"Hyper-RAW"
My first attempts at this component used tubular peyote, and then the filled net stitch, but neither of these stitches accomplished what I needed for this component. Then I tried cubic right angle weave (CRAW), which was more promising. To make the component thicker, I expanded the thread path to six square sides instead of four, so I was making connected hexagonal prisms instead of connected cubes. Then I varied the sizes of the beads to make it naturally curve, so I was making irregular hexagonal prisms. Finally, I embellished the tops and bottoms of each prism for stability.
So technically, this stitch can be described as Irregular Hexagonal Prism Embellished Right Angle Weave, or IHPERAW. But this is confusing to spell, so I think of it as Hyper-RAW.
Single vs Doubled Thread
I also tried these components with both single-length and doubled-Fireline thread. I'm nearly always a single-thread beader, so the doubled thread was a little disorienting to get used to; I kept thinking that I had more thread left on my needle than I really had! It was also challenging to get the doubled thread through size 15° seed beads more than a few times, so I had to switch down to a size 13 beading needle. I did like how the doubled thread didn't knot itself up while I was weaving; that happens to me all the time with single thread and it drives me crazy.
The difference in the finished components is quite noticeable too. The component on the left was woven with doubled thread, and the component on the right was done in single thread. The beads and thread path are the same for both. Both components conform to a natural curve, but the single-thread version is more flexible.
Here are the same components when pinched. The doubled-thread version is stiff and hardly moves, but the single-thread version will squish!
I'm not yet sure which version I'll use going on from here. If I want the final design to be super stiff, I'll used the doubled-thread version. But I might be able to get away with the single-thread version if I'm not hanging them at an awkward angle.
A Curved Component
I'm happy with how these components curve and hold their shape. If they're continued around in Hyper-RAW, they should form self-supporting beaded circles.
For the curious, you can find the picture that inspired these components here. Yep, they're supposed to be worms. Specifically, a species of worm called C. elegans, a tiny worm the size of a 15° seed bead, which is one of the major model organisms that scientists use to study several subfields of biology, notably neurology, development, and genetics. It was one of the first organisms to have its genome sequenced, and you'll find them in use in hundreds of biology labs all over the world.
You don't often see them in bead-form though ;)
Do you use single thread or doubled thread? Or do you use both? Which one do you like better?
"Irregular Hexagonal Prism Embellished Right Angle Weave, or IHPERAW." LOL, quite literally. You win!
ReplyDeleteDouble! almost always
ReplyDeleteOh, this was a great read and I loved your scientific approach to the single/double thread debate - and especially the pictures! The Hyper RAW stitch looks very interesting!!
ReplyDeleteI am going to say that it depends on what I am beading as to whether I use single or double thread. I love the Hyper Raw term!
ReplyDeleteThanks Liz! And double-thanks for suggesting the Hyper-RAW term too :)
DeleteUsing a double thread often makes me grit my teeth. But I'm a dutiful beader and heave a big sigh and do it when it's needed.
ReplyDeleteLarge enough beads and it would make a bangle, small enough and it would make earrings?
ReplyDeleteThat's a good question Mary - I'd probably need to experiment with the bead sizes to make it a bangle, because it curves quite sharply in its current state.
DeleteGreat terminology & 'stitch insight'. I don't use double thread unless I'm repairing ripped clothing. Maybe I will try to be more open minded. Those components, when cleanly joined, would make an excellent Torus ring.
ReplyDeleteAlso, this post brought back memories of my student-scientist days. But I had to culture & dissect parasitic worms, namely Haemonchus contortus & Ascaris suum. Dangerous, stinky little buggers. I don't miss that job at all.
Ooo... A Torus ring is a great idea!
DeleteI can see why you don't miss working with worms - those two look quite nasty! Fortunately, C. elegans is pretty tame. When it's not in the laboratory, it's natural habitat is the soil. I never worked with it myself though. The nasty bug that I worked with in grad school was M. tuberculosis, the bacteria that cause TB. Can't say that I miss working with it either.
Love this Cindy! I usually bead single thread, but use double from time to time. I hate when a needle breaks working double, but backing out of a mistake is much easier.
