something I'm doing for my coworkers is homemade heating pads... we work with wire and beads all day, and end up with sore joints, so they'll come in really handy. plus they're really inexpensive to make, and all you need is the most basic of sewing skills

there are a number of posts on making these (just do a search for heating pads)... also, one post led me to this site; http://www.diamondthreadworks.com/microwave_heating_bags.htm, which had a LOT of great information.

I imagine you guys probably get pretty sore after looking at type all day... maybe make either eye pillows (to relieve eye strain), or something that wrap around the neck?

Anywho, good luck!

I love it!!! It makes me think of Audrey Hepburn, and nobody does chic elegance like Miss Audrey

that T-shirt is fabulous!!!  I love off the shoulder shirts, but when your breasts are big, you can't NOT wear a bra... and letting your straps show is just tacky   But that shirt is just too perfect

I must say, that bed is wicked cool

I'm so desperate for extra storage, I may just have to steal... ehem... borrow... you're idea

that's freakin adorable   reminds me of a cat I used to have... she was the prettiest little thing, but really only tolerated us humans on HER terms 

I made a short chain and worked 2 rows of single crochet.  It's tricky figuring out where to put the damned hook.

I found I'm happiest with my pieces when I work in the back loop of the stitch... it's more than enough to be secure, but not so much as to leave the piece feeling stiff... if that makes any sense

you make me scared to try with metal again...

looks great though...maybe i should try with some different material...

don't be afraid it takes practice, but you can make some incredible things once you get the hang of it

for instance...
here's a closeup of a bracelet I made while playing around


and me wearing one of my fav necklaces


If you're having trouble with your materials, try to find some "Artistic Wire" (it's a brand name)... they come as thin as 34 gauge (which is like working with hair  ). If your local craft store doesn't carry it, look online, I can pretty much guarantee SOMEONE will have it

Ok, took a little longer than I meant to, but here's the goodies that I got



I got a wonderful looong red necklace (loops around a few times, or twice at longer length ); another pretty necklace with a red stone pendant, two matching pairs of earrings, and a pin/brooch with the same kind of stones on it; a pair of red stone bobby pins, and a pair of lovely red hairclips; and a couple of dangly red charmy things (think I'm gonna hang those off my keys... maybe not the flowery one though, I'd be afraid of the flowers getting knocked off )

Hope everyone else got as great a selection as I did

Thanks Cookies!!!

I actually worked for a local jewelry manufacturing company for about a year, doing crocheted wire pieces... hopefully my experience can help you out...

you want very fine wire, somewhere around 28 gauge.  there are a couple factors that will determine just HOW fine you want to go;

first off, the softer the metal, the larger you can get away with... copper is really soft (and now available in pretty color coated variety ) so it's pretty easy to work with (which is good news for your hands).  DON'T start with brass or any sort of stainless steel... these are much stiffer wires, and they'll be a pain to work with. Once you upgrade to the more precious metals, try to find "fine silver", as opposed to sterling. It's softer, so again, easier to work with. Gold-fill is less expensive than solid, but it's also harder to work with, so consider using a slightly thinner gauge.

secondly, your needle size will make a huge difference.  I typically work with steel hooks between 6 & 0... the smaller your hook is, the more resistance the metal will have to being bent around it. So if you start with a slightly larger hook, it'll be easier on your hands, and you won't have to fight the metal quite so much.

I did find that working with metal (at least in the quantity that I was doing so) was hard on my fingers... one tip I picked up was to get some medical tape and wrap it around your finger (it sticks to itself, so you get a soft kind of a thimble).  Otherwise, you'll just have to suffer through till you form a callous

Also... working with metal stresses your hands and wrists, ALOT more than normal crochet. If this is something you really want to work with, learn to take breaks.  Stretch your arms, rotate your wrists, stretch your hands... your body will thank you for it in the long run (I never even thought about it when I was doing this professionally, and now I have tendinitis 'course, I was crocheting metal for multiple hours at a time, days in a row, for over a year  )

Anywho, good luck If you have any more questions, feel free to send me a msg

thanks

I'm lucky enough to live in an area with a lot of old victorians, so yeah, a bunch of 'em look like gingerbread houses or something

thanks   the photos were taken with my digital camera, then spliced together using PhotoShop... this was one of my favorite assignments in my digital imaging class