Beaded Cast On

I love beads almost as much as I love my yarn.  Combine the two, and I am over the moon.  Last week, I showed you several methods of pre-stringing beads onto your yarn.  Now that you can do that, you are ready to do the Beaded Cast On!

This is just a simple long tail cast on, with the addition of beads.  You'll want to make sure your tail is long enough to cast on the required number of stitches, and as always, you'll want beads that will fit your yarn.

The beads should be resting on the tail of the yarn, not the working yarn.  You can space the beads out any way you like.

Begin casting on, and when you are ready to add a bead, simply slide one up the yarn until it is against your needle.  Then cast on two, three, however many stitches you want in between the beads.  When you are ready for the next bead, again just slide one up to the needle.

It doesn't get much easier to add a little glimmer to your cast on edge.  Here is a short video.

Happy Knitting!

Beaded Tassels

If you want to add a little glitz to your tassels, why not use beads?  It is really simple to do - the process is basically the same as making regular tassels, but you don't cut the bottom of the tassel.  Just pick some beads appropriate for your yarn.  If you aren't able to find beads that will fit your yarn, try using a complimentary, light weight yarn that the beads will fit on and wrap it along with the yarn used for the project.  Or you can just use the different yarn by itself.

Like regular tassels, you will need something to wrap your yarn around that is the length you want the tassel to be.  You also need beads of course, and scissors.  You will also need a needle that will fit through the hole in your bead with the yarn, or you can use a crochet hook to put the beads onto your yarn like I do in the video.

You can use as many beads as you like.  For the tassel above, I just kept one bead per strand as I wrapped.  Once you are done wrapping, cut the yarn.  You will need to cut another length of yarn to tie the tassel at the top so it doesn't fall apart.  Then, just slid the tassel off the cardboard or whatever you wrapped it around.  Do not cut the bottom of the tassel or your beads will come off.  You can then tie another piece of yarn around the top of the tassel if you like.  Attach the tassel to your project and trim any ends that may be sticking out.

Here is a video showing how I made the tassel above.

Knitting With Beads

I have long loved adding beads to my knitting.  I have two small beaded bags that I use for going out, just for money, phone, etc. when I don't want to carry a larger bag; I also have a couple of scarves with beads.

If you have never tried knitting with beads, I hope this will encourage you to do so!  It isn't as hard as you may think.

Beads come in many sizes, shapes, colors, and are made from different types of materials.  You can find them in craft stores such as Joannes and Michaels; your local yarn store may even carry beads.  There are also plenty of places online to find beads.

One thing to consider when choosing your beads, is whether or not they will fit onto the yarn you want to use.  If you are in love with a particular bead, but your yarn is too thick to fit through the hole, you can use a thinner yarn to put the beads on, and knit with both strands.  Choose a complimentary color, or a contrasting color - the choice is yours.  If you only want a few beads here and there, sewing them on afterward is also an option.  Something else you may want to consider is how much weight the beads will add to your finished item.  Using lots of big, glass beads for example may make your scarf uncomfortable to wear.

There are probably as many ways to add beads to your knitting as there are knitters.  The most common is stringing the beads onto your yarn before you begin knitting, or adding the beads one at a time as you go along with a crochet hook.  The second method is the one I prefer.   My problems with stringing the beads on beforehand are:  A) If the yarn is a fine, thin yarn the weight of the beads may break the yarn  B) The moving of beads up and down the yarn can cause a bit of fuzziness or pills on the yarn.  If you are using a fine, delicate yarn and prefer to pre-string your beads, just do a few at a time.  When you run out of beads, break the yarn, add more beads, and continue.  This will also leave you with extra ends to weave in, which can be a pain.

As I said, I prefer adding the beads one at a time with a crochet hook.  This method is the fastest and easiest for me, and the beads appear equally well on both sides of the fabric.  There is no worry that a bead may be stubborn and want to show itself on the wrong side of your fabric!  To add beads this way, you will need a crochet hook that is small enough to fit through the hole in your bead.  I use a US Size 11 hook, which is teeny tiny.  Since it is so small, it tends to snag on thicker yarns sometimes as you pull the yarn through the bead.  If that happens, all you have to do is pull the rest of the plies through the bead, and it will be fine once the stitch is back on the needle and you have knit it.