Day Nine - More Stringer

Today is a simpler application of stringers, but that doesn't really make it easier.

I used much thinner stringer for these beads than for the zigzags.  The idea is to have a thin, delicate line of white on the blue base bead.  I was aiming for three lines on each.  Clearly I would benefit from more time spent with stringer work.  The effect is actually more pleasing in person than it is in the photo, but my precision isn't where I want it to be.  Yet.

(Parenthetical interjection about the word "yet": I read years ago that it is useful to rephrase any negative comments by adding that one word.  It means that you are open to improving a situation.  As in "I can't play Flight of the Bumblebee on the bagpipes," is very different from "I can't play Flight of the Bumblebee on the bagpipes yet."  One is a simple statement of the limitations of my abilities, the other is a statement of my goals.)

I can't decide which of the two blue colors used here I actually like better.  The brighter one is more eye-catching, but the subdued transparent blue seems more elegant and understated, what with the grey cast to it (this comes from working a little too close to the dirty part of the flame when making the bead - distressingly easy to do and certain colors show the crud more than others - however, there are serendipitous moments like this one where the result is more pleasant because of the dirty flame and I have used that in the past for deliberate effect).  Also, since I have not cleaned out the bead release from inside the holes of these beads, the light doesn't show through to quite the same degree.  

This is as far as I've manage to get on this 21 day challenge so far.  I will update more as time and opportunity make possible.  The next bead to tackle is a barrel-shaped zigzag.  I really like how this series of beads builds on skills worked on in previous beads.  I intend to spend some time just practicing stringer work before I do the challenge beads.  I may or may not share the results of said practice.  

I'm only about 3 weeks from the end of the semester (back to school in middle age and with two kids still at home - of course I picked one of the more rigorous degrees programs and this semester was 17 credits of hard work), so there might not be much time to do anything creative.  If I don't update for a little while, it is because I'm busy, not because the blog died.