WHAT’S NEW • Gallery Spotlight

• SHOWTIME!!
Three Juried Shows on the 2020 Studio B Schedule

2019 was a very exciting year. And now there is an exciting year ahead! I’ve been spending lots of productive time in the studio so I am really looking forward to my show schedule for 2020. From March 27-29 I’ll be at Spring CraftMorristown 2020. From May 15-17 I’ll return to CraftBoston Spring 2020. And next December I’ll return to Craft Morristown for the Holiday Show. You can follow the links in this post but I will also share more info as each show gets closer. By the way, keep up with me with more frequent news on my Instagram Account @studiobknits.

I am always grateful for my gallery representation but shows allow me to share my work with more people in different locations. They also allow me to see and be inspired by the work of others. I make all of my pieces myself, one of a kind and one at a time. I have to be sure that I have enough work to share as the year goes along, so limiting my schedule to three shows this year is hopefully the right number. We’ll see, won’t we?

Want to see what’s coming out of the studio? Here are just three of the new pieces. But check out the galleries here on the website, especially the One of a Kind Necklace Gallery, to see more new work, larger, Zoom-able images and check out what is currently available.

As always, thank you for your support!

Go Big

Conchas

Fuzzywig

 

 

 



• Studio Update
What An Exciting Year So Far!

Loopy Necklace

Loopy Necklace

Meander II Necklace

Meander II Necklace

As fall approaches (my FAVORITE season of the year), I feel my creative juices starting to flow again. This year has brought so much activity – two wonderful, successful new shows, a second gallery signing on to showcase my work – The Society of Arts and Crafts Retail Gallery in Boston, Massachusetts – and the best sales I’ve had since making the hard decision to give up teaching for awhile and deciding to focus on creating new work. Having this difficult decision validated by the amount of work created and the way it’s been received has been so encouraging and inspiring.

I must showcase the two necklaces shown above, Loopy (TOP) and Meander II (BOTTOM). Each was purchased by a noted jewelry collector. This is a first for me. My special thanks to Bruce Hoffman – Director of Gravers Lane Gallery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – who facilitated the sale of Loopy, bringing my work to the attention of the buyer. His initial support and affirmation came at a much needed time. I hope I can continue to validate his belief in me.

As I return to the studio from a gorgeous summer in Maine, ideas are bubbling up and I look forward to sharing whatever comes next. Thanks to ALL for the continued support. It is appreciated more than you know.



• Wonderful Studio B News Coming Out Of Craft Boston Spring 2019!
Studio B Work Now Available at the Society of Arts & Crafts Gallery

Big news! As a result of my exhibiting at Craft Boston Spring 2019, The Society of Arts & Crafts (the show sponsor) has asked to carry my work in their gorgeous retail gallery in Boston. I am thrilled and honored to have such wonderful representation in Boston in addition to my home gallery here in Philadelphia, Gravers Lane Gallery. First up are a half dozen Bead Ball Necklaces including those seen below. If you are in the Boston area, I hope you’ll stop by the gallery at 100 Pier 4 Blvd, Boston, MA. In the fabulous Seaport District.

5 Ball Wine Chartreuse

4 Ball Pale Green

5 Ball Red Seafoam



• Holiday Shopping Time!
New Work Now Available at Gravers Lane Gallery

I’ve been a very busy girl! Go check out the One-of-a-Kind Necklace Gallery to see lots of new work and some wonderful new photography. And with the holidays fast approaching, I’m offering some new pieces (some are shown below) at Gravers Lane Gallery in Chestnut Hill, PA.

The gallery is filled with beautiful jewelry, textiles, ceramics and lots lots more.
So go in and buy something special for the special people in your life, send your significant other in with a wish list or easiest of all, treat yourself to something you know you really want. That way you can guarantee you receive at least one gift you won’t have to return in the mad rush after the holiday!

Nightscape Necklace

Nightscape Necklace

Fringeworthy Necklace

Fringeworthy Necklace

Double Helix Necklace

Double Helix Necklace

Fruit Salad Necklace

Fruit Salad Necklace



• New! New! New!
New Work, New Photography, New Goals

Yes, I miss my students, my colleagues and the markets of my teaching days. But given the results from these months of sustained, productive time in my studio, I am more sure than ever that I am on the path that is meant for me at this time of both my personal and professional life. As evidence, I’m offering some samples of the work that has me so invested and energized. Why do these the pictures look different from the others in the Gallery? Well, given that I am preparing to start submitting my work to some juried craft shows, I have put on my “Big Girl” pants and begun to work with a professional photographer. I have taken my own photos in the past and while they have done the job in adequately displaying my work for the website and for class examples, jurors for these shows expect a different level of image. I’m pretty excited by the first results from this new partnership. I’ve continued to shoot some of the latest work just to have a record of it for now but some of the newest pieces will also eventually be shot professionally. I have to be selective as it is NOT an inexpensive enterprise. Check out these and additional photos of new work in the One-of-a-Kind Necklace Gallery where you can also zoom in on the details of each piece. Enjoy!

Do Knots

Gears

Loopy

Inside Track



• More Eye Candy!!
Being in the Studio Is Agreeing With Me…

I hope these pictures communicate just how much fun I’m having in my current design “frenzy.” Maybe I’ll just let them speak for themselves. Hope you like!

