Pressing on

One of the consequences of being a vegetarian is that after a while your digestive system can no longer effectively digest things that mainstream eaters would still describe as "food." This isn't really a problem most days, because the majority of foods are fairly open about their meat content. But things like fast food chains "flavoring" their fries with meat, or unexpected pork in your beans, or chicken stock in your soup - if you don't know to watch for this stuff, it can really wreak havoc with your digestive system. (And we won't even talk about those helpful people who think you - and your body - won't object to animal protein if you don't know you're eating it.) Imagine going to a third world country and drinking the water. It's fine for the locals, because their system is up to it. But it will keep you within 4 feet of the restroom for days afterwards.
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Well, I don't know what made it past my guard, but either I've had a purely lovely 36 hour flu or I somehow got some meat. My prime suspects are the gelatin from the gourmet jelly beans Isaac brought home from his weekend, or lard in the pie that his sister sent. (I always forget to watch out for baked goods!) So, yesterday was not a work day for me.
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Once I was feeling a little better, I tried to make some use of my time. Here are the first two completed fiber necklaces.
I really like the burgundy one with the brass beads and brass clasp, made with a combination of recycled sari silk and a high-end cotton. The blue and silver one, made with off-the-shelf findings and a ribbon that is actually called "Sari," is a bit more disappointing. The silver cones which were a key to my design may have been a mistake, since they arrived looking like rolled-up tinfoil. I tried adding texture to them with a chasing hammer to make them a little more interesting, and now they look like dented rolled-up tinfoil. I hate to take them apart, because I don't want to waste the sterling silver wire holding the findings together - but I'm just not happy with the outcome, and I don't want one cheap-looking item to debase the whole display. I can salvage the I-cord (and I have another half-dozen I-cords prepared for assembly); I just need to come up with a better way to put it all together. Oh, and I need some medium-sturdy jump rings and a better quality of silver clasp, since I can't find the 14 gauge silver wire that I remember having in my stash.
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Other accomplishments: two more cotton summer hats. Oh, and I've finished the knotting and weaving in on all the hats and all the water bottle holders. Now I just need to fray-check the knots, clip them, and felt the holders.

Pressing on . . .