Bead Net New Ideas for Netted Beadwork Heather Kingsley-Heath ( rainbow disksThe Author Heather Kingsley Heath Heather a desgnes teacher author and owner of ‘The Useful Bookie: Company Her work appears requenty in UK magazines. Heather is constantly researching crafts in many ‘cultures, and her work includes advising indigenous people on how to create craft goods that can sustain a meaningful income. Fora list of Heathers books, see page 62 To see more of Heathers work and the Useful Booklet ‘Company go to Heatherworks x wwewheatherworkscouk A RAINBOW DISKS BOOK Copyright © Rainbow Disks Limited 2007 Rainbow Disks Lté ‘wrwzrainbowrcses com Wren House 27 Manor Roce, Behoprtirton| Devon Tel495u First published in the UK in 2007 Text projects and photographs © Heather KingsleyHeath 2007 Heather Kingsley-Heath has asserted her right to be indented as author of tis workin accordance withthe Copyright Designs and Paterts Ac, 1988, All rights reserved. No part ofthis publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted. in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, by photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission in writing frarn the publisher: A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Liorary. ISBN 9781-9063 |4-02-6 ‘Copying this osk for anything other than your own use is theft. Making pirate copies deprives people of rightful income from their hard work. Heather Kingsley-Heath holds copyright to all designs in this book they may be made Up for personal use only tis illegal to sel jewellery made from these designs. RAINBOW DISKS LTD ‘wwrainbowdisks comContents SECTION 1 The story & preparation Introduction Spread the net The story of net The variations of net Tools 10 Beads II Choosing beads 12. Creative journey 13 Basic information worudsu SECTION 2 Bead tubes & beaded beads 14 Introduction 15 Five-bead net tube 16 Adding pattern lariat 17 Slinky lariat 18 Changing scale lariat 19 Netted bead 20 Lateral embellished bead 21° Vertical embellished bead 22 Picot embellished bead SECTION 3 Increase net & fastenings 23 24 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 Introduction Swelly belly Swelly belly variations Tube train lariat Tube train red Tube train variations Clasps: button and loop Clasps: beaded toggle Clasps: beaded button SECTION 4 Flat netting 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 Introduction Ring Ring bangle Expanda bangle Expanda bangle variations Netball bead Spiky embellishment Netball variations SECTION 5 Tube bangles Al 2 43 44 46 47 48 Introduction Gild the lily Gild the lily variations The bangle Sea urchin bangle Sea urchin embellished Sea urchin variations SECTION 6 Hollow net 49 50 52 4 55 Introduction Baroque plain Baroque more Baroque bead donut, round Baroque bead mini round, melon GALLERY 56 58 60 6l 62 Gallery Sketchbook gallery Last word About Africa and me Suppliers/ Useful InformationThs work s dedicated To the Moasai women, who, on marker days, bead under the shade a tree in the centre of a little town in Africa. ‘We share no other language but laughrer and beads, Se eI ee I thank my family and frie for their potient encouragement Most of all | th showing me his Africa fiving the Landrover in the rei nis himself’ 1y Season.Section 4 The Story Every journey starts with the first step Introduction ‘ost small children gravitate towards sparkly things, and some of us have been lucky enough to keep such childhood delights alive in our work and our hobbies. | have always loved beads, and when | look back over the past. they seem to have constantly worked their way into my ie In the photo on the left stands my great grandmother Lucy Ann Holt. She is bedecked in Zulu beacwork sent to her by her father from South Aftica in ‘April 1888, The beads were a present for her 7th birthday. Sadly her father was never to return to England, By the time | arrived in the farily some 70 years later ust one small string of those beads had survived, and it intrigued my tiny fingers. | can remember too key-rings that arrived in the 1960s, sent from family friends in the USA and decorated with beaded figures of a man in a feather headdress and his wife. pored over these and played with them untl the thread holding the beads together finally gave out! And who remembers those beaded purses that swung on elbows way back then? Mine was loud, pink and Plastic, and one of my favourite treasures. [loved the fact that beads and thread could form such a neat patter. It also intrigued me that beads could be made out of anything: soft, warm wood: hard-coloured glass: even rolls of paper, which involved a lot of glue and a winding rod, as ‘well as waiting for my mother to finish with her latest glossy magazine. For me, it seems that destiny decided early in my lfe that anything with beads was special. have been lucky to be able to incorporate my love of beadwork and crafts in general into my career Lucker stil that beadwork as we know it today is such @ ‘widespread and evolving craft in many countries. I ove the alchemy of thread and tiny beads, ‘which conjures up jeweled structures in our hands And I love the tangble link across generations and across cultures that brings bead lovers together: But most of all love that calm feeling that settles inside ‘when there is nothing to be done but beading The journey to this book began on a hot. sunny day in Alrica when I joined the Maasai ladies under their shaoy tree to bead.ACt first they laughed a lot, calling me ‘sister’ and entreating me to buy the beadwork laid out in heaps on the ground. After a lot of banter and laughter in two different languages, | offered to show them how | had beaded the bracelet | was