Day 23 of Challenge 2012 - 365/365

Since we are hittin' the road tomorrow afternoon and much is left to do before then, i thought i would make a pair of earrings that featured (that's a mighty strong word for what is about to occur) a simple-looking technique i had downloaded from http://www.jewelrylessons.com/ many months ago.  I was rifling through stacks of paper looking for something else and the printout caught me beady eye.

The technique is a variation of the "uh oh i don't have any headpins" theme or, alternatively, the "geez i'm so tired of using those boring headpins" theme. 

This tutorial was posted to http://www.jewelrylessons.com/ by Donna Spadafore and she requests that she, as the designer, be credited.   So be it.  Here's the link to the tute but you'll have to sign in or register to get the deets:  http://www.jewelrylessons.com/tutorial/knotted-headpin

Tutes and deets.  Gotta love it.

Take a length of 22gauge soft or half hard wire about 1.5inches longer than how long you want the headpin.

Bend the wire up 1.5inches from the bottom like a hairpin.  Squeeze the bend together.  Gently.

At about 1/8inch from the bottom of the bend, bend the shorter wire out at 90degrees.

Then wrap that wire around the doubled piece of wire below where you just bent it.

Ms Donna says to cut the wire and file it but pshaw!  That there is fer perfessionals.  I jes' wraps it til it's 'bout done and calls it gud.  Yessir.

Six attempts later, i called it good.  'Cause i have to save some energy for the remaining 342 pairs.

And i have to pack.