As I make changes to the site, I like to put in a few words to describe them and perhaps explain my reasons for them. You'll find the most recent entries here at the top - there's probably not a lot worth seeing as you read down, unless you're interested in how the site has evolved.
Entries from January 2003 through December 2004.
Entries from January 2001 through December 2002.
Entries prior to 01-01-2000.
Picture galleries from various trips, conventions, and art/whatever festivals, in no particular order.
If you aren't on my distribution list, you can still see the latest general information message that I sent out, here. I'll try to keep it current...
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(07-02-2008) Preparations under way for my northwest tour. Details are on the Workshops/Shows page, and you can sign up for workshops on the sign-up page (linked from there).
Looks like I might have too many stops out west, and won't be able to make it to Dragon*Con for the entire Labor Day weekend, if at all. I hate to miss any of the conventions, but there are just so many of them.
I've added the butterfly project (two sizes, pendant and earring) to my list of student kits. Even though the DVD is still in development, I'm going to start selling the actual kits soon, from basic sets to do a single Prolong Knot Bracelet or Turk's-Head Ring to deluxe kits that will provide the tools needed to produce all the work that will be shown on the DVD. In addition, I will offer kits for variations on those themes, such as the Celtic Circlets, the butterfly, and the "When Knots Collide" bracelet, and various other possible designs as they occur to me or are requested. Certain tools that might be hard to find elsewhere will be listed, too.
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(06-11-2008) The evaluation copy of the new DVD is now in my possession, and I've tested it with some folks who are new to tying knots in wire, to make sure that it is going to work out. There are a couple of minor edits to do, yet, but it should be available for purchase from this website in the next couple of weeks, I think. Here's a page that describes it, and a few of the optional kits that will be made available along with it.
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(05-29-2008) I got a sudden rush of wedding ring orders to take care of, as well as keeping up with my teaching and other stuff, so time has been tight. Still I've managed to add a couple of things to the list of additional projects folks can try after they've learned the basics. The DVD is closer to release, and as soon as I've had the initial copy vetted by a couple of novice wire-workers I'll be ready to order a stack of them so I can ship them out, along with the tools and materials kits.
I'll be going to Ohio for the Origins Game Fair in a few weeks, where I'll be teaching a few students for a special show price, about half of my normal fees, with some restrictions.
One of the things that I've been letting slide is my planning for the next long trip, in July and August, so I'll have to get going on that.
Some news totally unrelated to jewelry or knots: after many years of loyal friendship, the Rottweiler who lived with us became too old and stiff to enjoy his life any more. We did our best for him, but had to let go. I will miss old Squirt, he was a sweetheart around folks he liked. To fill the gap, I found a rescue dog shelter near here that had some Rottie pups, and now we have a new "baby". Very smart, taking well to her training, and will probably be almost as much of a monster as Squirt was, when she gets her growth. Here are two pictures: picture1 picture2
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(05-02-2008) In one of the demonstrations I do for students, I tie a simple form of the Prolong Knot that is the basis for the cuff bracelet, and sometimes I'll pull outward on a couple of the loops to show them how adaptable it is. Finally got around to doing the same thing in silver, and now I have some pictures of that here.
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(04-10-2008) The artwork is almost ready, the DVD is still in the hands of the video person, and I am still not able to say for certain when it will be released, but as soon as it is, I'll have an order page here on the website, and will have them with me at workshops and shows.
My costs are increasing (surprise!) and I am reluctantly considering raising my rates for workshop tuition. Current rates ($95/$120/$175 -- bracelets/rings/both) will go up a fraction, probably to $110/$135/$195. If someone signs up (and pays for) a workshop before I raise the rates, they will save the difference. DVD purchasers will get a discount on workshops, and vice versa, henceforth.
The latest newsletter is available, and has been sent out to the announcement list.
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(03-24-2008) No updates for a month, sorry! I made it home again, after making a number of stops, and I'm resting up and getting ready for the next couple of trips out of town. The DVD is making progress, but I'm struggling with the title to put on it. There will be various options for folks wishing to buy it: the disc alone, or with a minimal kit, or with everything needed to do the projects on the DVD. (There are three projects, Knotted Chain-mail, Prolong Knot cuff bracelets, and Turk's-head rings.) I'll link the order page when the DVDs are ready.
Last year I was asked to do a "demi-glove" in Knotted Chain-mail. I'll be seeing the person who asked for it soon, so I finally had to finish it up. Take a look...
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(02-19-2008) Well, I've just spent a few days working with someone who is experienced in making instructional videos of jewelry-making, and he assures me that he can turn our sessions into a DVD. I'm not taking any orders for it yet, but I'll be glad to put folks on a list to be notified as soon as I'm ready to start doing so. It should be ready in a couple of months, and I'll definitely be making the announcement here when it is.
There've been some disruptions of my workshop schedule, and attendance has been light, but it's still fun. (More so, in some ways, because a small class size makes it easier for everyone.) I'll be heading back through about the same general areas on the way home, so I've scheduled some more stops.
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(02-11-2008) I've made it to Oceanside, CA, and have been getting ready for my next few workshops, but I took some time out to work on the ongoing exploration of what happens "when knots collide". (I've decided that's a good moniker for the composite knots with Prolong knots being interrupted by Turk's-heads.) Scroll to the bottom of the page that showed the bracelets I did last month.
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(01-31-2008) I'm about halfway across the continent, heading west at this time. My workshops in the northeast and my visits along the way were great, marred only by a visit to the emergency room in Worcester, MA, after a bit of an accident. No impact on my schedule, fortunately, but still painful and inconvenient.
I keep trying to get around to posting pictures in the galleries, and I will update that page when I do so, for the two science fiction conventions I participated in.
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(01-06-2008) First update of the new year, and a new knot to show off. Take a look at this combination of a Turk's-head and a Prolong knot, made into a bracelet.
Preparations for the next tour are still not totally frozen (though I probably will be, next week in Boston!) and there is room for more students in almost all of my upcoming workshop stops. See the schedule or the sign-up page for details. If you aren't on my notification list, you can still see my latest message in the link just above this entry.
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(12-30-2007) I hope everyone had great holidays, and that the New Year will bring joy and prosperity to you all.
I've been working on the workshop lists and schedules, and there are some updates on those pages. The Houston, TX workshops provisionally scheduled for the end of January are now in doubt, due to the host's scheduling issues, and I would be glad to find a new host for the half dozen or so students who are already signed up for that.
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(12-17-2007) I'm trying to move dates around and fit in some more workshops, so please, check my schedule (Workshops/Shows) and let me know if you want to attend, or if the schedule needs more tweaking.
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(12-14-2007) Shuffling a little bit of stuff around on the site, updating the information for workhops, and correcting a few typos. In response to a student request, I've gone back to a previous bracelet design and, in the process of adding it to my workshop regimen, improved it a bit. Pictures... added to the previous seven-lead bracelet page. Scroll down for the new ones.
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(12-03-2007) I'm working on a new way to send out updates for my schedule, using a distribution list via my host instead of punching multiple addresses into the "bcc" field in my email program... we'll see how that works. If you want to subscribe, this page should do it, and I've added all the email addresses I have handy, for folks to get invitations to it. If you don't click on the provided link, it will just leave you off the list.
I'm working on next month's workshop schedule, and beyond, and will be sending out more information soon, and will continue to keep local copies of it just in case.
I've completed a bracelet using the rectangular knots mentioned last month, and it can be viewed on the same page by scrolling down a bit.
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(11-19-2007) Sorry for no updates or reminders for the last couple of weeks, I've been fighting a nasty cold, maybe the flu. I've been doing my utmost not to breathe on anyone, and I beg forgiveness from anyone who might have started sniffling after seeing me.
I managed to get through the workshops and conventions in Chicago and Philadelphia, and things are looking a little brighter now, as I get ready to go to Raleigh to have Thanksgiving dinner with family. More workshops there, and in South Carolina, then the International Guild of Knot Tyers meeting in Orange City, FL before I get home in December. See the scheduling page and the workshop signup page for details.
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(11-01-2007) I was driving along in Illinois, heading for my weekend of workshops in St. Paul, MN, and decided to take a break and do a pair of earrings. I've got seven more hours of driving to go, and all day tomorrow to do them in, so I just stopped at the next motel I saw and dragged my tools up to my room, closed the door, and got to work. First pass went well, and then I did a mirror image of it, to make the elements for a pair of earrings. You can see them on this page.