wearing. ‘Wee settled down to sharing techniques, and by the time I got up to go.1 was renamed Mama bead’ which is the highest honour | have ever been given. oNSpread the net The journey that follows may meander bought a lot of beadwork from the ladies that day. and of those pieces, the most popular and universal were the simple hollow netted tubes. These are not particularly traditional, nor necessarily AVtican.You can buy these ywhere in the world if you are shopping for beadwork on your travels, as netting is a widely used technique in its various forms. tis employed in a variety of ways within different cultures, each making this one technique distinctively its own Back home in my work room | had been playing with a simple piece of plastic net tubing, H ! lke that used as packing materia, Because it f was springy. with a bit of pressure | could bend it into all sorts of shapes, my favourite being a ‘ donut shape. As my plastic sample was already net, thought it would be an easy transition to i work the shapes with beads The lovely cain ee J b iat settles when there is nothing, a be done should be qualified I mentioned bt in that it doesn't apply to the experimental stage at all | knew that my African beaded net was worked with a stiff nylon thread, like a heavy-duty fishing line, but I felt there had to be a formula for beading with finer thread seed beads and a good technique, just as there is with other beadwork stitches. eadwork | began to see netting everywhere, tantalizingly doing just what | wanted my beadwork to do, but aways with something inside the net such as oranges and onions Beading over objects is fine, but | wanted the beadwork without the object, which became my empty-net syndrome! The secret was, ike all good secrets, right there in front of my eyes. Researching beadwork techniques is rather like learning to use a computer: here is always a logical solution — you just don't know it yet. With beadwork, the logical solution is invariably the most simple, which is sometimes hard to grasp, as our culture tends to prize the complex We are trained to think an friends laterally to complicate things and to seek out originality. My Afi would hoot with laughter to sce how long it took to discover some simple, logical variations in this technique, and how hard it i to think oneself into a simpler process of logic | will show you the how and why of this diverse technique in the following chapters It may seem like we cover old ground as we progress, but the steps are laid out to help you build a real understanding of the process. It is then over to you to take the concept further stil in your own work, which hope one day to see. CNThe story of net Since beadwork began, this simple stitch has worked its way into the fabric of life INE ted beadwork is one of the earliest techniques used for creating beaded fabric. Its a simple stitch to learn, and one that is easy nigh nore you riguing it become: adapt and develop. Like all the best creative tec et By careful study of historic and contempor nor y examples, an e ipher could plot the joumey of the development of netted beadwork around the globe and in. Each cuiture has developed he stitch in subtly different ways, and has applied colour and pattern to reflect their own distinctive cultural characteristics Whatever the variation of the basic technique, the element that identifi ing by cultural g the use of pattern, Patterr netting are created by changing the bead colours usek et be achieved within netted piece. Some of the most elaborate are the ceremor rg beads. Astonishingly complex patterns es of duced in Borneo, Gods, monsters and animals are picked out in bold colour and repeating pat event realistic flower In China too, t irds. Ade as the beads move into position within the lattice of net.As each set fed, the pattern reveals itself as 1 imagination needed to encompass the whole designs are worked ton nteation, ig Pattern on a large piece requires skill and co of three or five beads is a repettio: design On the butt break it down into rows that is so impre: dian continent, netting is used as flat fabric par n bags to door hangings, ar traditional decoration of colourful beaded tassels and fringed edging ir worked in flat fan shapes are id e pattern, becoming in yet another variation, the collar becc s are extended to long capes and id countries of Northern Europe. the high, cc n of beaded netting is used to caver anything from re examples from tassel tops and beads to gourds and bottles. There many culture Americas to the In general, netted beadwork is worked by through the centre bead of an odd-numbered set of beads, usually he needle and three or five beads CNThe variations of net A technique through many hands simple variation of the netted tube is sometimes seen in both, Russian and South American beadwork where a larger set of beads is added and the needle passed through two or more centre beads. The shape of the net is changed from a four-sided aperture to a sixsided aperture. The beacworker therefore has room to increase in scale vertically while keeping the netting fairly lose in form. The number of beads you pass through to form these extra sides can be increased. to elongate the aperture, plus the number of beads in the top and bottom sets can be changed, to allow the design to spread or curve. In Ingia and some African countries, moving on from the basic tube, the thread is looped between the beads of the row before, but is then passed through the last bead of the set just added, before adding the next set This is the method used for bracelet'3'on the left. lin some cultures, thread is looped between beads, around the existing thread. By looping thread