I Felt Sew Creative

Let me first assure you that I’ll spin no yarns about my genius. I can’t chain it down; my genius comes and goes at will. Let me second assure you that I’ve already exhausted my stock of jewelry puns for this post. Wait, I almost forgot one: As soon as I get a bead on where I’m going with these puns I’ll move on to the next paragraph.

That bit about my genius is true, for the record. It is the will-o-the-wisp of attributes, I do declare. I’ll go for a month without making a thing, and then churn out seven new pieces in a week or two. That week or two is usually devoid of social interaction, and once the well of inspiration/jewelry supplies runs dry I emerge from my invariable squalor and start being friends with folk again.

As is likely evident from both my Internet absence and I Japan Go roller coaster of emotion, October was a tough month for me. I was really sick of being a foreigner, I was tired of teaching, completely over getting up before 7:00 (I’ve never been “under” getting up before then, anyway), done with my inability to communicate in Japanese and fed up with my illiteracy. I can’t say that I’m over this phase of culture fatigue, but I’m working on it. A gym is the thing which is joined by me, so progress.

Though it was terrible for my apartment and diet, October and November 1st-9th was great for Petunkalunka. Inspired by a custom piece for my jewelry muse and some of the mistakes natural elements in the Indian Summer necklace, I made two new beaded fringe necklaces using the regular yarn I mentioned in the Yeti Yarn post.

[Pause for unrelated "Tears of a Clown" dance break.]

Also, why is everyone so crazy for felt? I like the stuff, and enjoyed the felt storyboards of Noah’s Ark and Zacchaeus up in the tree while in Sunday School. I made a weird forest gnome costume with the stuff for Halloween two years ago. Everywhere I look online is felt this, felted that. Ooh, a felted sculpture of something useless! Yay, felt slippers! Huzzah, felted sweater panties! I mean, felt’s nice and all, but I can’t see it being…wait, shut up, it’s coming to me. Oh, yep, there it is, a font of ideas for jewelry that looks cozy and classy all at once. Blammo.

Now I have to price them and write cheesy descriptions for it all. I’m still struggling with setting the price so that it isn’t too scary, but at least breaks even on cost (especially for those fringe necklaces. Oh, the hours of labor). Yelch’s Boring Juice. But hey, I’m back on the radar.

Yeti Yarn

Back in September I was buying embroidery thread when I ran across the craft section bargain bin. I don’t knit or crochet, so there was really no good reason for me to buy six skeins of yarn. I thought a finger-knit necklace with some beaded fringe detail would be the cat’s pajamas. Plus, the same length of chain would have cost about 2,000 times as much, so I’d be saving my [four] customers money. I used to make friendship bracelets and hemp necklaces, so I knew a tiny bit of macrame technique. I’m from Oklahoma. The Great Depression and its drought has left my people a culture of bargain shopping and hoarding* for emergency’s sake. What I’m telling you is that overconfidence in my own creativity and problem solving skills led to what still might turn out to be a foolish purchase. But 50 yen a skein? Give it here. Continue reading

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I’m still working on two “You Can Wear It With This” posts, one for last week and one for this week. Plus, I’m working on the stories behind the Yeti Eyes necklace and the Elegant Breast Cancer Awareness necklace. October is a busy month in Japan. I’m doing my best to keep up with this website, teaching, and my other activities. Wish me luck.

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