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(10-25-2007) Due to low attendance and loss of a host for it, the workshops in western Pennsylvania have been canceled. This gives me a little more time for visiting friends and family along the way, so I'm fine with that. I still have room in the other workshops on the schedule, though the Chicago one is looking a little crowded. For information, check the sign-up page and register for one if you wish to attend.
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(10-19-2007) Preparations are almost complete for my next trip, which will be several workshops bracketing the Windycon and Philcon science fiction conventions. The workshops will begin in St. Paul, MN, the first weekend of November, and I will be spending Thanksgiving in Raleigh, and wind up the trip with a knot-tying convention in Orange City, FL, in early December.
I have openings in all the workshops, just check the sign-up page and register for one if you wish to attend.
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(10-03-2007) Home from the September trip, which was a blast, as always. Enjoyed meeting everyone along the way, and had a great time teaching and learning from my students.
Some of the advanced students took on the newer patterns of knots that I've been working on, and did very well, so I'm going to start making more of those materials available for future workshop attendees.
Updated the show schedule and the workshop sign-up pages to reflect changes and confirmations of future plans.
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(09-20-2007) I've updated the price lists on for gold, and will try to catch up the others soon. Some minor edits here and there.
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(09-18-2007) Still on the road, having spent the last week wandering around New England, seeking adventure and excitement. Quite a bit of it to be had, perhaps I'll go into more detail later on. Workshops in Alfred, in up-state New York, and on Long Island, turned out to be great fun, even though the latter turned out to be a little more exciting than I'd planned -- I had the date right, but forgot which day of the week it was and ended up having to thread my way through NYC traffic to get to it a couple of hours late. They didn't beat me up, and everyone did fine work.
Dina, at Cloak and Dagger gave me a clue as to what to do with the larger Celtic round knots I posted before. Scroll to the bottom of the page to see.
Next on the agenda, a few days with family in Philadelphia, then the workshops in Stafford, VA, some sightseeing, and more workshops in Afton, TN.
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(09-06-2007) My site just got moved to a new server, and there were a couple of glitches. My apologies to those who were trying to sign up for workshops, the problem has been resolved and the form now works properly again.
I finished up in Atlanta and I'm now heading north to my next stop, in Alfred, NY.
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(09-02-2007) I'm currently in the first week of my September tour, spending Labor Day weekend in Atlanta, at Dragon*Con.
The new ring prices are ready, but my bandwidth is restricted at the moment and uploads are slow. Those who have already been given a quote, don't worry: I don't change prices after I've negotiated an agreement.
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(08-13-2007) It's possible that I might be doing workshops in Massachusetts, near Boston, and likely that I'll do so in New York City, during my September trip. Check my schedule or email me for details.
I found an interesting way to make loops for the bottom end of earwires, much less work (for me) and not at all bad looking.
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(08-06-2007) Due to scheduing conflicts, the folks at Jane's Fiber and Beads in Afton, TN have requested that I move the workshop dates to the last weekend in September, which I have done. The gives me more time to drive up to Maine and back, which I am hoping to do, and I'll be available for stops along the way. See the sign-up page or the Workshops/Shows page, linked above.
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(07-29-2007) The convention in Tulsa (Conestoga) was great, and I'm hoping to go back again next year. I get to stay home and prepare for the next trip, several weeks away, and work on some updates to the website. One of those will be a reworking of the price pages. Everything keeps going up, including the tools and materials I require for my work, so even though I hate raising prices, I'm stuck with the necessity. The new prices will be effective after Labor Day, the beginning of September, as soon as I have them posted. No current orders will be affected, so if you've already got a quote on your rings, you don't need to worry about having to pay more.
Any knot that can be displlayed in two dimensions should be possible to tie in metal, and I've recently taken up the challenge and done this with another very intricate knot, a six-paneled knot that is attributed to the Picts (same general area and time as the Celts) and is found in a book by George Bain, "Celtic Art".
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(07-19-2007) On the road again, workshops and convention tour. I had a great time in St. Louis, MO, with eight students for the bracelet and rings, last weekend, and I'm curently in Kansas City, MO for KFest. I'm going to be at Conestoga 11 this weekend, in the art show, and then head home again.
For those who are interested, I have two versions of the group photo taken in KC, a small one and a large one, showing everyone we could drag out into the parking lot.
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(06-30-2007) Just did some minor editing, updated the workshop and shows schedule, the frequently asked questions, and added the most recent mass mailings to the page where I keep them. I'm not sure how well the mailing list works, but I do get some responses. Still, if you think you're on my mailing list and haven't received the most recent messages, please let me know, so I can make any needed adjustments.
Just got notified that I've been juried into the art show at Dragon*Con.
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(06-23-2007) Hypericon 2007 was a blast, I had a great time and tried something new while I was there. During my session, I invited some audience participation and had them make Celtic Ovals, the Carrick Bend mat knot that I use in my knotted chain-mail, and then we hung them from earwires to make jewelry. That meant that there were a number of young women circulating at the convention who were wearing jewelry made in the same style as mine, which boosted my status a bit... even though they made their own earrings, I got a bit of the credit and some public notice.
I'm working on more convention and workshop plans, and have updated the Workshops/Shows page, and the workshop sign-up page, with the latest information.
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(06-13-2007) A couple of new things going on. One, I've been persuaded to do some simpler rings, lately, by urgent customer requests, and therefore I had to do some thinking about how I price such rings. I've concluded that my price list for five-lead rings is valid for all rings with as many as five-leads, i.e., if you're going to ask me for a three-lead ring, the base price will be calculated from the number of loops around the edge, with a slightly smaller materials surcharge, taken from the five-lead rings' price page.
The second new thing, or at least that I've decided to mention for the first time here, is that several couples have been very excited to learn that their rings came from the same piece of metal, originally, and I agreed to document that, on this page. If you scroll down to the second set of examples, you'll see one of the narrower rings, mentioned above.
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(06-11-2007) No luck getting things set up for another trip out west, but I'm working on plans for several trips during the remainder of this year. I'll be in the midwest in July (yes, very hot, I know), and possibly in North Carolina in early August. During September, I'm hoping to travel up to the northeastern states and back, returning in time for a local convention in early October, then another trip a month later, with several workshops and two science fiction conventions, from St Paul, MN, to Philadelphia, PA and then home again by December. Details on the Workshops/Shows page, and some preliminary workshop registration entries on the sign-up page, above.
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(05-30-2007) If I'd waited a couple of days to do the last few updates, I could've left out the entrees entirely. Still, I like to keep track of what's going on. The story behind the flurry of problems over the last few days is too complicated to lay out in detail, but a brief description is in order. My site was hacked, along with some others, on Thursday of last week. I thought I'd fixed it, but that night it was taken offline by the host, with no prospect of coming back up. I moved to another host for several days, but my ordering and comment scripts wouldn't work, there, and today I moved again (yes, third time in less than a week) to get everything back to where it should be. I hope that this didn't cause any problems for anyone, and I devoutly hope that it doesn't happen again.
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(05-29-2007) Okay, now that the site is back up, I have to rebuild a few scripts. Ordering jewelry and signing up for workshops is currently broken, but I'm hoping to have those working again in a couple of days. In the meantime, please feel free to email me at lorenzo @ golden-knots.com with any questions or messages.
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(05-25-2007) I'm not sure when this update will show up, since right now my website is completely off the network. My apologies to all, for the inconvenience, and I hope that things will pick up right where they were and go on.
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(05-19-2007) No updates in nearly a month, but I've been very busy. Finally made it home, a few days ago, and I'm missing the road. Plans are in the works for a somewhat shorter trip, out to California and then back across the Midwest, to spend July 4th in Oceanside, do a few events on the west coast, then go see my friends at the computer convention in Kansas City, and home again.
I had so much fun on this last trip that I didn't want to come home, but I was running low on workshop supplies and had to re-stock. Filling orders for wedding rings along the way turned out to be no problem at all, though it would've been nice if two that came in hadn't been rush orders. Everyone got their jewelry in plenty of time, though.
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(04-25-2007) I've reached the extreme northwest portion of my workshop tour, and it's time to start heading home. I've been on Lopez Island for a couple of days, and it's just beautiful here. You'll see a couple of pictures in my gallery folder, if you care to look. I'll probably be back out here again soon, but the time frame is still under discussion.
