Boot Camp: Peyote Hoops!

Those of you who have read my previous posts will not be surprised that I like hoops as much (almost) as I like their thicker cousins:  donuts.  One of the very few time in my life I found myself wearing earrings was in the mid-seventies...and those earrings were - you got it! - hoops, if clip-on and certainly not worthy of the Mod Squad.

This month's LMAJ Boot Camp announcement was a thrill for me, because I love hoops and what jewelry artist can create with them. And a disappointment, because I feared that, once again, I would have little to contribute.  

I wonder if Stacie Florer knew what a challenge she laid at my feet, however, when she mentioned that she would love to see some seed bead hoops.  That planted the germ of an idea and so I have found myself playing with peyote hoops these last few weeks.  

Thinking that hoops are really not much more than sized down bangles - and I do make bangles, I could create a hoop using the same techniques I use for those.  Here's one of my bangle sets...

and here is the mini-bangle (read: hoop) I created as part of a toggle closure for one of my new cuffs:

Not bad. I do think I'll explore that concept a bit more.  But what I was looking for was a hoop that I could turn around and create a photo-tutorial for, something that would be a bit more versatile than a sized-down bangle.

That led me to the more demure closure on this holiday cuff:

I believe this is the seed bead hoop I will show you how to make in my blog post on Tuesday.  In the meantime, however, I thought I'd share the circles I've been going in these last few days.

And last, just because Stacie dared me to ... a Sand Fibers Simplicity bracelet with a circle instead of the original triangle as a focal:

Going around in circles has been a blast!  What kinds of hoops have you been playing with?