Wednesday, October 13, 2010

First Finished Lutheran Rosaries

I've received enough centers and crosses to finish 5 Lutheran rosaries, so here are some pictures. I'm not listing these on Etsy - at least not until after the craft show - so I've taken only one view of these. Clicking on the photos won't take you to any more, but it will let you see a larger version of the photo - use your back button to go back to the blog.

I've purposely taken photos that show the configuration of the beads. The basic layout of the body is 6 sets of 6 beads each, with one large bead following each group. Each set of 7 beads (6 small and one large) is for meditation on a particular theme (I'll post more on that after I've done more work on the brochure). The stem has 4 small beads followed by a large one. This set is for meditation on the Cross.

Before it had the meditations on the Small Catechism attached to it, this rosary was meant to be a prayer aid for Lent. The configuration makes sense if looked at this way. Beginning with the stem, we have the four days (Ash Wednesday through the following Saturday) that lead into the First Sunday of Lent, with the Sunday represented by the large bead. Then are 6 sets of beads for the 6 weeks of Lent, each with 6 small beads followed by the large bead for Sunday. The final large bead on the body is the "Easter bead" and should be larger and/or lighter in color than any of the other beads on the rosary. This has been fun, although something of a challenge, because it means coordinating three kinds of beads. Note that the addition of the Easter bead makes the body asymmetrical, which is different from both Catholic and Anglican rosaries, which have symmetrical bodies; you can't hang a Lutheran rosary from a central point and have it fall evenly on both sides.

The plan I'm working from shows the use of a center, giving it a meditation on the Holy Trinity. There's one person now selling Lutheran rosaries on Etsy, and she doesn't use a center. If you go by only the original instructions (they don't have a picture) for the Lenten rosary on the ELCA site, you wouldn't use a center. But since my rosaries are being made for Missouri Synod Lutherans, I'm following the Small Catechism plan rather than the one from ELCA (seeing as how the Missouri Synod refused to join ELCA when the group was forming).

That should be enough background to understand the photos. The first rosary shown uses a set of Maryse's (GlassBeadArt's) lampwork beads for the Sundays - the Easter bead is a store-bought porcelain bead:













I've made 5 more bodies that are waiting for centers and crosses, and more beads coming to make more rosaries. I have no idea how/if these will sell, so I'm going to make as many as I can before the show on October 23. While I'm waiting for more materials to arrive, I'd better work on the brochure.

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