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(04-02-2007) I guess I owe the Dallas Craft Guild a vote of thanks -- San Antonio worked out great. I was at a lovely old house in the King Williams area on Saturday and Sunday, with half a dozen students, then on Monday I had just a few students at the originally scheduled location. Everything turned out well, better than it probably would have if I'd met them all on Monday, as previously planned.
I haven't been taking many pictures, so far, just a few here and there. I've added a page to talk about the trip, and will try to keep it up to date, maybe with some pictures.
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(03-25-2007) The workshops in Campbell, Missouri went great, but I could barely get any kind of connection there and my email connection suffered. MidSouthCon in Memphis was absolutely wonderful, and I really enjoyed meeting new friends and renewing old friendships there. I'm on my way to Little Rock, Arkansas, for the next set of workshops.
Due to the Dallas Craft Guild's cancellation of their scheduled workshops, I've shifted some dates around, and I'll be in San Antonio that weekend, with two separate groups taking workshops. I should be able to update the schedule page to reflect that soon, but the signup page is up to date, at least.
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(03-10-2007) Less than two weeks to go before I head out. I've juggled dates and added some stops along the way, check the Workshops/Shows page for the latest details, or the sign-up page to request registration. Most of the workshops have room for more students.
This will be my longest trip to date, and I'm really looking forward to getting started. I'll remain in touch, and keep the website up to date, and I should be able to keep up with any wedding ring orders that come in, since I've put plenty of time in between workshops for travel and visiting and relaxing, and will have the essential tools with me.
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(02-18-2007) Working on materials for the big spring trip out to the northwest, mostly, but I did manage to make it to the opening day of the Tampa Bay Renaissance Festival, and took a few pictures there.
While avoiding other tasks, I managed to tie a siver circlet that's very Celtic looking.
Plans for the trip are almost all completed, but there are still plenty of spaces for students in some of the workshops. Take a look at my schedule page, and my workshop sign-up page, to see what is coming up.
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(01-22-2007) Home again, and it's already time to begin preparations for the next trip -- a month and a half to get all the new workshop kits done, organize the class rosters, and work on some projects, not to mention taking care of wedding ring orders along the way.
There will be a meeting of local chain-mail enthusiasts on February 10th, which should be fun, and I've got some local teaching on the schedule -- if anything else comes along, I'll add that to the schedule as well.
I tried to have my cake and eat it, at Arisia 2007, attending the Masquerade and trying to take pictures as well, and so I have very few decent costuming shots. The folder with the pictures that I managed to get is found in the picture galleries, linked above.
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(01-10-2007) I'm in the frozen north, and enjoying it a lot. I haven't worked on the jacket much (see folder in the entry just before this, I've added a couple of pictures to it), but I've had some fun with students. The workshop in Afton, TN went well, and now I'm getting ready for the one in Littleton, MA.
I got tired of typing in the full address for people when they express doubt of my ever having worn a beard, so if you're brave or foolish enough, click here to see some examples of "Loren down the ages."
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(01-01-2007) I hope that everyone has enjoyed their New Year's celebration. Everything is now in readiness for the workshops, but one of my projects is falling behind. I've been working on this for a while, now, and had hoped to have it ready for Arisia, but there's no way that will happen. If I tuck all the ends in (much quicker than soldering them!), it can be worn briefly for modeling, but I'm not sure if I'm even going in the right direction with it. Take a look at the Bolero Jacket that I've been working on -- I welcome suggestions.
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(12-22-2006) The workshops are lined up for January: I'll be heading north in time to teach in Afton, Tennessee, the first weekend, should be able to make it to the Boston area in time to teach in Littleton, Massachusetts, before and after Arisia, then down to Frederick, Maryland for workshops on the 17th and 18th, and finally a stop in Surfside Beach, SC, for the last workshops before returning home.
I turned my badge and parking tag in at work today, so I am now retired. The official date is the end of the year, but there's nothing but holidays between now and then, leaving me free to fill orders and prepare student kits for workshops.
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(12-12-2006) I've just received an offer from a host in Washington, DC, for workshops there between the ones in Boston and the ones in Surfside Beach. Couldn't bee earlier than the 17th, and I have to be in SC by Saturday morning, but sometime in there should be time enough.
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(12-10-2006) Added workshops at the beginning and end of the list for my spring trip, one set just north of Memphis, before MidSouthCon, and the other in Denver, on my way back from Seattle.
Looks like I might have a host for the tentatively scheduled workshops in Sacramento, also.
My youngest grand-niece is living a fully-documented life, and we have footage of her enthusiastically participating in a bedtime story. Nothing to do with knots, or jewelry, but definitely an "Aww, cute" moment.
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(11-24-2006) I'm finishing up a week in Philadelphia, started with Philcon, and completed with Thanksgiving with one of my nephews and his family. My last actual vacation while officially employed, in fact, so I've been savoring it. There are pictures of various costumes and folks wearing my work in the "Philcon2006" directory -- see "Picture galleries", above.
December should be fairly quiet, though I've got at least one at-home workshop to conduct. I'll be spending most of my time gathering materials and organizing for my trip to Boston in January, including stops in eastern Tennessee on the way up and in South Carolina on the way back. Right now I'm certain of three sets of workshops on that trip.
See my show schedule for more information, and my workshop registration page to sign up or request more workshops.
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(11-14-2006) Necronomicon, in Tampa, was delightful as ever. I should prepare and upload some more pictures, but in the meantime there are several in the gallery under that name. See "Picture galleries", above.)
This coming weekend I'll be in Philadelphia for Philcon, where I'll be in the art show, and I'll be staying up there for a few more days, teaching in Richlandtown, PA, on Monday and Tuesday, and pigging out on turkey with my nephew's family on Thanksgiving, before wending my way home to resume work for one more month. (Yes, I am indeed retiring, after thirty years, to do jewelry and teaching full time.)
I've added a workshop on my way up to Boston, in early January, to be held in Afton, TN, the weekend of the 6th and 7th. You'll see the entry on my sign-up page, where you can register for that, or for any of the other workshops I've got planned. You can also nag me to hold workshops in other places, of course. Looks like I'll be doing some more in Pennsylvania, over in the western end of the state, next year, but I'm not sure when. I need to line up several in a row, for a trip to work out, like the series I've planned to get me to Seattle and back.
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(10-19-2006) The workshop schedule is shaping up nicely, registrations are on ->this page<-- if you're interested. Check the overall schedule on the "Workshops/Shows" page, above.
Just realized that even though the halter top is visible in the Dragon*Con 2006 directory, I didn't put up a page for it, so now I have.
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(10-08-2006) It's always nice to see that I've had some influence in the world. Dan and Allison came to me early in 2005 and spent a weekend learning how to make wire, design and tie Prolong knots and Turk's Head knots in wire, and now they've got a really well made website, showing some really great jewelry. Check them out at "The Have Knots".
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(10-05-2006) Some changes of plan. First, I'm taking a whole week off to go to Philadelphia in November, so I'll not only be at Philcon for the weekend just prior to Thanksgiving, but will also be able to do workshops in Richlandtown right afterward, and then spend the rest of the week pigging out at my nephew's place before having to find my way home again. It'll be fun, and I don't have to fly! (The TSA hates pointy tools, and they look at me funny when I come in with excessive amounts of precious metal.)
More changes of plan: since I can do the workshop in Richlandtown, it would be asking too much of that host to ask her to hold another in January, so there is room for another workshop in a different venue on my way up to Boston for Arisia. I'm planning a set of workshops before and after Arisia, just like last year, and I'm stopping in at Surfside Beach, SC, on my way back to Florida, to do more workshops. I've plenty of time on the way up, if someone else wants to host one.
There are more things going on, later, and I suggest looking at my schedule to see what they are. One of them is a "grand tour" out west, like the one I did a couple of years ago in February, but this time it will be in March and April.
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(09-20-2006) Unfortunately I haven't had enough confirmed registrations to make the Castro Valley trip break even, so I will have to put that off until perhaps next Spring. I'm hoping to do another "western tour" such as I did a couple of years ago, going all the way to Seattle and back, so of course there would be at least one stop in the Bay Area along the way. Look for schedule updates.
