knit. preview

introducing the soon-to-be newest addition to my knit. by a. pawluk signature collection.

knit. pendant - available mid june (here)

<3 aimee

how do you do that?

a lot of people have been interested and asking how i make my jewelry.  in my world, the term "lost wax method" is something of the norm and occasionally i forget that not many people actually know what it is.      well, today i'm going to give you a glimpse into this method and how my jewelry is created! 

 here's my bench with some of my tools very neatly laid out (usually it's a big disaster zone).  my saw, some files in various sizes and grit, dividers, wax working tools, flexshaft hand piece (most people would refer to it as a dremel), burs, a wax pen.... --- my set-up is very basic at this time, but it gets the job done.

wax.  my preferred wax is green.  there are other colors, which all have a different consistency.  i learned on green, so i have never strayed from it.   It's really hard and easy to add fine detail with.

  

measure, cut, file all edges of wax perfectly flat and perpendicular, create reference points, and begin.

here are 3 of the pieces in my shop in different stages of their creating in wax.

top left: knit. bracelet bar (you can still see reference points since this is in the early stage)

top right: zipper pull fob (almost there, but still needs to be thinned out and fine tuned)

bottom:  button charm (done, minus the top loop)

here are all the pieces finished in wax and ready to be molded and cast!

here's a video on youtube i found of a guy who takes you through the molding and casting process.  it's not the greatest video quality, but it's short and to the point.  **also, please note that at the beginning of the video he is using a resin model whereas my models are wax.

if you don't want to watch the video (which i would highly recommend you do because it's pretty cool!) i will describe the process briefly here:

rubber mold is made of original wax model. 

wax is injected into the mold to create a copy of the original model.

model is put in a flask on a wax "tree".

plaster of paris or "investment" is poured over model in flask.

flask is placed in a kiln where the wax burns out and plaster hardens over the course of hours.

metal (silver, gold, platinum...) is melted.

flask is placed in a centrifuge and molten metal is shot into the flask.

flask is then dunked in a bucket of water, plaster falls off and you're left with the casting.

cast, cut off the sprue, filed, sanded, polished and assembled.

hope that helps you envision it a bit more!  it's a lot of work and takes much longer, a ton of training, education (I'm constantly learning new things) and more skill than most people would think.  one thing i can absolutely vouch for is that there is nothing like having the ability to do this with your bare hands. to me, there's just something extra special about a  handmade piece of jewelry that you can feel versus something that was computer created.  though, i may just be partial!  

hope you all have a great day!

love, aimee.

the knit. bangle!

for those of you who have been following me over the past few months, i am pretty sure you might be looking forward to finally seeing the knit. bangle in it's finished state.  i have spent so many hours working on this piece and trying to envision what it might look like when it was completed, and now here it is!  phew!

knit. bangle 001

sterling silver.

measures 2 1/2 inches inside diameter.

weighs approximately 2.5 troy ounces.

knit. ring and bangle.

close up of the detail.

if you're interested in pricing or have any questions regarding these two pieces, please feel free to email me at knit.by.a.pawluk(at)gmail.com, and i will get back to you as soon as i can!

knit. ring 001

hello readers!  i'm really excited today because i get to reveal the first piece of my collection, the knit. ring 001!  i still have a bit more work left on the bangle, but should be able to get photos up within the next week if all goes well.  bear with me, as it has been a very long time since i've done this and i have two very young children who need their mama during the day :)

do you want to see the ring though?  well, okay...  but only because i've had you waiting for approximately 2 months!  

sterling silver.
size 7.

made to order.

allow 4-6 weeks (as i don't have the ability to do casting in my apartment).

price available upon request.

email knit.by.a.pawluk(at)gmail.com

the magic of handmade jewelry is that even though multiples will be made, no two will ever be exactly the same.  there are no machines popping these pieces out and all of the wax carving was done by hand (by me!)  no, they might not be absolutley perfect the way a CAD designer could do, but that's the point.  my desire is to create something that allows the wearer to feel the heart that goes into it.

i hope you all have a wonderful friday! 

ready to get this thing started!

 i'm really excited today because not only am i finished with the first model for my jewelry line, but i have started on a matching ring!  it is coming along quickly and beautifully.  rings are sort of my forte.  i have made so many in the past that even after 4 1/2 years, it's like second nature to me. (thanks to my amazing teacher who made sure i'd never forget a thing he taught me!)

the bangle will be sent out for casting in the next few days.  unfortunately, i don't have that type of set-up here in my little apartment so i do have to pay for outside help beyond the model making realm.  i can say that i'm a little nervous to let my 70 hours of work leave my hands.  but i'm sure everything will be fine and in a few weeks time i'll be posting pics of the finished (and sellable) product right here on this little blog!   

anyway, here's a photo of the finished model...

a little sneak peek of the ring in progress!

