Cavandoli 2.0 Workshop

May 5 & 6, 2012

Bemidji, Minnesota

Cavandoli is a knotting technique in which double half hitches are knotted in a continuous fashion, with no loose thread or spaces between the knots creating a woven-like tapestry. Traditionally two colors are used and patterns are created by alternating horizontal and vertical double half hitches. See earlier entry on Cavandoli and who was Valentina Cavandoli. 


Cavandoli 2.0 will take you beyond the two color limitation. A series of techniques will provide you with the tools for color control and to be able to bring a color exactly where you want it. With the use of wire armatures, vertical, horizontal and reverse double half hitches, we will create module like textile pieces. Texture and relief will be explored. The pieces we will create will be planned and structured. These modules will become the focus pieces for a beaded opera length infinity neckpiece with no clasp, or a cartouche style medallion. 

Registration for the two day workshop is $80, plus a $12 material fee (+ an extra $24 for the beads for infinity neckpiece)

-> Macrame Collective for registration

This workshop is organized by SoulCandy of Macrame Collective and made possible with funding from the Minnesota Region 2 Arts Council. If you have not visited Macrame Collective, a brand new website on macrame, you are in for a treat!  


In addition C-lon is a class sponsor providing each student with a spool of C-Lon Bead Cord for the class project as well as a full collection of C-Lon Bead Cord to share. 

This class is a bargain. So plan to join us, pack your bags and head up north in May. I look forward to going to Bemidji and teaching this class. I had fun designing the pieces for this class. I am still planning one more class project, so there will have three designs/color schemes to choose from with color variations. Keep in mind that Cavandoli is a slow process with lots of knots per square inch, so the projects will most likely not be finished in class. In the meantime, practice your double half hitches. It will make all the difference! - Marion

Set up to Demo the Leather Wrap Bracelet..

Lacis Macrame Board with a Bead Mat Covering

Here is the set up I used to demo the leather wrap bracelet at Stitches this weekend. The Lacis macrame board has several slits at the end of board. They are perfect to hold the ends of the leather in place. I used T-pins to hold the loop in place and empty bead tubes to raise the leather off the bead mat for easy access.

Close up showing how the pins are placed

Hey I am getting close... only a few more beads to add!

Close up... Demo showing the Confetti & Capri color combo

> Wrap Leather Bracelet Kits with Tila Beads

New Colorways for the Kumihimo Ribbon Kits

Violet & Olivine

New colors of ribbon just arrived. It is fun to create new bead mixes with Magatamas to match each colorway... and to see the cords braided. These ribbons are hand dyed rayon ribbon with gold metallic accents. the colors are laid out in a rainbow fashion allowing the color shift to happen gradually but noticeably.

African Violet has some great colors from grape to orchid with touches of grey.


Autumn Leaves reminds me of Liquid Amber trees in the fall.


Midnight is rich and deep.


Raspberry Swirl is delectable yet classical.


Violet & Olivine was a best seller at Stitches West  followed closely by Coffee & Demin. See previous blog entry.

> New Kumihimo Ribbon & Bead Kits

> See Earlier Entry about Braiding with Ribbon & Beads

African Violet

Autumn Leaves

Midnight

Raspberry Swirl

At Stitches West, a customer proudly showed me her previous evening progress on her kit. Bravo!

Leather Wrap Bracelets with Miyuki Tila Beads

I first heard of leather wrap bracelets or bead ladder bracelets a few years ago when customers asked my advice for the best cord to use for these bracelets. Ultimately I had to test the cords myself and play around with the concept. As a rule, I do not check how others approach a specific project, I prefer to work out my own technique. Adding beads with a wrap leather construction is a traditional Egyptian design, but its latest rendition has a few modern twists... So I started making some test bracelets with leather cord, beads I had around, such 6mm gemstones beads, fresh water pearls, Miyuki Size 6 Seed beads and a variety of cords from C-Lon Fine Weight Bead Tex 135, C-Lon Micro Cord and C-Lon Bead Thread Size D. I took them to my shows as I always like to test my customers responses and kept selling them without getting a chance to take any pictures. My friends and family all wanted them too, so I kept making more bracelets... It gave me a chance to refine my techniques.

Confetti & Light Purple

Along the way I decided to try some with Miyuki Tila beads. First I made my own mixes, with some iridescent, some flat and some metallic Tila beads, then matched the mixes with Greek leather and C-Lon Bead Thread Size D. The Miyuki Tila beads have nice smooth holes, but they are small. The C-Lon Bead thread Size D fits well through the bead holes especially with the use of English embroidery beading needles. I prefer these needles over the standard English beading needles as they are shorter and they have a blunt end, less likely to split the thread and damage it. A light application of beeswax over the thread is also helpful.

For the button closure, I adopted a bead rondelle instead of the more traditional metal button: Black Horn, Golden Horn, Frosted Quartz and Frosted Black Quartz mostly, with a size 6 Miyuki seed bead as final decoration.

