January 2026 Challenge: Results!
My chosen palette for January!
A warm and hearty thank you goes out to all of those who decided to try challenging yourselves with us at Blueberry! Leaving your comfort zone and trying new color combinations isn’t always easy. Sometimes it doesn’t turn out the way you planned for better or worse, the point is you’re trying! Variety is the spice of life after all!
I decided to try this palette mostly because it was a very unique combination of colors. Its not something I normally go for, but what’s the worst that could happen? Once again, to go with a color combo I hadn’t considered using before, I once again decided to try stitching together something that I hadn’t tried before. A lot like geometric beadwork, I also have a great love of Cellini beadwork.
For this project I chose DB1711, 11/0 Miyuki Rocaille Dk Sea Foam, 8/0 Miyuki Rocaille Smoky Obsidian (Picasso), 8/0 Toho Frosted Metallic Nebula and 6/0 Toho HYBRID Color Trend Metallic Aurora Red.
I’m fairly familiar with Cellini, I’ve made one before. In fact my first Cellini project was also the first color challenge I ever tried! However, I’ve never tried making a flat Cellini. Something about having to change directions in the size and pattern order had me a little spooked, so I tabled the idea until I was ready.
There were a couple things I decided to do differently this time around. Technically, the picasso beads aren’t green, they’re black with green speckling. Also, the matte nebula finish has more than just that deep denim blue in it, but the warm tones that showed up every now and again tied in really well with that metallic aurora red! Finish and texture can be an ally!
I made a few mistakes but at least they’re hard to see!
A few notes about Cellini! If you do a pattern like this, be sure to reenforce the edges of your work. I didn’t do it to start with and I had a hard time keeping my increases and decreases tight on the edges. I ended up having to go back and tighten everything up in order to keep the wavy shape even.
The reenforced edge.
I was a little concerned at first that the curve wasn’t right at first.
I also highly recommend using a Fireline or something equally stiff thread to help it hold it’s shape. Since this could be considered a close cousin of geometric beadwork it’s no surprise it needs to be held together with a stiff, no stretch thread.
All in all, I learned a lot of new things regarding this style of peyote and will look forward to applying this knowledge in the future.