Pinwheels Necklace

Pinwheels

 

Linked-In Necklace

Linked-In



• Check Out New Work in the Galleries
I’ve Been a Very Busy Girl…!
The Long of It Necklace

The Long of It Necklace

I know. It’s been a long time since I’ve posted here. But in my defense, life has been wonderfully busy. In the past year I’ve seen both of my children marry wonderful partners and devoted most of my knitting time to creating what I hope will be family heirloom afghans for both couples as wedding gifts. I have to confess that taking a break from knitting on size 0, 1 and 2 needles (WITHOUT beads!) was really relaxing!

But once these projects were completed, I found myself bursting at the seams with ideas for new work. And just because I was back knitting with a gorgeous wool/silk yarn for more than a year (you MUST try Cascade Venezia – it’s a dream fiber to knit with) doesn’t mean I wasn’t collecting fabulous beads and new fibers to work with. And, of course, continuing to write down ideas and keep my eyes open for visual inspiration.

Button Up Necklace

Button Up Necklace

These two images are just two of the six new pieces, five necklaces and one bracelet, I’ve created over the last three months. I hope you’ll take a look in both the One-of-a-Kind Necklace and One-of-a-Kind Bracelet Galleries to see what’s new.

And there is a lot more lined up on the airport runway of ideas in my brain. This is FUN! Stay tuned!



• Spotlight On New Work:   “Mud Cloth”
Around the World in One Necklace

I often talk about how unique materials inspire my work and this necklace is definitely a case in point. I found the ceramic beads that hang at the end of the knitted dangles at the Market at Stitches Midwest this past summer. I have to give a shout out to booth owner Jolanta Narejko of Elka Design (www.elka-designs.com) because she had some of the COOLEST beads, findings and fabulous finished jewelry pieces I’ve seen in quite some time. I fell in love with these two different patterns of black and white beads. I played with/swatched several different design ideas before settling on this one. I was told when I bought them that they are African beads, but later found out that they are specifically called “mud cloth” beads.

 

I had not planned on leaving the silk threads hanging. They are actually the tails of the individual bead knitted dangles. But they’ve grown on me. Definitely outside of my normal “box.”

 

 

So along with the African mud cloth beads, the thread used is from the USA (Kreinik Silk Serica), the small beads are Japanese (Size 8 Miyuki seed beads and Size 10 Miyuki Delica beads) and the three large beads are German (vintage resin with crystals set in the recessed equator of the beads – I’ve had them for years, just waiting for a fun place to use them.)

 

Four continents represented in one necklace! Pretty fab, no?



• Spotlight On New Work:   Unusual Inspirational Materials
Uni I and Uni II

  

I’m often asked about where the inspiration for my creations comes from. My feeling is that inspiration is everywhere and often where least expected. I have to confess, however, that my inspiration often comes from unusual materials like those seen in the two new one-of-a-kind necklaces seen here. The top photo is Uni I, the bottom photo is Uni II. The “spikey,” multicolor pieces are actually the calcified spines of sea urchins! I loved them so much that I had to use them in two different pieces. A few friends have told me that they both have a sort of tribal feel. I guess that’s true, but what you can’t tell from the pictures is that they also make a lovely sound effect when they move around – a sort of tinkling, almost musical sound that I find very soothing. Unexpected and delightful.

There are a few more new pieces in the Necklace Gallery that I haven’t turned the Gallery Spotlight on here in the What’s New section, so as time permits, please click on over and take a peek. As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts about this new work.



• Getting From “Before” to “After”…
Staying Open to New Ideas Can Make All the Difference

These “Before” and “After” photos show one way that the gorgeous materials pictured here – some of my favorites: Just Our Yarn Almaza tencel, Kreinik Silk Serica, beautifully variegated, small, round jasper beads and larger, shiny brown, oval shell pearls, along with some teeny tiny needles (Size 0000 DPN’s!) and 26 gauge copper wire – could be worked together to create a new necklace. It’s named for my friend, fellow teacher and inspirational designer Myra Wood.

But the wonderful materials are not the only “Before” and “After” story here.

 
 

By the time I begin work on a new piece, I’ve usually engaged in several rounds of play with my chosen materials and have at least some idea of what I think the finished piece might look like. It started out the same way this time. But then, and I don’t know why, I found myself knitting most of the colorful wrappers for the variously sized beads without even graphing the patterns. Let me repeat…WITHOUT graphing the patterns! SO not like me. But SO much fun! Maybe Myra’s right-brained, organic way of working has inspired me? But then a snag. After several attempts, my original idea for what I was going to do with the completed beads didn’t pan out and I began to feel as though I might have hit a brick wall. Then I saw a random picture of a very simple necklace in a magazine and whammo! Although very different from my finished design for this piece, something about its construction got me un-stuck and started me working with the same components but in a new direction. It required making lots more beads (the small, plain knit beads that form the “chain” of the necklace) but that’s fun for me. And before I knew it, I found the joy of the piece that I thought I had lost.

So many lessons brought home in the making of “Myra.” Staying open is what it’s about. I love what I do.