Tila beads are flat, light and very smooth. They measure 5mm x 5mm x 1.9mm and they have 2 parallel holes about 0.8mm wide. They are a new shape of glass beads made by Miyuki. They remind me of little mosaic tiles found in Europe, especially in high end Italian bathrooms, but miniaturized. They have been described as chiclets shaped, I don't get that. I guess you would have to get a bubblegum color... just kidding.

The Tila beads make a very light bracelet, comfortable to wear especially when paired with a button made out of horn. Get a kit to get a jump start and make your own. These bracelets are fun, easy to wear and addictive, plus they can be stacked!

> Wrap Leather Bracelet Kits with Tila Beads
> Leather Supplies
> Set Up to Demo the Wrap Bracelet with good closeup pictures! 

Material included in the kit... in the Green Patina & Natural combo, enough to make 3 bracelets.

Playing with Kumihimo, Ribbon, Magatamas & C-Lon Bead Cord - Update

I just got the last skeins of nylon ribbon available from a New Mexico artist who has since retired and some rayon skeins from an artist in New York State. It is fun to create bead mixes for the ribbon colors. The names of the kits are evocative. 

Coffee & Denim (shown above) is made with rayon ribbon and the C-Lon Bead Cord Sepia. The bead mixes includes 4mm Magatamas in the following colors: Metallic Dark Blue Iris, Gunmetal, Matte Transparent Light Grey & Metallic Dark Bronze. Fine Micro/Nylon #69 cord is included to prepare the ends for insertion into a sterling silver clasp provided in the kit. 

Hand Dyed Ribbon from New Mexico, Magatamas Beads, C-Lon Bead Cord, Micro Cord & Sterling Silver Clasps

Amethyst & Silver Haze (shown on the left) has in addition some platinum tones. Five different types of beads create a lively mix. The C-Lon Bead Cord included is Lavender. 

Santa Fe Sunset (shown in the center) is just like its name... The bead mix is made up of four different types of Magatamas. The color of C-Lon Bead Cord is Sienna.

Sea Green, Lime & Purple (shown on the right) has lovely tones, but blues and greens are so touchy. The blues especially need to be exactly the right shades. I ended up ordering a bunch of new blue beads but none of them worked... so the mix is made up of greens, dark metallic blues (already in stock), bronzes. The color of the C-lon Bead Cord is Sage. 

Cornflower (shown below) is made with rayon ribbon, a bead mix that includes 7 bead colors and C-Lon Bead Cord - Capri. 

All the kits include directions, a sterling silver clasp, the fine micro cord for finishing the braids. A tool kit is optional. 

A limited number of the colorways shown above are now available > New Kumihimo Ribbon & Bead Kits

> See Earlier Entry about Braiding with Ribbon & Beads

Tips: Chinese Knotting Cord - Unwinding Skeins

Some of the Chinese Knotting Cord comes in skeins of about 82 yards each. The Medium Weight is about 1.2 to 1.5 mm in diameter and the Fine Weight, about 0.8 mm in diameter. The skeins are hand wound so yardage is approximate. Dye lot vary as the skeins are hand dyed. The dye lots of the Medium and Fine weight cord do not always match. For your convenience in addition to skeins, I also sell these cords by 10 yard cards bypassing your having to deal with skeins > Chinese Knotting Cord


If you get Chinese Knotting Cord by skeins, here is the best way to unwind them:

Untwist the skein carefully and place it on a umbrella swift or skein winder. I prefer my swift vertically as shown in this picture below. Lay the skein as evenly as possible before removing the ties. Untie the knots at the ends. It is fairly clear where the ends are, they are knotted together and create the tie that encircle the skein.  Before proceeding, tuck the end you are not using into the spoke so it will be out of your way. Then unwind the skein onto a spool or a card.

If you do not have a swift, use the arms of a friend, the back of a chair, or any other way to keep the skein open.

Occasionally the cord is hard to unwind. Resist the impulse to pull the cord over and under - do this as a last resort only. Sometimes moving the cord or turning the skein around on the swift does the trick. It loosens the cord, making unwinding easier again.

See Chinese Knotting Cord Selections > Chinese Knotting Cord
Get an Umbrella Swift/Skein Winder > Tool Section
Read a weaving entry written by Peggy Ostercamp >  Unwinding Skeins

Circa 1975...

A visit from the past... I must have knotted this piece around 1975 with either Conso Natural or Macraworld Natural Nylon #18. I was still making traditional macrame jewelry.

It came back for minor repairs, plus an extension. Some of the paper thin shell heishis got broken overtime and needed replacing. C-Lon Bead Cord Wheat worked well for the repair as it is the closest color to the Natural circa 1975. I added a few light colored gemstone leaves at the end of the extender as I do not have anymore of these shells in stock.

The collectors were concerned with the neckpiece became a bit stiff over time. I gave the piece a nice wash. I use shampoo and a toothbrush to clean the surface, rinse with lukewarm running water and blot dry with a towel. Let dry overnight. The nylon became nice and soft again. Now I better ship it back. They have been patiently waiting!