So, what IS frit????????????

Some lampworkers jokingly say ,"I have a box under my table where I throw my dirty shorts." This just refers to the collection of stubs of glass that are too short to use but are crying out to be transformed into frit. I've always bought frit,( see PART of my collection of little jars) but have recently starting crushing my "dirty shorts" into great glass combinations. I hold the stub with tweezers into the flame, melt into a blob, the plunge into a bowl of water. There's the fun part! the sizzle, crackle, kerpow and the glass breaks. I use different sieves to separate the sizes and break the large chunks up further with a few whacks of one of my heavy brass tools.

Color Inspiration

A vase full of burgundy and purple sweet peas nestled into an orange climber named Sunset speaks of one of my favorite color combinations. Purple and orange create a vibrant partnership. I have knit a pair of socks in these colors and have recently created a frit mix for my beads in this pairing. I can't quite explain why I'm drawn to these colors, I have no purple and orange clothing.... yet! I was surprised by a pot by my back door that suddenly began blooming, and without planning it, there were those colors again!