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(09-17-2006) I should've been updating more, but if you have already clicked on the "Picture galleries" link above, you already know that I got a lot of nice pictures of my silver halter-top on various volunteer models while I was in Atlanta. I'll put together a separate page describing it soon, with various statistics. I've let many more people try it on than I have pictures to show, since I don't post pictures of anyone who expressed reservations. (Hi Ingrid! Email me if you change your mind...)
Just got back from Kissimmee, this afternoon, where I attended the state board meeting of the Florida Society of Goldsmiths, for whom I maintain a website. It was a fun meeting, as such things go, and one of the minor items decided there involved my eventually doing workshops for each chapter over the next year -- that's, hm, five or six workshops. Southeast Florida, southwest Florida, northeast Florida, northwest Florida, the Panhandle, and probably the west coast folks as well, at some point.
Next weekend I will be in Michigan for the Renaissance Festival there, and will stay Monday and Tuesday to teach workshops.
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(08-24-2006) Just a week until I go to Atlanta for Dragon*Con. I've got my art-show stuff set up, with some new stuff, and I've finished another new item that might well be on display at some point, if I can find a volunteer to model it. Need to do that, anyway, so I can take a picture of it...
I've come up with a lookup table for ring sizes versus number of bights around the edge, to help people understand why I select certain knots for some size rings, and other knots for larger or smaller ones. I've linked it from the Ring Size page, but if you want to, you can see the PDF file without going there.
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(08-16-2006) I'm back from Van Nuys, California, where I had several days of workshops. The weather cooperated by staying below one hundred degrees Fahrenheit, and the location was perfect for teaching, so everyone had a great time and did very good work. I put some pictures in a folder in the picture gallery (above) so feel free to check them out.
Just a couple of weeks to go before I head for Atlanta and the Dragon*Con convention. There will be at least a couple of pieces that should be new to everyone there, and so I'm really looking forward to seeing how they're received.
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(08-02-2006) Preparations are well in hand for my trip out to California next week, with full rosters for all my workshops. I'm also frantically gathering and organizing materials for Dragon*Con at the end of the month (Labor Day weekend in Atlanta), and looking ahead to the workshops in Michigan, then again in California in October. (See the Workshops/Shows page for details, or the sign-up page to register.)
Just a few days ago I received a message from an unsatisfied customer, which I reproduce in part on my "comments" page. (I haven't updated it in a while, it seems, but I've been distracted...) Since I haven't received any response from this customer, I am at a loss as to how to make it up to him, but perhaps his plight will serve as an example for others. Please, if you have the slightest issue with any of my work, at any time, I want to hear about it. I can resize, repair, even in some cases replace outright, a ring or other item that doesn't measure up.
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(07-08-2006) After a recent mixup in ring sizes, I've added a page on measuring fingers, including some pictures to illustrate just what I mean. Please take a look at it and feel free to suggest improvements and clarifications. There is also a link to it from the "Ring size" page, where I've updated and improved my advice on the same subject.
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(07-02-2006) A challenge was issued in Nashville for a "Celtic Mobius Strip", and I've come up with a response. The circumstances leading up to this involved a poster that one of the other artists had created, a very beautiful rendition of the idea, but I thought it would be nice to do it in 3D. Take a look at the result.
I just got my official acceptance letter from Dragon*Con's art show, so I know that I'll be setting up my display again this year. I'm also going to be on a panel for the Costume Track, and I've got one real knock-out piece to show off, plus a chance to show off something special in collaboration with another artist.
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(06-29-2006) The last two weekends have been quite interesting. The workshop in Guelph, Ontario, went very well, with all of the students' jewelry coming out fine. With security and customs being such a potential PITA, I didn't take along nearly as much interesting stuff, which made me sad, but we all had a great time anyway. The following weekend I was in Nashville, TN, for the Hypericon science fiction convention there. A small convention, but not the smallest I've attended, and I liked being there. Some pictures in the convention folder, which you can also reach through following the link above.
While I was there I had the pleasure and privilege of taking a number of modeled photographs of jewelry, which greatly enhanced the latter. See them on the page relating to hair adornments, and a new page devoted to a great new choker-style necklace.
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(06-15-2006) Another workshop has been added to the list of upcoming events, a flying visit to California for the weekend of October 14th and 15th, in Castro Valley.
Vacation days are running short, but there might still be some room in my schedule to do some other visits like that before the end of the year.
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(06-04-2006) Here's an experiment I've been meaning to conduct ever since I made a couple of decorative combs from the Prolong Knot, with side loops drawn out, and I think it turned out well.
There are only a few slots left in the September workshop in Michigan, several openings in Van Nuys in August, and it looks like one opening left in Guelph for week after next. I'm working on other plans, as well, and will post details.
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(05-29-2006) Just got back from Orlando, and the 19th annual Oasis Science Fiction convention. This was only my second year there, but there were a lot of familiar faces. I attended as a guest, and participated on a costuming panel on Friday, then on Sunday I conducted a small workshop on knot-tying. My costume took a ribbon in the masquerade, but I can't take a whole lot of credit for that, on two counts. One, the costume is a total slam dunk for me (you'll have to see me in person sometime to understand that) and it was also a narrow field of contestants so I had much higher chances. Still, a ribbon is a ribbon, right? Anyway, I will be there next year, also as a guest, and I'm really looking forward to it. There are some pictures available: "Oasis 2006" in the folder listing.
I'm getting ready for the trip to Canada in several weeks, and the trip to Nashville, TN, the following week. See my shows and events page for upcoming plans.
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(05-05-2006) Realizing that I'd left a gap in the listing of string tutorials, I've added a set for the seven-lead by ten-bight Turk's Head, tied in hand. This is not a trivial knot to tie, and I recommend doing some of the simpler ones first. One of the things I'll be doing at Oasis in Orlando in a few weeks will be an interactive session, letting people have string to tie friendship bracelets for each other, and I've been trying to refine my teaching techniques... doing this tutorial was helpful. Hm, looking at the list, I see that I need to either add one for the 7x13, or explain how the 5x9 is expanded to those dimensions.
Those of you who are looking forward to the workshop in Guelph, Ontario, will be pleased to know that I have purchased my airline tickets and I'm fully committed to the trip.
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(05-01-2006) Another set of workshops well on their way to becoming definite plans. Michigan in late September, in a visit to some friends from the chain mail forum (The Ring Lord), and a stop at the Michigan Renaissance Festival, I'll be doing two days of workshops, Monday and Tuesday, the 25th and 26th of September.
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(04-22-2006) As I feared, it became necessary to cancel the Yuma trip. I'm sorry that I didn't manage to push those workshops hard enough, and there were only four people signed up to attend. I'll try to do a better job with future plans. In fact, I am planning at least one trip out to California, scheduled for August, and that might be close enough for some of the folks who might have hoped to see me in Yuma. Please see the Workshops/Shows page for upcoming events.
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(04-21-2006) Some plans are moving along, others seem not to be working out. I've had a rush of orders for rings, and that's good, but I'm feeling pessimistic about the trip to Arizona week after next, since today is the first time I've heard from anyone out there in a month...
I've got a number of additions to my shows and events calendar, notably a trip to Guelph, Ontario (near Toronto) in mid-June, to teach a couple of workshops. Before that I'll be in Orlando, FL, at the Oasis science fiction convention, and right afterward I'm going to be in Nashville, at Hypericon. There are various other plans in the works, as well.
I have to confess that I haven't done anything on my bracelet tutorial book, but I've got the raw materials ready for when I get back to it.
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(03-31-2006) Midsouthcon was great, and I've got a few pictures in the convention folder you'll find on this page. Unfortunately, there was a glitch when it came to saving some of them, so I don't have pictures of an especially delightful young lady wearing my silver scarf. I've learned that its proper name is a "hip wrap", by surfing around on a bellydancer costuming website.
One of the members of the chain-mail forum on The Ring Lord is working to get me up to Guelph, Ontario, for workshops in June. Scheduled dates are June 17-18, and at this time there are still some openings. See the sign-up page, to register.
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(03-22-2006) For those who haven't looked in a few days, go back and check the scarf, mentioned below, because I got a chance to take pictures of it on a model last week.
I'm a little concerned about my email in-box, lately it's been very thin. I'm still getting order forms, comment forms, and workshop requests, but not that much ordinary mail. Just recently my domain migrated to a new host, and their spam filters might be over-reacting, so if you've sent me ordinary emails and haven't gotten a response, use one of the forms to let me know.
I'm gathering students for the Yuma, AZ workshop, but the numbers are still low. See the shows and events page, or the signup page.