between beads of the row before. rather than through a bead, the design variation leads eventually to the African helix With this technique, the fabric of the beadwork is held together by the tension of the thread. The natural movement of the beads traps the looped threads in place. In the African helix technique, the looped thread is offset in that the thread is looped between beads three and four of a five-bead set. Afican helix was used to work bracelet on the left Ifyou take the principle of the African helix of using an offset bead and apply it to tubular netting. a whole new range of intriguing possiblities ‘opens up. By working through not the certtre bead but the one next to it, the net will spiral in a very diferent pattern to regular netting The smaller the number of beads in your set, the tighter the net becomes, with three- bead offset tube netting having no apertures between the sets at all By Using the traditional three-bead set with the centre bead in a contrasting colour the pattern of beads will spiral, as shown in bracelet 2' on the left, In Russia, yet another variation includes a picot of three beads around the centre bead of each set.This forms a fourbead group with no aperture between the net apertures, Technically it is netting with right- angled weave added, creating another variation for adding pattern to a netted tube. This gives the netted tube a new set of apertures, as shown in bracelet ‘l'on the left All of which explains the old adage that there is nothing new, but just ‘occasionally we can add an original twist, with colour and form, and help the netted tube further on its journey of evolution. oNTools There is much pleasure to be had from worlking with good tools have a small tool box with the basics needed for beading and a tin tray lined with a sheet of foam rubber. The beauty of beadwork as a hobby is that itis easy to transport and you don't need more than your lap or the comer of a table as a work space. Until that is, you get addicted to beads, then a whole new storage space will be needed. Scissors ‘Treat yourself to the best scissors you can find and never share them. Needles | use size 10 beading needles ~ they are fine enough for most size 11° and 15 seed beads | prefer to use the long version, as I find the habit of flicking the beads onto the tip of a longer needle much easier than picking up beads with a shorter one. Thread, synrheric | use Nymo size D —a versatile beading thread that is strong and holds a knot well. | use black for working with dark-coloured beads and sand, and a light coffee colour that works with most other colours, as it'disappears' into the shadows If have to match a bead colour exactly with thread colour | use C-Lon, which is colour fast and has the advantage of coming off the 500 flat, $0 it is easy to thread through needle eyes. Thread, narural If you are planning to bead an heirloom or a piece for posterity itis worth investigating natural threads, Linen and cottorvlinen mixes wil last well, but can tend to stretch (they can also shrink back, given the right humidity). Sik is the thread traditionally used for pearl stringing and, ke other natural fibres, wears well. New blends of natural and synthetic threads are coming onto the market and are well worth trying out Thread conditioner A good tug on each end of your new thread before you thread the needie will stretch out any bounce in the thread. Once on the needle, itis @ good idea to run your fingers down the thread a couple of times to smooth out any twisting. Do both and your thread is unliely to knot spontaneously. ‘Apply beeswax to help ‘slow the thread inside the beads — useful if thread tension is an issue. Apply slicone-based conditioners to synthetic threads to reduce static and knotting Scoop ‘With a flat bottom and curved sides, my ttle scoop makes tidying up my beads a pleasurable ritual. Get one, if only to have fun when itis time to pack Up your work for the day. oNBeads There is no such thing as foo many beads any beaders confess that they find a special kind of peace in ju: through their bead collection. There is also a magical energy when several beaders get together and inspect the contents of one another's bead boxes. | adore the collective gleam shining in visitors’ eyes when | go to a bead show ~ the new packets and bags they clutch hold the promise of many happy hours beading and playing with liquid colour Its my firm belief that one can never have too many beads. My best advice is never to take your significant other on a bead quest. Himsetf and | have a tacit understanding that | never enquire about the latest DIY too! in the shed, and he never looks in my bead cupboard; so fait has proved a recipe for a happy marriage, The many beaders and enthusiasts | have met agree that there is one sound piece of advice, which is, always buy enough beads at the time of pur se. Bead supply is not consistent. colours go in and out of fashion and there is nothing worse than the discovery that a particular shade or finish has disappeared. Even colours that are so basic as to be always available will vary slightly from batch to batch, just as knitting yams and embroidery threads do. The best-quality seed beads are Japanese, as they have a consistency of shape and a large, regular hole size. Japanese seed beads come as round, semisround and flat-sided cylinders. Beads from the Czech Republic are good, although you may have to do a bit of editing as you work They are reasonably priced and again have 2 good range of colours and finishes. The Caech Republic is also the home of pressed beads, flowers, leaves, droplets and daggershaped beads You can also buy antique beads from specialist