Today I'm playing around with my new variation of the pentagon bangles I'm currently working on. I want to increase some parts of the shape to give me more surface area to show the stripe/ spiral design whilst keeping the beading, and instructions, easy.

I wasn't sure it would work and was going to begin a new sample but instead decided to bead it straight onto my 'blues' sample as it would give me something to hold onto when I first started, This makes beading quicker and easier to get going.

Unfortunately this will mean that, whether it works or not, I will at some point have to chop the two sections apart and lose some beadwork. But I am getting used to attacking my beadwork with sharp scissors and re-doing some beadwork will seem like nothing when a whole length is done.

Tonight I've planned a get together with some roller derby friends for a catch-up. We began the evening at the secretive Lounge Bohemia where you need to book in advance, find the entrance and then find the menus hidden in books. I ordered a drink which came in an amazing glass stuck atop a block of wood. My companions' drinks came in regular glasses but with straws made of pasta tubes. I remember the last time I visited here (no idea why I didn't blog about it) my companion's drink came with a piece of wood in it which was unexpected to say the least. The drinks were fab, conversation flowed and before we could settle in for an expensive night we headed off to meet our last companion in Brick Lane for a curry and more conversation.

Our new companion was the talented writer, designer and skater Lisa Margreet Payne. She recently got a first in her English Literature degree and it was felt a curry was the best way to congratulate her on this. As a fellow designer and writer we always have much to say when we meet on the subject of craft and its place in the world and I love hearing and reading what she has to say on the subject. Check out her recent article for an example as to why she got such a great result in her work.