The excitement of wearing a handmade garment for the first time! You all know the excitement to which I am referring. We catch a glimpse of a beautiful pattern and fall in love, carefully choosing the perfect yarn in just the right color. Then if you are like me you might tweak the pattern just a little to achieve the perfect fit. After that comes hours of crocheting and days of dreaming about not only how the finished garment will look but also how you will look in it.

I will freely admit that I carefully plan the first outfit I will with wear my new crocheted project, from the perfect shirt to the ideal pair of shoes. And you can't forget jewelry. Jewelry can set the mood, elevating your crochet even farther with its elegance or adding a playful edginess. The perfect set of earrings can lend that little extra pop to an ensemble, and an eye-catching necklace works wonders to draw attention to a crocheted sweater.

About a week ago the idea of creating jewelry to compliment crocheted projects started swirling around the office (the beading team, which is responsible for Beadwork and Stringing, is just down the hall from the Interweave Crochet office). I've always wanted to learn how to create my own jewelry and the idea of creating jewelry to compliment my crochet work has me truly intrigued.

The easiest place to begin learning to make jewelry is with Stringing magazine. The projects in Stringing don't require complicated seed stitch patterns and are easily accessible to beginners. The patterns are short, most not much more than a column. After multiple page crochet projects these projects look even more inviting. As I browse through photos in past and current issues, I quickly noticed they also make a wonderfully bold statement.

A plan began to form. So we brought together our favorite projects from Interweave Crochet Fall 2010 and Stringing Winter 2010  and we had our own little photo shoot, pairing the projects to show them off. Four excited coworkers and I had a blast in the photo studio. We quickly fell in love with the jewelry, admiring their uniqueness. I think the earring I'm wearing might have to be my first stringing project.

Pick up a copy of Stringing and start creating your own jewelry. Soon you will find earring, bracelet, and necklace supplies happily coexisting with fiber in your craft room and closet.