(click picture to enlarge and see more detail)

that's all for now!



inspiration.

 i have officially come down with the same awful cold that both of my kids got last week.  the constant runny nose has kept me away from the workbench for the past couple of days and i've made zero progress.  however, i really wanted to give you all a bit of insight into what "knit." is all about. 

ever since i can remember, i have had a huge passion for fashion design.  as a young girl, i dreamed of becoming an illustrator  for a big fashion house and was always sketching up new ideas, buying all the major fashion magazines, and sitting glued to the television during the fall and spring fashion weeks.  well, life took its course and it didn't take me on the path i had planned on taking.  i ended up as an apprentice under two amazing fine jewelry model makers and goldsmiths.  before that, i had absolutely no knowledge or interest in anything having to do with jewelry but mostly because i associated it all to your typical mass produced, hearts, diamonds, name plates, etc.  that stuff just did nothing for me.  

during my apprenticeship, i realized that jewelry could be SO much more than what i had ever dreamed, and i will get into more of that later, but here's where you begin to understand more of what "knit" will be all about.

i designed my first piece, the "knit" bangle, to be representative of the edge of the sleeve on this particular sweater, and thus the brand name, "knit." came about.

notes:

*the ring pictured was made by myself 5 years ago, and is one-of-a-kind.

*the wedding band was also made by myself.

*the engagement ring with mandarin garnet and diamonds is a one-of-a-kind handmade piece by Matthew Hopkins of the Goldsmiths & Silversmiths Co. in Mystic, CT.  he was my primary master and does phenomenal custom work.  if you're interested in learning more about him, please feel free to contact me at knit.by.a.pawluk(at)gmail.com.

preview of the first piece for my upcoming jewelry line.

'knit."

named after this particular piece and is also a reminder of God blessing me with the children that He "knit" and created for myself and my husband.

here's my first piece in the works...

one of the first stages of the carving process.

this is after about 30 hours of sculpting work.

hard to tell, but it's taking a more three dimensional form now.

once the bangle is complete in its wax form, a mold will be made and it will be cast in sterling silver.  stay tuned for much more! 

p.s. - my amhara skirt should be here any day.  i had to do a charge send since they sold out like hot cakes online.  so excited!  i'll try to do an ootd with it soon :)

these are a few of my favorite things.

ice covered trees.

this is what i woke up to this morning.  it snowed yesterday here in south carolina, and afterward we got the treat of freezing rain for hours upon hours.  it was pretty terrible, considering the lack of plows and salt for the roads.  there have been over 2000 accidents and 9 fatalities over the past 48 hours in this state.  i was extremely nervous for my husband to drive to work yesterday.  we're north easterners, so i wasn't scared about him being able to drive properly through the bad conditions.  what i was scared about were all the southerners on the roads with him.

anyway, just because the weather wasn't so great for driving, that doens't mean it wasn't great for my camera!  the way the ice completely coated the trees just made all the ugliness of the situation disappear.  the slightest breeze caused the branches to sway and the most beautiful crackling sound filled the air as the ice broke on the dozens of trees around me. 

 vintage handbags.

this here is a vintage handbag by John Romain.  i picked her up when my grandparents were moving out of their home years ago.  it was actually my aunt's handbag from her days of youth.  apparently John Romain bags were the "it" bag to have in the 60's and early 70's.  this little treasure is a sturdy tweed trimmed with gorgeous mahogany leather and finished off with brass hardware.  the company no longer exists, but you can find them on ebay, etsy and i'm sure at some vintage shops.

similar on etsy (here, here, and here with blue leather)

gDiapers.

my husband and i finally decided it was time to make a switch from huggies to cloth diapering our son.  we chose gDiapers as our cloth diapering method, and couldn't be happier with them.  they're easy to use, will save us a ton of money, and they're just so darn cute on our little man!

for more information, check out the gDiapers website (here).

hope you all are having a good week!

stay warm :)

aimee.

 

it's been a delicious week.

wow, i can't believe it's already saturday evening!  this past week has seriously flown by for me.  my husband has been on a work vacation for the past 10 days and i have to say, i really wish tomorrow weren't the last day of it.  i'm really loving the fact that i can sit back after the kids go to bed and enjoy a nice glass of wine.  i don't ever drink anything when i'm alone in case there is ever an emergency, so having the husband here has really been a treat.

i've also been spoiled with getting enough time in the kitchen without having to baby gate the kids in their room while i cook a good meal.  they're always in some kind of trouble otherwise, so i need to keep them jailed in.  and let me tell you, they ALWAYS act like i've put them behind a barbed wire fence once that baby gate goes up.  my 3 year old saying over and over, "mommy!!!  i wanna get out!  moooooooom?  somebody?  i wanna get out!".  and then my 10 month old will be fussing and fussing and fussing for 30 minutes, until it's time to eat.  anyway, it's just nice to cook in peace and quiet.  --- to have someone here to entertain them while i fix up something scrumptious!  i've been spoiled rotten, and i'm sure going to miss it.

