Teasel
I glanced towards the corner of my studio and frowned. Several spiky weeds sat on the far table, daring me to experiment with their rough and unfriendly textures. They’d taken up residence two years earlier -I probably should have started charging rent- after I’d plucked them just outside of Frenchglen on the west side of the Steens mountains.
Not to be confused with a thistle (which most folks often do), this prickly weed called teasels is currently the most popular material I use. Even after staring down this curious plant for two years, it took another full year for me to figure out how to design and frame them properly. Whenever that happens, I try to remember that I’m creating things on my material’s time. It helps instill patience while I wait for the design to reveal itself.
Oh, there you are! Hexagonal Teasel Pendant Necklace
With their every surface extremely prickly -a fact I became very familiar with in the Steens!- they boast a great defense mechanism for predators and jewelers alike. It’s probably why they’re so successful and invasive, thinning native wanted plants, providing little cover or food value itself, and reducing the habitat value of infested areas. (I’m very careful when harvesting teasels to avoid spreading the seeds.)
While some might not consider teasels something to celebrate, you’ve probably gathered by now that I like to tread paths less traveled. It took me a minute to learn how to wrangle those buggers so they weren’t biting back each time, but the resultant patterns were nothing short of beautiful.
Whenever I slice into them, the stem falls out, leaving a fun circular hole in the earring. Teasel Stripped Hoop Earrings