ReplyDeleteTeresa Sullivan is known to comment that you can change this up (double to single) while working a project with a tight spot, then change it back (single to double)...she very cleverly demonstrated this in a class I was in a while back.
Love the curve you created, I have been working a similarly shaped component, albeit less dramatic, using Herringbone.
Wink!
Thanks Sharon! That does sound quite clever indeed... I'd love to see your herringbone beaded curves!
DeleteGreat idea ! Thank you .
ReplyDeleteLove your components. I guess you could say I go both ways on double or single thread. It all depends on how many times I will be passing through a bead and what size bead I'm using. A double thread will make the work firmer, and sometimes that is just what you need. It all depends on the situation.
ReplyDeleteWonderful post- I feel educated! Thank you.
ReplyDeleteI have the problem with knotting thread as well, since I almost always work with single thread. What really helps is running the doubled thread (the stitching thread + that extra tail that you will eventually use) through a piece of beeswax. The tail and main line will stick together and your thread will be a bit stiffer. I may do this multiple times in a single piece. The drawback is that sometimes you end up with wax crumbles when the thread path gets tight- the good thing is they are easy to clean.
Thanks KJ! Unfortunately I haven't had much luck with beeswax... The wax that I've used tends to end up on the beads instead of the thread after just a few passes through some 15° seed beads. Perhaps there's a better beeswax brand out there that I need to try?
DeleteThese components are really fantastic, Cindy. Just looking at the photo, I don't think I would have guessed that they were made with right angle weave. Like Sharon, I too have done curves with herringbone. I've found that they can become quite stiff if worked as tubular herringbone.
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty committed to working single thread. If I want my work to be stiffer, I switch to a different weight of FireLine - I have weights ranging from 1 to 20 pounds so its easy to get the right stiffness of the beadwork.
Thanks Laura! Using a different weight of fireline is a good idea too. I buy mine by the kilometer, so I always have tons of 6 lb test on hand.
DeleteI meant to be part of this discussion, but have been fighting a back back for a few days and so have mostly stayed away from the computer. I usually want my pieces to have a great deal of stiffness, so I mostly use monofilament line. My sense is that not many people do, but for me it generally does what I want. The main disadvantage that I see is that you have to be careful not to have a stray end pop out of the beadwork, as it will be scratchy. When I use fireline it's where my size limitation is really tight, so I use it singly.
ReplyDeleteThanks Emilie! I've never used monofilament line for my beadwork... Does it fit through size 15° seed beads?
DeleteI've never used size 15 beads. I'm pretty much a size 8 person, although I do use 11s occasionally and I can use monofilament for that if there aren't too many passes. I compared 6 lb monofilament to 10 lb fireline, and I'd say it's around twice the size, although the diameter isn't marked.
ReplyDeleteI've always been sort of insecure about the fact that I use it, because it seems no one else does. Im almost entirely self-taught, from Valerie Hector's book, but I once took a class sith a woman who's pretty well known as a teacher. She described some sort of technique, and when I got a chance I asked her how she would adapt it for monofilament. She said (after looking at me like I was from Mars) "I might use monofilament if you put a gun to my head, but not otherwise."
I can't quite remenber what started me using it, but I did it almost from the beginning. I just can't get the same sort of body in a piece any other way. I sort of worry that because I used it from the start I never had to worry as much about tight tension, and so I never got good enough at keeping my tension tight. But I don't really think that's the case,at least not after all this time. Anyway, I've never figured out why it's not used by more people. Except, as you point out, that if you use really tiny beads, it may be too fat.
Thanks for the info Emilie. I use tons of size 15s, so it probably wouldn't work for my designs. Many people use both those and size 11s, so that's probably why it isn't commonly used for beadwork. Though I heard that Toho just came out with a larger-hole seed bead, so maybe it would work with those?
DeleteYou're not the only person who uses monofilament thread through; Onye (http://www.etsy.com/shop/designsbyonye) uses it too in her geometric designs, and she has a neat way of layering her beadwork to make self-supporting, hollow structures. I have one of her pieces and it's rock-solid even though it's hollow! I'm sure the monofilament thread helps with that.