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(03-10-2006) I'm getting ready for MidSouthCon, the science fiction convention in Memphis, in a couple of weeks, which is one reason I was so anxious to finish the scarf that I mentioned below. Plans are being proposed and considered that will let me travel to a few other places for teaching, and now that I have my passport renewed, it's possible that I could end up going abroad to do so. (I've been getting quite a few requests from Canada.)
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(03-03-2006) I could be flying out to Yuma, AZ, in early May for two days of workshops. See the sign-up page if you're interested. I need as many registered (and pre-paid) students as possible, early, so I can afford to buy my tickets to fly out there.
A new project in knotted chain mail, which can be worn as a scarf or as a skirt, depending. It's not all soldered, but I've assembled it and here's a picture.
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(02-20-2006) The Sarasota renfest was interesting, but I didn't really have much time to explore it. I spent a bit more time, yesterday, down in Deerfield Beach. Very large show, with a lot of people attending. I took a few pictures, which I've added to the convention folders page; look for FL Renfair - 2006.
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(02-05-2006) Updated some files and pages. Added a couple of new pictures to the page about silver corsets, and I've been adding more to the convention pictures under Arisia 2006. I haven't decided what weekend I'm taking off to go to Deerfield Beach, to see the ren-faire there, but this coming weekend (Feb 11) I intend to go to Sarasota for the Ringling one.
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(01-25-2006) The workshops that were planned for this coming weekend in Tampa, sponsored by the FSG, are canceled. They didn't get around to signing up a full roster, and called me up to let me know it wasn't happening. Anyone who was hoping to take it, feel free to contact me directly and we can probably set something up for one of my "at home" weekends during the year. I suppose we'll be rescheduling the FSG-sponsored workshops for this fall, if things work out.
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(01-22-2006) I made it home, finally. There are still pictures to be added to the convention folder, and some other work to do before I settle into my normal routines, but at least I'm not on the road for a while.
Recently someone contacted me and complained about a delayed response. I've added some text to a couple of pages to reinforce the following point: in order to complete an order or provide information I must be able to communicate with you. If you don't provide me with a valid email address, or a telephone number, I will be unable to respond. If your mailbox is blocked, or your email host requires some sort of handshaking or pre-approval, my messages will simply bounce into oblivion.
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(01-18-2006) Still on the road, but the Arisia convention is over and I'm on my way south in stages. The first ring workshop went well, all the rings looked good, and tomorrow I'll do the second one, in Maryland. There are some road pictures, separate from the convention pictures.
An interesting thing happened during a rest stop in Danbury CT, while I was walking around the mall there. (I do my rest stops in odd ways, sometimes.) When I walked past a big-name jewelry store, there was a little stand there with an appraiser, apparently for the edification of passers-by, so I decided to be edified. I only showed a couple of things, but the Mexican Fire Opal pendant is apparently more valuable than I had originally thought. This is the second time someone told me I was undervaluing it, but the first time it happened, last year, the individual wasn't saying so in an official capacity as a certified expert.
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(01-07-2006) I don't always create a trip log, but since I'm stuck in a motel room this evening and have leisure, why not? I'll try to keep it up as I make progress teaching my way to Boston and back. Check the log if you're interested, but of course the pictures from Arisia will be more likely to show up in the convention folder assigned to it.
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(01-06-2006) First update of the new year. Happy New Year to everyone, and may health and prosperity attend you.
Interesting new fact emerging from my oldest sister's investigations into geneology: I have some Mohawk blood. Not a heck of a lot, certainly not enough to let me build a casino or some such, but a matter of some satisfaction for me.
The workshop schedule is looking good. I've got students lined up in Surfside Beach, SC, Riverdale, MD, and Littleton, MA, with full rosters in the latter two. The same students, more or less, will be taking both bracelet and ring workshops, separated by a few days as I travel up to Boston and back. Arisia will be a lot of fun, in Boston, and I get to see several nephews and nieces along the way.
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(12-27-2005) Doing some cleanup work on the site, and noticed that I hadn't really pared these news files as well as I should have. They should load faster, now, with only two years worth in each one. There's some overlap, as the current news file extends back past the latest entries in the next-older file, but I'll trim further as I reach the end of the next two year period.
Plans for the January trip are in full swing -- I've got openings in all the classes, as of now, and if you're interested in attending one, check the schedule, and sign up or request other dates.
I'm really looking forward to attending Arisia again during this trip. There will be another folder of pictures, mostly costumes from the masquerade, which will be added to the page of picture directories.
I'm afraid I won't be going to Tucson this season, but circumstances dictated otherwise. Next winter, though, I hope to attend again.
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(12-12-2005) Philcon was a lot of fun, and I took several pictures of various costumes, and I've added a directory listing to the others on the page with all the convention folders. Just click the "Philcon 2005" link.
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(12-08-2005) One of the folks on The Ring Lord has come forward to offer to host the workshop between Surfside Beach, SC, and Littleton, MA, which I had originally thought would be in Fredericksburg, VA. The new location will be Riverdale, MD. Please see the sign-up page for details.
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(12-05-2005) For an update on the problems I've been having with my knotted chain-mail shirt, check this page. Looks like I'll have it ready for wearing again before this coming weekend, when I'll be at Philcon, but it's been a hard road for the last few weeks.
During all of the work, I found one knot out of the thousands of knots that was tied wrong, and decided to leave it there as a concession to my fallibility. (And because replacing it involves taking out four knots, not just one, and I was feeling lazy...) See me at the con, and if you are the first person to find it, I'll give you a piece of silver jewelry.
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(11-28-2005) The book schedule may be slipping. I did a lot of photos to document the work, and now I have to do some writing to catch up with it. For those who were hoping for it by the end of the year, my apologies... I don't think it will be that soon.
I'll be in Philadelphia for Philcon and will have some pieces in the art show there. I've just finished up a couple of sets of wedding rings, to be shipped out soon. I'll put pictures of those in the wedding set gallery, eventually.
In January I will be traveling up to Boston for Arisia, and will be stopping in Surfside Beach, SC, possibly in Fredericksburg, VA, and just outside of Boston itself, to teach workshops on the way up and back. I'll also have work in the art show at Arisia. See the sign-up page for details on workshops.
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(11-05-2005) There will be a few pictures from Necronomicon as I get time to convert them, but I'm also very busy with some other things. I'm finishing up another ring order, and writing more of the text that will go into the book, and working on a new project inspired by both the corset and the shirt, but resembling neither.
The trip to Boston in January seems to be shaping up very well. I've received encouragement from several locations along the way, and will be finalizing the arrangements with them as soon as I can, so as to allow people to sign up for specific days and classes. One of the stops will probably be in Surfside Beach (just south of Myrtle Beach), and there might be one in Richmond, VA. I've been offered a studio just outside of Boston, also, and will be adding that to my plans.
The knotted chain mail shirt has been giving me fits, lately, since adding the sleeves. It's far more difficult to handle in polishing, since the sleeves tend to turn it into its own little strait-jacket during tumbling, and there's a lot more stress on individual knots. I've added a page that describes the newest method I've come up with to check out the knots, and smooth out distorted ones.
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(10-21-2005) Finally got a chance to get a good picture of the knotted chain-mail shirt on a model, since I finished the sleeves. I'm pretty sure it's in its final form, now, but who knows...
I'll be wearing it at Necronomicon next weekend, and of course any other time I've got a good excuse to do so.
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(10-07-2005) Work is piling up, and my commitments as well, so I'm going to have to put workshop scheduling on hold for the rest of this year. After the new year I'll have vacation again, and I'm already planning a few trips that will include workshops. Updates for the shows and events page should reflect the changes as I make them.
I've decided that even though it is great fun to meet students at conventions, it isn't really possible to devote sufficient time and attention to teaching while also handling PR and sales and art show issues. For this reason, I'm going to try to arrange more time before and after, if possible, but reserve the actual convention days for convention activities.
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(09-20-2005) Updated the workshop sign-up information, and a few other tweaks.
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(09-18-2005) Sometimes when I'm avoiding some work, I end up doing other work... just finished this pair of graduated knotted chain-mail earrings, as an experiment.
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(09-14-2005) I've been going to a lot of science fiction conventions, so I decided to put up a list of picture folders on one page, for those who would like to find them more easily.
