eager to try making some earrings, this time - such ones that can suit me as well.
I found through Svetlana's post such inspiring pictures and links that I couldn't resist trying the butterfly earrings, or in Russian "Серьги-бабочки из бисера" if I didn't do a stupid mistake.
I spent Hrs of work with these tiny French Red Brick 18/0 vintage seed beads. After several trials and errors, choosing what would be the best technique and the best seed beads size, trying to get as closer as can be to the original, without having a live "specimen" to consider while working, but only pictures, I finished with a reproduction as the composition seen above, based on several variations (you will see in the pictures below), though it came out like a spider web (to Omer it reminds an Aristolochia flower). The dominent version is from the black & white Museum photos. I wonder how close it is to the original ones. I wish I could see them in live.
Nowadays, as far as I can see/understand, the Kizhi butterfly earrings are done with some metal findings, maybe Fliz, and 11/0 white seed beads. I used a wooden bead for the "body", because I don't have this kind of metal special beads.

From here on, you can see some pictures collected of the Butterfly Earrings from the State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia, (some of them which already appear in Svetlana's post about it) from this link:

and this one:

Unfortunately, I can't remember where is the following picture taken from. My apologies.

The following pictures are taken from the Kizhi State Open Air Museum of History, Architecture and Ethnography:

Серьга-бабочка КП-72/2а
Серьга - бабочка КП-187/49а
Серьга - бабочка КП-1734/а
Серьга - бабочка КП-1661/б
The two pictures below are taken from the Kizhi State Open Air Museum:

Look how beautiful is this Kizhi young woman!

Maybe I should try a new pair with the 11/0 seed beads, in a different color and a pattern closer to the Kizhi Woman nowadays. Anyone encountered their secret somewhere? I see they also use metal findings, but do they sell anywhere the pattern?

Last, have a look on Julia's beadwork creations of those butterfly reproductions and other earrings reproduction from the same period.

27.12.09 Clover MaDome BB

Supposed to be a ring, will remain a trial only since it is too high to fit on a ring.
Omer helped me cutting the bead, but next time I will know the 20 mm wooden bead needs to be cut on its equator, otherwise it's too high for a ring.
The front of the bead is a mix between 2 free amazing designs:
La Madome - by Peetje (Claudia)
The Clover bead - by Pencio
I was inspired to make it when seeing these WOOW beaded rings :-)

• Miafial Clover Dome Rings
• Sabella (Isabel Montero) Dome Rings
• Toti Kokobola's Camelot Rings and Earrings

I am sure you will also enjoy them.

2.10-26.12.09 Echarpe Volante knitted with Omer's needles

In a difficult period, this scarf knitting "Echarpe a volants" (Bergère de France n°132, In > 21 - Echarpe) was a great therapy for me. It was very very long to knit and I thought I was becoming mad, but I succeeded to finish it!!!
By the way, the needles I used which appear in the pictures, were handmade by Omer (!!!) and are of size 9mm.
I got the idea to make it following my visit to La Bouclaine, this summer in France. Thanks Marie for your help with it!
By the way, the 2 100m skeins are mohair (Bleu canard de Le mohair des fermes de France - Caresse) and smells so warm and gentle... They served as a great cuddling stuff along the way back from Barcus, back to Spain.

25-26.12.09 Chinese Pitaya Earrings

In fact, the Pitaya is an exotic fruit, quiet tasty, which comes in several variations. I also have the plant on my balcony, it's a kind of cactus, which up to this day, gave only 2 impressive flowers, which felt down and have never bared any fruit :-(

The Pitaya earrings are pictured on a Pitango tree which gives tasty fruits only when they are very ripe, even already on earth, otherwise it is sour. The Pitango tree is so beautiful these days, changing its fruits color from the green, through orange, to the strong red. I really like walking aside on the way to work and see each day how the colors are gradually changing.

Thanks to Tali (רוצהM) who kindly translated Mariposa's beautiful Pitaya Beaded bead design, I was quiet motivated to try it. See what beautiful earrings Mariposa made in her Golden Pitaya Dragon Eggs and here as well. Thank you both!
In these earrings, I managed to I kill 2 birds at once, since I also tried Diane Fitzgerald's netted tube - (Netted Beadwork, pp.81-85) only that I used 16 instead of 32 seed beads to begin the tube, at the size of 15/0. A small problem arise when attaching the tube based on 4 to the BB based on 5, but I somehow managed to connect it.
Last, after 4 different fringes trials, I found one variation that was "heavy" enough, not too long and with enough presence/volume to complete those. To me, they remind of a lucky Chinese Symbol.
The Pitaya BB itself takes about 1 hr and 1/4.

24.12.09 Indian Flower Earrings for Sarah, Inspired by Maiko Kage Flower Bracelet

Very thankful to my Doctor for her excellent diagnosis and care, I made her this pair of earrings, motivated by Varda and inspired by Maiko Kage flowers that I learned from Susie S. explanation. Hope she will like it.
About 4 hrs of work in total (1hr for each flower).

18.12.09 Garter Scarf for Ynon

This scarf was done for my Oldest sister newborn's baby, 4th child - but first son.

The pattern is a Free design by DROPS, called " b17-7 Scarf and socks in garter st in ”Eskimo”".

It took me 5 hrs.
Since I didn't use the same yarn, it required several changes, so I casted on 20 sts, using 2 strands together of the TeDdy's Wool Sympatic yarn. The total length and width are accordingly 60cm x 16.5 cm. The hole is 8 cm length (about half the width of the scarf).

5-13.12.09 Saartje Booties for Nomnom's baby

When Nomnom chose the blue and yellow and said "no way pink" it was obvious it is a baby boy, but she won't tell till next April 2010 :-)
Surprisingly, I didn't enjoy making these free pattern Saartje booties. I don't like the way they came out ( it's not neat enough to my taste, the sewing is too much obvious and can be even disturbing, there are too too many weavings at the end, it took much more time than other crochet booties I made AND one of the stripes came out really ugly :-( ).
I am sure there are enough people that will disagree with me. Up to this day there are 6688 Ravelry knitters that did it :-) One of them which I find SO CUTE, ORIGINAL and geniously talented are "Saganaga" versions here, here and here. Just have a look at her projects in Raverly! It's really a must ;-)
The booties were knitted with 2 3.75mm needles with Double cotton thread.

29.11-7.12.09 Ribbit by Susan B. Anderson

Hello from Ribbit...

My First Knitting Work with 5 needles! Strange but fun.
Finally, that wasn’t such a good choice to work with 4mm needles and this thin cotton thread. Next time, working with this thread would be the best with 2mm needles.
Thank you Susan for this delightful frog free pattern.

3-4.12.09 Page 81 Booties for Rom- designed by Susan B. Anderson

These cute booties are a present for a baby boy's friend called Rom. The instructions of the booties are free and kindly shared here in Susan B. Anderson's Blog.
I used a doubled thread of Teddy’s wool yarn and casted on 17 sts for the 0-3 month size (Instead of 21). I think each square was about 30 rows of Knit. Since the result was quite stiff and thick - I made only 2 squares for each booty.

The flowers are crocheted based on the “Meconopsis” Flower, designed by Lesley Stanfield and appear in “100 Flowers to Knit & Crochet” p.72, project 50. They are made with a 2mm hook size and cotton thread (50gr/125m).

They took me about 4-5 hrs.