As a person that doesn't like stocking up on actual stuff , mainly because I'm not that good in being consistent as to how I store things, I constantly loose things and find them sometimes after many years, I don't really loose them I just misplace them, so photos are a wonderful treasure box, it lets me hold on on things in a very compact way, and to reorganize them at times is a task I can tackle.
As part of a big project I'm working on, yes... this secret project is still secret and still in the work, and in case you were getting worried I'm going somewhere else , I can share with you that its all about wire crochet, I'm not going anyway in the near future, or at least I don't have such plans.
So this project sent me digging in my photos' archive, a wonderful walk into nostalgy lane, I say wonderful because in my mind I know it is wonderful, but in my heart I could feel a few pinches, some are because I see works of dear students that are no longer with us, some are because I think to myself, so many years I have been doing the same thing, have I done enough ? sometimes I think that I used to be more creative, more bold, but then I remind myself I should appreciate the fact that I'm still excited about wire crochet and the ISK method and that the path I have made should not be taken for granted, just as easily could have stayed just another hobby, I still get this astonished / amused reaction of people running into me on one of my social media channels or visit the studio, "this is actualy what you do for a living ?unbelievable !"
This digging also sent me thinking weather I should take a pause from the chase after new things when so many treasures are already there, just buried and so many of you could benefit from it. New ideas are the easiest for me, you know it by now, finishing them up in a form of a pattern or a video, or even just a finished piece is the hard thing...
As part of this digging I ran into many photos of variations of the Shogun bracelet pattern, those of you following my work for years are probably familiar with it, new comers might have missed it, at the time I made it in a very certain style that is not everyone's cup of tea, I took it to the minimalist black and white version, while in different color combination, by adding charms or by simply assembling it differently, it's a whole new story.
So today I gathered in here all the photos I could find in my treasure folder , some of the work is done by me, some by my class participants.
The SHOGUN pattern explains how to wire crochet the basic shape on the 40 loops base , the L size ISK starter, but you can see in some of the photos it can also be made on the M ISK starter that has 24 loops, once you read the pattern and understand the method you can easily apply it on a smaller size, or a larger size like the 56 stitches base, maybe as a wall decoration ? thinking our load here...
Another thing is the overall shape, it can be made in a symmetric version but also in an a-symmetric one, design wise it can lead you to very different results.
I personally made 2 kind of wire crochet bracelets following these principals, one more sculptural, made of 4 elements folded and connected to one another and a flat cuff bracelet. I also made a sculptural bib necklace. I did not make any earrings but if you make it on the 24 stitches base it will result in an interested design. Another impressive result is when the parts are joined together into a statement pendant necklace with a mix of symmetric and a-symmetric elements, this was the most popular option among the class participants.
I hope this inspires you to go back to this pattern if you already have it and explore more options. If you don't have it yet, I warmly recommend it.
click the photo below or this link : https://www.yooladesign.com/collections/wire-crochet-intermediate-level-tutorials/products/shogun-bracelet-statement-wire-jewelry-pattern
Love,
Yoola
