Cosmic Peacock!

Well after panicking last week and fearing that I may have to give up beading, I've actually managed to do rather a lot of it this week! I received some great advice from other crafters who suffer from all sorts of work related ailments and I've come to realise that it's all part of the deal, especially when coupled with getting older! That has made me aware that if I want to continue doing what I love, I have to start taking better care of myself, so I have changed my posture slightly, taken regular breaks and done lots of stretching exercises - thank you to everyone who offered advice.

So, let me show you what I have been working on and why I was getting so frustrated. I have finally managed to pull together most of the components in my 'Ingredients ...' post, although I left out some and included others. I love the new Swarovski Cosmic Rings, and I wanted to find a way to incorporate them into my beadwork but I knew it would be a challenge as they don't have any holes in - well apart from the huge one in the middle that is! They come in a range of colours, but I chose the Bermuda Blue in the end, which is a glorious mixture of blues and greens that you could lose yourself in, it made me think of peacock feathers and so the idea gradually grew.

I started out by making a single circular pendant which I liked, but I knew I could do more with it. Then I changed the shape slightly so that it became a tear-drop shape and better reflected the shape of the 'eye' in a peacock feather. It looked nice, but it looked lonely. Next, I did some research and looked at lots of photos of peacocks and peacock feathers for inspiration and gradually had the idea that I wanted to create something long and elegant that would curve gracefully around the neck. So I created two 'eyes' and then spent some considerable time making forty inches of narrow, gently twisting beaded rope so that it can be worn wrapped in a long sinuous curve.

I have incorporated five different stitches into this piece and typically for me, only used one type of bead in three shades, two Cosmic Rings, two Lapis Lazuli beads and three shades of thread. I am very pleased with the outcome and I hope it achieves the deceptively simple look I was striving for. I would love to hear what you think!