on that note, here's what i got to throw together tonight... in peace and quiet :)

chicken curry masala:

1 lb of boneless skinless chicken breasts

2 cans of diced tomatoes (or fresh tomatoes diced)

1 yellow onion, chopped

3 tbsp curry masala spice mix

1 can of coconut milk

1 cup of uncooked basmati fragrant rice

serves 4

saute the onions, then add chicken.  cook chicken all the way through.

add diced tomatoes (i chose to dice my own fresh tomatoes versus using canned), curry masala spice mix...

and my brother in-law's key ingredient... coconut milk.  (instead of yogurt)

cook the rice separate.  i used mahatma basmati fragrant rice, and it's freaking delicious!

 simmer the ingredients for about 20 minutes.  add a bit of fresh lemon juice to keep it from sticking if you'd like.  (i did.)

serve over the rice, and enjoy!

a little thing that's called life. (and crazy kids)

hello all!  It's been far too long since my last post and i have greatly missed blogging and all of you ladies!  my kids have kept my hands full over the past few months and i seriously have been struggling to find any time to myself.  when i do find free time, i just don't even want to think.  haha!  i'm sure you all understand, but i thought i'd explain it all in a nutshell :)

anyway... is everyone looking forward to the holidays?  dave's family will be down here for 10 days to celebrate Christmas with us again.  we always have such a wonderful time with them.  lots of laughs, relaxing and good food. 

this year i'm especially excited as it will be my baby boy's First Christmas!  not only that, but my little girl is 3 now, and she's at that age where she understands what's going on.  the other night, she found the present stash in my walk-in closet.  when i told her she had to wait to open presents till Christmas day, she started crying her cute little eyes out.  it was sad, but so awesome at the same time!  i love getting to see Christmas though her eyes!

okay, well i can't stay on much longer, but here's my kids Christmas picture:

 

Guest Blog - S'mores Cookie Bars

Hello fellow bloggers!

My name is Ashlee from The Crafty Dough Puncher and I am so excited to guest blog on all things aimee!

I love to bake, sew, and do crafts of any kind. My blog is quite the mix of desserts and everything crafty.  When Aimee asked me to do a guest blog for her, I knew immediately I wanted to make a fun "summer" dessert you can make year-round!  I went on the search for a s'more dessert and found the perfect one!

S'mores Cookie Bars

 recipe from Lovin in the Oven

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease an 8-inch baking pan.

 

 Here's what you need:

1/2 C butter, room temperature

1/4 C brown sugar

1/2 C sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/3 C all purpose flour

3/4 C graham cracker crumbs

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

4 Hershey bars

1 1/2 C marshmallow creme or fluff

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light.  Beat in egg and vanilla.

In another bowl, whisk together flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt.  Add to the butter mixture and mix on a low speed until combined.  Divide dough in half and press half of the dough into an even layer on the bottom of the pan.

Place chocolate bars evenly over the dough -

Spread chocolate with marshmallow creme or fluff -

Place remaining dough on top of the fluff. It's easiest to flatten the dough and place it piece by piece on top.  Bake for 30-35 minutes, until lightly browned.  Cool completely before cutting.  These are great warm and at room temperature!

They are gooey and messy but oh so yummy to eat!

Happy baking!

*All photos courtesy of B. Kern*

all things averie.

well, this past sunday (sept. 5th) was Averie's birthday and my sister was down visiting for a few days.  unfortunately my husband had to work everyday last weekend, so we just went to mcdonalds, starbucks and lowe's.  (all of which were Averie's choice)  I mean, what kid in their right mind doesn't love mcdonalds?  and starbucks... haha!  don't worry - no coffee for this kid!  she loves the strawberries & cream frappuccino.  AND lowe's (her favorite place on earth where she got to run around like crazy and see her daddy.  :)   it really was a fun day!

here's a picture of my beautiful girl on her birthday.  isn't she cute?

things have been a little crazy.

on friday we took a family day trip up to greenville, sc to meet up with some friends and had a blast!  here are some pics:

a view of the cute restaurant we ate at - brick street cafe.

the liberty bridge at falls park

me and the kids strolling on the bridge

the best of many family photos - averie would not stay still!

view of the reedy river and the falls down below

great friends, beth and neil.

beth and i on a super cute bridge over the reedy.

the trip was way too short for my liking.  beth and i used to be roommates and we hadn't seen each other for a good 4 years.  can you all believe this girl is almost 1/2 way through her pregnancy with her second child??  how much more fabulous can someone look with a baby in their tummy?  so jealous!