Knitted Socks...

As I said in my last post, I was going to show you the socks I made .....

Ive been knitting....

Here is what i made so far  =) 

( custom orders are encouraged ) 

this is the first thing I made. 

this is my landlady's order. 

This hooded scarf took me a week to make :) I love how it came out.

I made socks for my boyfriend for Christmas,  I will post them later along with the baby socks I made too.

I have a facebook fan page for my creations

http//www.facebook.com/KnitsbyErin

A new piece

Amethyst Chunk. 

this beauty is made with amethyst chunks and glass beads ( that are lighter than pictured the sun was shining through the window.) its a size 7.5 . I can re-size it for you. 

there is only 2 available . 

$12 shipped 

                                                               

Gemstone Series --- Iceland Spar

History & Lore : The name Calcite is a derivation of the Greek word for lime, “chalix”. The name “Iceland Spar” was brought about by the fact that this variety of Calcite was first discovered in Iceland. Availability : Calcite is one of the most commonly found minerals on earth, and is believed to be responsible for accounting for up to 4% of the weight of the earth's crust. Owing to the extremely wide distribution of Calcite deposits, and the wide range of situations in which it forms, Calcite is available in huge and diverse number of varieties. Sources : Calcite deposits are abundant, with instances occurring worldwide in locations including, Africa, Brazil, England (Cornwall, Durham, Lancashire), Germany, Iceland, India, Mexico, and many of the United States

Evaluation : Iceland Spar (Calcite) is rated at 3 on the Moh's Scale of Hardness, and is a very soft gemstone. Because of it's softness Calcite is best used for earrings, pendants, brooches, or other applications where it will not be subjected to knocks / scratches. Iceland Spar (Calcite) is found in colorless and white varieties and can exhibit wonderful transparency. Calcite is usually transparent to opaque and some varieties exhibit fluorescence or phosphorescence, with specimens displaying beautiful bright colors when exposed to UV light. In fact, some examples continue to glow with color (phosphoresce), even after the UV source has been removed. In addition to this Calcite has a unique property, double refraction. What this means is that when rays of light enter the stone it is split, creating fast and slow beams of light. This causes the effect of anything and everything being viewed through Calcite appearing twice. This unique double refraction can also cause a rainbow effect in examples that have small crystal fractures. The Iceland Spar variety of Calcite is the one that best exhibits the double refraction property. erennially popular, and widely available, the extraordinary number of varieties and occurrences ensures that Calcite will likely always be a popular mineral. All Calcite examples are low to moderately priced and therefore available to all.

December Birthstone

December Birthstone : Blue Topaz

Birthstone Color: BlueAs cool and inviting as a blue lake on a blistering summer day, December's birthstone is derived from the Sanskrit word "tapas," meaning fire.  This is because Blue Topaz was considered by ancient civilizations to have cooling properties.  Not only was it believed to cool boiling water when thrown into the pot, but to calm hot tempers as well!  This gemstone was credited with many other healing powers, among them the ability to cure insanity, asthma, weak vision and insomnia.  The Blue Topaz was even thought to have magical properties in its ability to make its wearer invisible in a threatening situation.
Blue Topaz is the hardest of the silicate minerals.  While pure Topaz is colorless, minor changes of elements within the stone result in a variety of other colors, such as blue, pale green, red, yellow and pink.
The blue hue is created when Topaz is heated, whether the heat source is natural or engineered by man.  The three shades of Blue Topaz are Sky, Swiss and London Blue.  The latter is the deepest blue and is often used as a less expensive substitute for Sapphire.
Topaz is found primarily in Brazil, Nigeria, Sri Lanka, Mexico, Pakistan, China, and the United States.
A gift of Blue Topaz is symbolic of love and fidelity.  Luckily, this cool blue gemstone has no legendary power to put out the burning flame of love!
Alternate Birthstone
An alternate birthstone for December is the Turquoise.  So named because it was initially brought to Europe by way of Turkey, this stone is one of the first gems to be used in jewelry.   Turquoise was considered by ancients to be a sacred stone, protective against all manners of evil and ill health.  This beautiful gemstone is mined in Iran and the southwestern United States.  A gift of Turquoise represents friendship and luck.