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(09-11-2005) Updated a few pages, added some more pictures to the Dragon*Con directory. I still haven't got my plans for Charleston completely made, though I will definitely be there, at the IGKT meeting. They welcome visitors, so at the very least it would be nice if folks came to see me there. I'll have some work displayed, and we'll be demonstrating knot-tying techniques of various kinds.
Note that the new prices have been posted. I took some care to match them to what I have been charging, when taking material expenses into account, and for now I will be able to point to the listings when people ask "how much?", without the need for extra computation.
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(09-09-2005) I've added a page to showcase a large piece I finished before I went to Dragon*Con, and which sold while I was there.
Current plans for a book of tutorials have been stepped up and streamlined. I had intended to produce one with all my various projects in it, laid out in a logical order, but a good friend pointed out that it would take me forever and a day to do it right, but that if I were to do one with a major project and some variations on it, with a gallery of examples, I could have it done in a matter of weeks, or at most months. I'm going to try to have something done before the end of the year.
Still haven't updated the price pages, sorry. I've been working on current orders, and taking new ones, for Turk's Head rings of various sizes and patterns, and working very hard at my regular job. I'm sure nobody is impatient to see prices that will probably be a little bit higher, anyway, right?
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(09-03-2005) Good news, I got to see my niece from New Orleans, and she's okay, though it appears she's lost everything she owned. There are a lot of folks in that position, or worse, and my heart goes out to them all.
The first day of Dragon*Con, today, and I'm too tired to post many pictures right now. Still, you should be able to see a few that have been placed in this folder.
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(09-02-2005) Well, I missed my deadline on the price lists, in the stress and confusion of the last week or so. Until I catch up, of course, no changes in price.
My hear goes out to everyone in Hurricane Katrina's path. I'm in an unaffected part of Florida, but I've been very worried about my friends and family members who were.
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(08-24-2005) Just some words about the new prices, before I post them in week or so. One, if you've already obtained a price from me on your order, that's the price you'll pay, unless the new price is _lower_. (If the price goes down, yours does too.) I will not add charges to an existing order, in other words.
I was about to include a long-winded explanation of how I derive prices, and why, when I remembered a page that has been on the site for some time. It has now been updated, and discusses my pricing policies in some detail. The new prices will be posted in a few days, and will be effective as of September 1st.
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(08-11-2005) My knotted chain-mail tutorial finally showed up on the Orchid jewelry site, Ganoksin, so I've re-targeted my link on the teaching page to send people there, instead. Hanuman did a very nice job of laying it out, too. While you're there, you should look at the rest of his site, it's one of the most useful locations on the web, for those who're interested in jewelry-making.
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(08-04-2005) Updated the sign-up page to reflect the next two out-of-town trips and the possible workshops associated with them, to Atlanta, GA, and Charleston, SC, in September. I'm looking for hosts and students, please let me know if you're interested.
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(08-01-2005) I'm somewhat recovered from the trip, but now I'm engaged in catching up on ring orders. Some weddings coming up soon, and I have several commissions for wedding rings to complete.
Looking over the costs I've had for materials since the last price increase, I'm afraid that I'll have to raise my prices again, soon, but I don't want to do it without considerable research, and without warning potential customers.
Please consider this entry such a warning. The new prices should be in effect by the beginning of September.
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(07-23-2005) The workshop tour continues... I've been keeping the log up more faithfully than this page might have indicated, as those who've been reading the trip log already know.
Yesterday my computer died, taking a couple of weeks of email and editing with it, so if you sent me something, or were expecting something back from me, it might be a good idea to send me a reminder.
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(07-11-2005) A couple of days into grand tour of the Midwest, now. There's a sketchy log, with pictures, which I'll try to keep updated as I go along.
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(07-09-2005) Finally got around to updating the workshop syllabus to reflect both the one-day workshop (Bracelet) and the two-day workshop (Bracelet plus Ring), and their relative costs. I also updated a few other little items, and clarified the "second ring discount", since the "second ring" is always the smaller one of the pair, and this point was not made explicitly, before. That was an expensive oversight, but it reinforced a valuable lesson in customer relations, well worth the cost.
Today begins my driving trip -- Hurricane Dennis is going to make things interesting on the roads out of Florida.
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(07-05-2005) I'm not entirely sure why nobody in Kansas City seems interested in taking either the bracelet or the ring workshops, but so it goes. I'll still be in town, attending KansasFest at Rockhurst University during the period from July 19th through the 23rd, and if you're in the area and would like to look at some of my work or just hang out, give me a call. The Chicago, St Paul, and Little Rock workshops are looking good, though I still have some spaces open. Check my signup page to see how many, and to sign up for one, or to request one in some other location.
Note that there is a venue for the Kansas City workshop, if one happens, and the dates would be the 21st and 22nd, that's Thursday and Friday. For those interested, the sooner I hear from you, the better chance there is that the class will happen.
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(07-01-2005) I've added a quick tutorial on knotted chain mail to the page of tutorials, but there will be a more extensive one on the Orchid server, soon.
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(06-28-2005) Among other things I'm busy with, I still intend to update older string Turk's Head instructions and add more knots, and today I've managed to add the seven-lead by eleven-bight, tied in hand, to the collection of tutorials. I've put enough pictures together that I might not have to add any explanatory text -- take a look, tell me what you think.
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(06-24-2005) I finished one of the prettiest seven-lead rings I've ever done, recently, here's a large shot of it.
I'm making a lot of progress on the workshops for July, but there are still plenty of openings for students. Check out my signup page for the listings so far, and a form to fill out to add your name to the list. Right now Kansas City is lagging behind the others, I don't have any students or a host there, but I'm planning to be in town for several days anyway, seeing friends and attending a convention, so feel free to get in touch if you're in the neighborhood and want to meet me.
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(06-07-2005) Just a few updates, here and there. Notably, I finally got around to shooting a sequence showing how to tie seven-lead Turk's Head knots "in hand"; two sequences, actually, one results in a 7-lead by 9-bight Turk's Head, the other in a 7-lead by 12-bight. I'm still working on pages that put them in sequence with explanatory text, but the pictures themselves may be self-explanatory to those who've managed to tie five-lead knots.
I just realized that the first page had the year "2004" where it should have had "2005", in my "workshops and shows information" line. My apologies, I really have been keeping better track of the site than that, other than the mistaken year.
This just in: my work has been accepted in the juried art show at Dragon*Con, coming up this Labor Day weekend.
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(05-31-2005) I just got back from Orlando, where I attended the Oasis 19 Science Fiction convention. Lots of fun, of course, but I also sold some jewelry and made some good contacts. This isn't as costume-oriented a 'con as many of the others I've attended, but there was a small masquerade on Saturday night. I took a few pictures and put them in a directory for people to look through.
I'm going to have to start getting really serious about the July tour, now, and make plans with the various hosts and students along the way. Remember to check the listing at the bottom of the sign-up page for your name if you expect to attend. If you don't see your name, and either were expecting to see it, or want to add it, send me an email as soon as possible to let me know. I'll be updating it as I go along.
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(05-21-2005) Traveling is fun, but it's good to be home again for a while. Next weekend I'll be just a couple of hours away by car, instead of half a day by air, in Orlando, Florida, at Oasis 18
I've added a page just for the ponytail wrap that you might have noticed in the pictures taken in Seattle, because it came out so much better than I expected... probably becaue of the model.
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(05-14-2005) I'm in Seattle, Washington, and Tolcon is in progress; I've met a number of really nice folks here. I'm about to take off to conduct my Saturday workshop, but before I go, I'm updating the site, including a link to some pictures I've taken here.
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(04-30-2005) Added the beginning of a student roster for Chicago, added some more events, including the next meeting of the International Guild of Knot Tyers, in Charleston, SC. For those of you along the eastern seaboard, there should be some workshops coming up soon.
I have enough students for the ring workshop in Seattle next weekend, but there are still a couple of openings for the bracelet workshop on Saturday.
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(04-30-2005) Yesterday the site was down all day. Turned out to be a hardware problem at my webhost, but they've got it resolved now. I hope everyone who tried yesterday to get to the site will have tried again today, or soon.
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(04-24-2005) In order to reduce confusion and let students know what their current status is, I'm going to put a listing on the sign up page, names only (no email or other personal stuff) and which workshop(s) they're confirmed for. Please check this list to see if you're on it, or see how much room is left in a workshop; I'll try to keep it up to date. Right now the only one showing is for Seattle in May, but I should be able to start the ones for Chicago and points west, soon.