suppliers. Antique seed beads come in a greater size range than is now produced. ove the smooth effect that cylinder beads bring to beadwork They are great for flatish techniques, such as brick stitch, loom work and peyote stitch, However | find that apart from their cost, which is high relative to round seed beads, | prefer round seed beads for their versatility. For many techniques, round beads sit together more comfortably because they don't have edges And round beads lend themselves particularly to netting where the beads lie at angles to their neighbours. As to colour and finish, the choice and the pleasure of choosing is yours, Be aware that some beads are dyed, and others have finishes that will wear in time, but all good retailers will be happy to discuss your requirements, All the netted tube projects use size ||” round seed beads, with the addition of some larger beads for embellishment, and all are itemized in the individual ingredients lsts for each project. Feel free to substitute if you cant ind exact matches to the beads | have chosen, CN‘a hoosing beads pena many happy Nours Ww! m colour [2 be difficut to deci appew piece worked in shiny beads wil worked in matt bes olour Tex k to the overal ~e can also make a big ished piece of beadwork nd fee! differen Where to 190 the same design tart? What are the secrets? My students have tau, sht me that colour teach have our favour personal thing — vi 105, which e perfect place to ead club or group, take a look at other people's in great source If you belong to tive colour choice ration. Cl on and in at make your h will probably find that d say ‘buy me..You They are simp from artists su s adjacent to each other: whic ers lie opposite, which are ,0us colours. or closely related: complementar your fav colours and will make eac appear urite on the wheel and see which other colou with it'You can then use these to bu with: > vivid Fin ‘omplement Io yourself a wider range of Pictures th: eamer and jour led with colou al keeper, start a colour book. Paste in hat nes t 2w you will want to explore furthe fas er: Make a litt the main colours and re, picking out a You can do this with crayons 1 scraps of anythi aints, paint swatches n the colours you need. Gra‘ Teoking around for new colour combinations. Pl li DIY store ally, yOu will fin slours to take Of items to fl Js you will have a‘shopping ay beads. use all s books, such as the few examples show 1 you n you g Images too cn spe you Plctines thet could tigger i clea‘ yo. frail enjoy this part of te design process On When ype we Perse your jour con be re Ideal place to muse and ec you wont to start beading. Fo: want magenta ime ond Ifyou prefer muted cay, site in trem Ny other farou te source of spt forndin ontand dese books bu exiles seu Mist eostume de en cn of couse. beacing ise feon dlp 059 ce motes for both cot ‘nd texture your betCreative journey Start with beads and you srart a love affair for life. x ow itis time for you to start your own creative journey.You may decide to work through the projects methadically to build up your knowledge of netted beadwork You may fick through and make just one piece, jumping right in and picking up what you need to know as you go along.You may just browse through and decide to work out your own interpretations of the technique or even apply them to your favourite beadwork technique. The point is to enjoy the process, even if your first attempts don't live up to your expectations ~ none of mine do! But they are all part of the process. | always tell my students that the first piece you do in a workshop is just that, a work piece in which you work out method: the masterpiece gets made at home, surrounded by your own beads in your favourite spot to bead.The same applies to trying a new method: work at it steadily and you will soon be creating fabulous beadwork. | do recommend some basic health and safety for a longer beading life. Always work in a good light. f you can only bead in the evenings treat yourselfto a craft lamp with a daylight bulb, and position itso that it wall illuminate your work but not shine in your face. If you squint to thread a needle and the bead holes seem to be suddenly disappearing, visi your optician and get some good close-work gasses, otherwise you will strain your eyes and no amount of vanity is worth that Make a habit of taking breaks to rest both your eyes and your body.| am. a big fan of basic stretching, add in some breathing exercises to counteract the effects of sitting for a while. The other really important health rull is always to make sure that you are sitting comfortably rather than hunched, slouched or twisted This will avoid any number of muscle and back pains. IF you ache anywhere after beading, you need to rearrange your work space. (One of my favourite beadwork artists told me, with much humour But there are no rules! having watched me work on a piece and impose all kinds of rules and constraints on myself. It was one of the toughest creative lessons | have ever leamed, and one of the most valuable. Try it for yourself and be amazed at how your creativity opens up. For example, when it comes to choosing colours. have my favourites and some colours | really never use, so, in the spint of no rules’ | made myself include colours that I had avoided in the past In a matter of weeks I was putting together colours with so much more energy and discovering some great effects as a result “Take pleasure in your finished pieces and wear them often and in public. | have had some great conversations with strangers who have seen my beadwork and come up to ask me about it. Its the best feeling in the workd to be noticed and complimented! ONBasic information A