We Have a Shawl with Beads
I spent the weekend adding beads. Saturday was quite memorable for the beads and beer. We were at my usual Weds night beer and knitting bar, sitting at the windows with full sunlight streaming in, it was 5pm. We had just tried a new location for our writing group and post the meeting everyone wanted to know where one could get a beer.
I did quite well and around beer 4 or 5 I put the knitting away, because really there are limits. Also by that point the sun had gone down, and the light in the bar wasn’t the best to be stringing beads with though I have knit in said darkened bar. I had ten more rows left at that point, 5 of beads and that seemed a good stopping point.
Sunday night I parked myself on the couch and planned to bead my way to victory. And bead I did. I may have lost a few beads to the couch but for the most part I was binding off with an episode of Iron Chef. Apparently that is my late night project finishing TV.
So come Monday night it was time to block my finished shawl. I dug out the blocking wires and mats, and pins. Which reminded me I had planned to get more mats. Eh. I can make it work.
And we were done. It’s currently on the floor in my living room drying with the cat for company. And if any of you are wondering about my usual shawl blocking companion, she got her contribution in early.
So what have I gathered from this first adventure with beads?
- The crochet hook method is not so bad. Though I did have a couple moments of trial and error with too small hooks. They were so small that it was hard to hold on to the yarn.
- My preferred method is bead onto hook, pick up knit stitch so yarn and hook form a right angle, and slide bead down, and I can do it full of beer.
- Have some extra beads, and then some more, as an old hat with beads from other projects I know just because most beads are x size doesn’t mean they all are perfectly so. Even if you don’t lose a single bead some won’t fit. I never actually counted my beads but I started with close to 1000 of the one I chose, so even with use in various projects I likely had 800. The pattern called for less than 300.
- I want to play more with beads, and maybe even try gasp pre-stringing
- I have woken up the shawl maker and want to make more. I mean I don’t have a green shawl, or some other colors, I’m sure.
- Now were does one wear a their new fancy beaded shawl?
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