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(04-22-2005) For those who clicked, you saw that I did add some more pictures. Great convention, enjoyed it a lot.
I've decided to go to Seattle in May for the Tolkien Convention (TolCon), which will accomplish two things. One, I'm sure I'll enjoy it, and I might be able to sell some jewelry to the folks there, and two, a number of people have been asking when I'd come back to do more workshops in the northwest.
Please see the "Workshops/Shows" page for details, or go to the "signup" page to register. There will be both a bracelet and a ring workshop, over two days, two for the price of one for those who choose to take the latter. (Well, the ring workshop is more expensive, so that probably sounds like a much hotter deal than it is.)
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(04-02-2005) I'm still at MidSouthCon, in Memphis. There's a lull in the action, so I've uploaded some pictures, and will add more later.
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(03-26-2005) I'm working feverishly to finish some tasks, some for myself, some for others, and haven't been keeping up on the workshop updates. My apologies for that. Since I only had one serious inquiry for the Memphis trip, I'm going to concentrate on just doing my stint in the MidSouthCon dealer's room, and perhaps meeting one or two folks in the area, but I promise, I will get back to workshop planning very soon.
Some of the recent work I've been doing include finishing the rough Australian opal that I linked somewhere below. It is now polished and mounted in a bezel. Along the way, while making that bezel, I decided to tie an extra pair of the same knots and mount them on earwires, so you can see them on the earrings page.
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(03-16-2005) I've found time to add some more to the shirt, and took two new pictures along the way. One shows the sleeves at quarter length (think "tee-shirt"), and the next one shows them at half lenth, but cut at a bias. Please take a moment to look at them, I'm very pleased with the way it's coming out.
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(03-10-2005) Two students flew in from out of state to take both workshops, the Prolong Knot bracelet and the Turk's Head ring, over the weekend. Here's a page showing some pictures, and a letter I received afterward.
I've never really done any lapidary work, but lately I've been hand-working this little opal chip, and if I can get it polished up enough, perhaps I'll set it and add it to the pendant collection.
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(03-02-2005) I took some more pictures of the Mexican fire opal, at different angles in bright sunlight to show the fire in it.
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(02-24-2005) I've added a page discussing my home-made tumbler that is large enough to polish my knotted chain mail shirt.
I have my reservations for the hotel in Memphis where MidSouthCon will be held. I'll have a table in the dealer's room, and I'd be delighted to meet anyone in the area who is interested in seeing my work in person. If you don't want to register to attend the convention, get in touch and perhaps we can get together elsewhere. I'm also looking for an opportunity to conduct a workshop during or near that time, for anyone interested in that.
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(02-19-2005) I finally figured out how to attach sleeves to my silver knotted chain mail vest, but so far I only have one short section of it done. Take a look, tell me what you think of it.
Almost forgot, I've been working on the bezel settings for some opals, here's a link.
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(02-17-2005) Sorry about no updates in a few weeks, but I've been busy. No pictures from my visit to Tucson this year, since I didn't drive there this time, but flew instead. I picked up some new opals, and I've been working to set them. While working on that, I completed a setting for one of the opals I've had in stock, and it came out very nicely.
I'm updating my shows and workshops page, and right now I'm working on some plans for early April. I'll be in Memphis, TN, for MidSouthCon, and if enough people express interest in it I'll conduct a workshop there.
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(01-24-2005) Updated while coming back from Boston, where I was attending Arisia. (I'm still not home, typing this in the airport terminal in Boston while waiting for the confusion caused by the blizzard to subside somewhat.) I didn't take a ton of pictures, but there are a few already uploaded -- you can see them *here*.
Another entry while on the way home... so far I've traveled from Boston to Minnesota, to miss a connecting flight by two minutes, and I'm now heading for Detroit and hope to connect with a flight to Tampa from there. I don't mind that much, except for the hurrying between flights, since I'm in the same boat with a lot of other folks who got delayed.
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(01-12-2005) First update of the new year. I've added some pictures of a necklace that I just finished, another in my series of pieces using knotted chain mail in silver.
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(12-29-2004) The struggle to implement further travel plans continues. I've got my reservations and airline tickets to go to Boston for Arisia in a few weeks (January 20-24), and for the Tucson gem shows in early February, so I hope to see folks in both places. Right now my workshop plans for either venue are vague -- there was supposed to be someone organizing a workshop in Boston, but I haven't heard much about it. If nothing else, I could probably teach up to three people at once in my hotel room, but I'm hoping to have a larger class in a more convenient location.
I just finished a commission for a pink and white ring, which involved pure silver and rose gold. The colors are so intense that I decided to add a picture of that one along with my fancy 24K and green gold ring to the "colors" page so people can see the dramatic differences possible.
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(12-17-2004) I'm gradually recovering from the very enjoyable trip to Philadelphia for Philcon, so finally I'm beginning to upload a few of the pictures I took while I was there. More later...
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(12-02-2004) This weekend is my first workshop in a while, in Brandon, Florida, and then the weekend after that I'll be in Philadelphia for Philcon; while there I will be meeting customers for consultation, and by great good fortune I'll also have an opportunity to see one of my nephews and his wife.
As I mention on the first page of the site, time is growing short if you wish to have custom jewelry made for holiday gifts -- I don't have much leisure, so I could only add one more ring to the list. I do have a number of silver, gold, and platinum rings, which for various reasons have entered my inventory. Some of them are my size, made for various reasons, some are smaller rings made for customers who erred when giving me sizes or who changed their minds about color or pattern at the last moment. Email me with a target size and I'll check to see what might fit. Existing rings from inventory will be let go at a discount, and are available for immediate delivery.
One of the current projects awaiting my attention is this opal, which I'm anxious to get to work on as soon as I've disposed of outstanding orders.
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(11-13-2004) Plans are moving forward for workshops next year (and one more formal one this year, see the schedule), and I'm trying to keep the website up to date on my schedule. I'll be doing a few more science fiction conventions, which I've found very enjoyable even if I don't make much money there.
I will be in Philadelphia in December, Boston in January, Tucson in February, Memphis in April, Orlando in May, then a "grand Midwest Tour" in July, including (so far) Chicago, northern Minnesota, and Kansas City.
I just finished a very tight ring, 4.8 loops per inch around the circumference, in 18K gold. Every time I do a ring I think it's the prettiest one yet, but maybe this one really deserves the label, at least for now.
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(10-26-2004) Someone just asked me to set several stones, and then sent me three amethysts cut in a teardrop shape. I almost sent them back, since I prefer to work ovals and egg-shaped stones. You can see what I came up with, though, once I got started.
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(10-18-2004) Necronomicon 2004 was this weekend, and I had a blast. I only found out about this con last month, but the idea of having one within an hour's drive -- now that's great. Here are some pictures I took while I was there. Next year it will be held at the Hyatt in downtown Tampa (even closer to me) and will probably be even bigger and better. I'm hoping to have some of my work in their art show, but we'll see how that works out.
I will be conducting a workshop on December the 4th, a Saturday, in Brandon, Florida. I'll put the information on my workshop sign-up page, which I haven't been keeping up to date lately (sorry!) but which will also be listing some other dates next year.
In other news, I will be planning a trip through the midwest, from Florida up through Minnesota, and back down by way of Kansas City, (KC visit from July 19 to July 23), and I'm hoping to stop in a number of places to hold workshops. I'll be sending out some emails to folks who've already asked about workshops in the past, but feel free to contact me at any point to find out what the plans are, and request a stop near you. Folks who might like to host a workshop (you get it for free, that way) should look at my information page and by all means should send me any questions they have.
My Prolong Knot bracelets are catching on out west. I noticed one of my student's Faire picture album showed some examples.
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(10-07-2004) I've been playing with the mat patterns mentioned just recently, and added a couple more pictures to show different five-lead patterns and an eight-lead pattern. Those who've taken my workshop will recognize similar elements in all of them, and I imagine any of them could immediately start using them in their own projects. I'll be adding them to the materials available for future workshops, as well.
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(09-23-2004) In response to a request, I've put up a page that shows how to lay out a pattern on graph paper that illustrates the structure of the lanyard knot based on five-lead French sinnet, or at least one variant of it. I may add to that page later on, this was just a quick answer to one question.
