Category Archives: Crafts and Hobbies

Wire Weaving

The Almosta Blog Posted on by

A while back, I purchased some wire with the intent of trying my hand at wire wrapping. Me being me though, I couldn’t get myself to actually cut a piece of wire off of the spool! What can I say, I’m weird Well, I finally got over that and started wrapping some wire. I started with some tutorials. (I made a mistake when I took the pictures, the bracelet on the right is not from a tutorial. I realized my mistake only after all the pictures were taken.)

Then I had an idea for a bracelet and started working on that. I’ve made different color versions. I still have to figure out a clasp for them though.

Next step will be learning how to wire wrap stones. I received my order a few days ago and I can’t wait to start wrapping them!

Calligraphy – Update #1

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Well, I started my calligraphy lessons a couple of weeks ago. For the first week, the teacher gave me some exercises with a broad nib (Speedball C-3, for those who know ).

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Speedball C3 nib, Authentic Model Scribe’s Black Ink

I even tried my hand at writing a word. The one on top is the example, the one on the bottom is the one I wrote. Not perfect, but at least it’s readable!

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Speedball C2 nib, Authentic Model Turquoise ink

Last week, she had me start the Copperplate exercises. Still needs work, but I think I’m doing not too bad considering I started only a week ago. I have my third lesson tomorrow; we’ll see what she says. However, I’m enjoying the practice. I’ve always loved the action of writing, even more so with inks.

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Esterbrook 355 nib, Dr. Ph. Martin’s Bombay Violet India Ink

Learning Calligraphy

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I’ve always enjoyed calligraphy. Not that I’m very good at it, but I do want to get better. In about a month from now, I’ll be taking private lessons. I’ll follow what the teacher wants me to learn first, but I did mention that I want to learn the Copperplate style. It’s that beautiful penmanship from the late 1800’s, early 1900’s. It’s just so beautiful. Here’s an example taken from the New Zanerian Alphabets originally published in 1900.

SamplefromNewZanerianAlphabetsof1900

Don’t you agree that it’s so beautiful? I just love it.

Earlier this week, I ordered the flexible nibs required to create this style of letters. However, I didn’t order an oblique nib holder and from what I’ve read so far, it looks like that’s what I’ll need to get better results. Oh well, I have a straight nib holder and we’ll start with that I guess and see what the teacher says.

Woodworking

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Yesterday, I completed my first woodworking project. It’s a tool rack for my leather stamping tools. Ok, the wood pieces are not of the best quality (they’re leftovers from other projects) but I’m really happy with how it turned out. Building it was fun but the neatest part was the finishing. Sanding it smooth, staining and varnishing were a lot of fun!

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