To bead or not to bead

The last couple squares of the super-secret joint knitting project are finished, and all my squares have been delivered to the team crocheter for assembly. It was a relief to do a colour other than orange. To see what I mean, see the end of the March 25th post. In total, I made 10 squares of orange butterflies and 2 purple... somethings (seriously, they barely pass for what they're supposed to be, and naming it would totally give away what it's for), in New Bernat Satin:


The purl stitches do make a picture in there, but don't bother trying to figure it out!

Last Monday, I got to do something ultra-cool. I have a friend who makes very nice lampwork beads. She was teaching a class the previous weekend, so she still had everything for the class together on Monday evening. Being generally awesome, she re-did the class for a small group of us. I got to I made a real, live lampwork bead. With real, live fire and everything.

LOVE.

While I normally agree with the Buffy-ism "Fire bad, tree pretty," in this case I have to make an exception. Fire very, very good. I chose a clear yellow for the base colour, and an opaque purple for the dots. It came out miraculously round, for my first bead, and the dots are nice and evenly spaced. I like beads with a little texture, so I left the dots a little bumpy and didn't melt them down all the way.


My first bead, which now resides proudly in my little magpie box of small shiny things

I am taking my friend's advice and probably not going to use my first bead for anything. It is doing enough work just being My First Bead.

Someday, perhaps, when I am bored with spinning and knitting and weaving and dyeing and planting things in my yard that I can chop up and boil with wool and turn it pretty colours, and - well, I won't count sewing since it's more a necessity than a hobby and I don't enjoy it all that much - and after I've done some calligraphy and illumination that passes for more than 'adequate,' and on a day when I don't feel like playing music... Someday when I am ready to take on a nice, new, potentially expensive hobby, I will remember how enthralling it was to stand by the flame holding the sticks of glass into it, turning, turning, always turning to keep the heat even, watching the glass slowly melt and become drippy and orange then wrap around the metal and congeal into a little ball of shiny goodness.

Oh yes, I will remember. I have so many hobbies already, I couldn't possibly take on another, especially one like this, right now. But it's nice to know that I Have Made A Bead, and It Is Good.