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(09-18-2004) Another of my ongoing projects, fiddling around with jewelry weaves from the realm of chain mail, involves an especially pretty weave called "Half Persian 4 in 1", and since I'm very lazy, I had to come up with a way to make it more easily. I doubt that I'll want to go into production on this one, either, but I'll make enough for a bracelet or an anklet, at least.
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(09-16-2004) I liked that yellow and green ring that I made at the beginning of August so much that I had to make one for myself. I've placed a picture showing it on my finger on the same page as the others, so that you can see the colors correctly.
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(09-12-2004) Some of the pictures that I saved from the wreck of my hard drive were of DragonCon attendees modeling jewelry for me. I especially liked this one of Princess Leia, and this other one of a very young Dawn.
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(09-07-2004) Due to a hard drive crash, all the rest of my pictures from DragonCon are gone, kaput. The ones in the directory below are all that are saved, since I had uploaded them while I was in Atlanta.
On a related note, anything anyone has sent me in email since August 23rd is also gone, and any records I have of orders or changes since then, as well. If you had sent me a message since then and are expecting a response, please re-send it. My apologies to all.
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(09-04-2004) I've just created a folder where the pictures I'm taking here at DragonCon will end up. You'll see a list of filenames, just click them to see the files. I'll try to keep them under a hundred kilobytes each, but some of them may deserve extra space.
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(09-03-2004) Added some links to my links page, just some stuff I find interesting. Also, there's another picture of the vest, this time filled much more attractively, and showing the poet's shirt that I had made to go along with it. The costume makers, "Cloak and Dagger", were wonderful, and I'm very pleased with the result.
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(08-29-2004) I'm still not positive about Chicago in October, but I'll definitely be in Atlanta next weekend for DragonCon. If you go there, look for me. I'll be wearing the vest that I made, so I should be easy to spot.
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(08-16-2004) To those who wrote to ask, thank you for your concern: Charley's path of destruction missed my part of Florida, though we were expecting a direct hit, and took a turn to the east, instead. I feel a certain amount of "survivor's guilt" as I watch the news from there.
Plans are afoot for a workshop or two in October, in Chicago. I'll be posting details and sending out notifications as soon as I have solid news. I know several people have expressed interest who live within reach of it, and the host has already volunteered, it's just a matter of deciding when.
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(08-10-2004) Updated the shows and events page a bit, and edited the future workshop signup page. I'm sorry there aren't any planned for the immediate future, and listed there, but I'm hoping to rectify that soon. I'll be in Atlanta for DragonCon, in early September, and it's possible that I could conduct a workshop there. In fact, it would probably be fairly straightforward, just get in touch with me and pick a time during the weekend, and come see me at the Marriott Hotel. I'm sure I could fit a small class in my room, up to four people.
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(08-01-2004) Sorry about not many updates lately, things have been piling up on me for a while. I went to Kansas City at the end of July and conducted a class for half a dozen people while I was there, which was wonderful. I've filled several orders for rings of various sorts, and have been working off and on at finishing a large silver project, as well.
Just this week I have had a little problem with color matching, which I hope not to run into again. It turns out that different colors of 18K gold placed together will sometimes seem to shift a little, resulting in an unexpected appearance. I've uploaded a page with a picture and some discussion of it.
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(07-04-2004) I just finished making a setting for a Mexican Fire Opal that I bought in February, and so I posted a front and side view shot on the same page as the other Mexican stone that I sold last year.
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(06-26-2004) The plans for the July 24th workshop in Kansas City are proceeding well, I have several committments to attend. If you're interested, email me, because there are still a few openings.
I've re-worked the 5x6 Turk's Head chain a little bit (it had a kink in it) and found a better way to bring the ends together.
I got another bogus order from overseas. The scammers still don't know how to pretend they know what I make, apparently. If they were smart enough to figure that out, they probably wouldn't be scammers.
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(06-16-2004) I've been incredibly busy, so there haven't been many updates lately, but I'll try to do better.
I got another damaged ring in for repair, and put before and after pictures on the same page as the last repair job.
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(05-24-2004) Tweaked some values on the ring selection pages to clarify size ranges. There have been a couple of occasions when someone has asked for a ring that is either too simple for a large size or too complex for a small size, so I tightened up the five-lead and seven-lead sections.
Added a disclaimer to the "how to order" page to cover my practice of ignoring certain types of orders, such as the recent one for over a million dollars worth of jewelry to be shipped to Nigeria within ten days, paid for by credit card... If any legitimate customers are inconvenienced by this policy, please contact me and we'll work things out.
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(05-12-2004) While struggling to get ready for the Philadelphia trip, and also create several custom rings for upcoming weddings, I have found time to continue working on some chain-mail, specifically a chain to hold a pendant that has been in planning for a while. I have enough of the chain finished to show how they'll go together, and you can see the results, now.
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(04-25-2004) The Philadelphia trip is saved, I think, and I want to thank the several people who've been involved in helping me plan things out.
I just finished a very fancy new ring, somewhat different in its use of color, and I gave it a whole page to itself.
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(04-18-2004) I'm growing just a bit anxious about my trip to Philadelphia -- there are a number of folks who've expressed great interest in taking a workshop, but the person who'd said that he would holst it has backed out, and I am now searching for a new host. I need to hear from someone who wants to take the workshop for free, has enough space for up to ten people (no more, possibly less) and lives within an hour or two of Havertown, PA, and will be there on Memorial Day. Email me, or call me on the telephone. (Contact information) (top of page)
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(04-09-2004) Just for fun, nothing I'd want to go into production with, I finally got around to playing with chain mail. Some folks might be surprised to learn that I've never messed with it before. I decided to see what all the fuss was about, and made a few sample pieces. Check out the page with pictures of them, if you like. Don't expect me to start selling chain mail jewelry, though -- there are some truly expert maillers out there who are already much better than I'd ever be, so I'll leave it to them. (top of page)
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(03-23-2004) I was hoping to be further along with this hauberk by now, since in a couple of days I'll be at a show where it would be a really good costume (MidsSouthCon), but I do have it to the point where you can see where it is headed. (top of page)
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(03-18-2004) Due to scheduling conflicts with my "real" job, I have been forced to reevaluate my teaching schedule. Under the circumstances, the workshops in Brighton Michigan will have to be put off, probably until sometime in the Fall of this year. I will post details here as they work out. My apologies to all who were hoping to attend the workshops there. (top of page)
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(03-10-2004) I finished the mixed-knots head-dress, and took some pictures of it on a live model, making for a much better presentation. You can see the new picture on the same page where the older ones were, with the styrofoam head. (top of page)
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(03-05-2004) Every once in a while I have a ring come back for a little work. All of my work has a "lifetime guarantee", (my lifetime, that is) as long as it hasn't been abused. So far I've been able to fix just about anything that's come along, but today I had a real challenge. (top of page)
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(02-28-2004) Home again, from all my travelling in February. Many delightful students, many miles, lots of great scenery, but I'm really glad to be back and ready to get to work again. I have a few outstanding orders that I'm taking care of, but I'm ready to discuss further commissions, now, with anyone who's interested.
Nearly forgot: I added something to the page with the knotted chain mail head-dress. (top of page)
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(02-13-2004) Still surviving, still adding to the trip log as time permits. Over 4,000 miles so far. (top of page)
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(02-05-2004) Amazingly, I've managed to pack up and leave, and I've been on the road since last Saturday, the 31st of January. I've only had a cellphone for access most of the time, however, so updates have been (and will be) few and far between for now. Still, there is a progress report on the trip so far, which I will try to add to as time permits. (top of page)
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(01-25-2004) Just one more week until I hit the road on my teaching tour out west. There are still some openings in some of the classes, but others are full. Please check the schedule page for details, and email me if you're interested. I'll be working on schedules for later in the quarter; right now most of my energy is concentrated on organizing the February trip, but I'll be happy to hear from folks who are interested in later expeditions. (top of page)
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(01-17-2004) I found another application for the Knotted Chain Mail, this time as a head-dress. Looks very Medieval, but of course it's highly unlikely that anything of the sort existed back then. (top of page)
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(01-02-2004) Happy New Year, everyone!
A few minor tweaks of the site, a banner to help people find the workshop sign-up page, and a few pictures updated. I've added pricing for Knotted Chain Mail items to the Chains page, and included a menu item for them.
The events calendar and workshop sign-up page reflect some changes, too. (top of page)
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