guide to negotiating the instructions >\ | thought it would be helpful to use the same terms throughout, and I list them here so that you can refer back to this page if puzzled. Terminology Pick up This means thread a new bead or beads onto your needle. A.Bor C beads Designs requiting more than one colour of bead wil st ‘them in the ingredients. and refer to them by letter in the instructions. Set The group of three or five beads needed to fil the space between two intersection beads. Intersection bead The bead in the centre of a set, and the bead you will pass through again to form the net structure. \__ EEE Stop bead Stops beads from falling off the thread while you are working (see page 31), Diagrams Most of the netting projects are worked as tubular designs, therefore the diagrams are either an exploded, overhead view, or they show the relevant section of beadwork you need to see in detail flattened out.The diagrams also show the thread path, with litle arrows on the thread to show the direction in which itis traveling: if you are working in the other direction, you should stil be able to interpret what is happening. Because the diagrams show the thread path, there are spaces between the beads, which, when you are ‘working the designs should disappear as you pull the thread up tight. Some of the designs are layered. In this case, the layer you are working on is shown in full colour, and the layer underneath is shown as a lighter image. Al the diagrams are shown in two colours, and the same colours throughout. You can work in any colour combinations just make a note of which diagram colour relates to your particular colour palette. Where ro find some useful rechniques How to perfect your thread tension, see page 14 How to add 2 new thread or finish off an old one, see page 14 How to make beaded fringes, see page 18 How to make beaded clasps, see pages 30-32 How to zip up tube ends to form a continuous bangle, see page 42 Calculating bead quantiies For each project | give approximate bead quantities in gram weight. Even size 11” seed beads can vary slighty in size, and therefore in weight. Consequently, | have erred on the generous side to cover this variation, so dontt be annoyed if you find you have a leftover bead. To calculate bead quantities for your own, designs, you will need to work a sample section, then multiply the number of beads used by the finished length of the piece you plan to make ONSection Bead tubes and 2 beaded beads Now you need fo start netting the tube I° this section we cover the basics of the netted tube technique, which is important to do because you need to feel comfortable with the ‘technique before moving on to more experimental work We cover the basic principles that will be worked on further in the following sections as ‘the mystery of netting is gently revealed: bead count, texture and scale, plus some surface embellishment to play with. fis also your opportunity to master thread tension, an important aspect of successful netted beadwork Ifyou tend to be a'relaed beadworker, I recommend that you persevere with a single thread You need +o get used to the sensation of pulling the thread tight and the feeling of the beads clicking into place. The trick isto keep the thread under tension as, you work Just as knitters do, beadworkers develop their own particular way of holding the working thread under tension with spare fingers It helps to imagine that the side of your forefinger is your work surface; hold your beadwork against it with your thumb as you work-This leaves your other hand free to move the needle around and to pick up beads. Hold the working thread over the top of the wark surface forefinger catching the thread behind it with the next fingers along, Only release the thread as you pull up ready for the next stitch. Some beeswax applied to the thread can stop it sipping too (see page 9). fall this fas miserably, you may need to resort to using a double thread. It does help to hold the beads tighter, but be careful not to pierce the threads with your needle, which can lead to problems in pulling your work up tight-To avoid this, pass your needle into the top half of the hole of bead, making sure that any thread already in the bead is sitting in the bottom half ofthe hole ‘AS a guide, the finished tube should be flexible enough to drape round your neck or wrist easly but tight enough to retain its tubular shape and not collapse. good clue to success is how much thread is showing if you can see thread and the beads are moving about on it, you need to tighten up by irying the techniques outlined above. ‘You will inevitably need to start a new thread while working on a design Take the old tail and the new tlle them side by side and form both into a loop together Pass both tals through the loop (overhand or slip knot) and tighten the knot near to your beadwork. Pull both tails apart ~ the knot wil travel down to your beading surface. ou can continue beading with the new thread, then go back and finish off the tas when you have finished beading. Thread the tails trough the beads and knot around the existing thread, then snip off the tail. CNFive-bead ner tube The following tells you how to start an even-count tube using INGREDIENTS size |” seed beads in two colours 10g contrast colour A 110 main colour B . sze 10 needle beading thread Pik up the sequence of bead you need form o foundation ring. Sr oe fest rund with a set of beads, poss the Same number of beads an the rng then go ough the next beod five-bead sets, “Thread your needle with Im (approx. |y6) of beading thread ~ you willbe \working with single thread throughout. Foundation ring Pickup single colour A beads separated by pairs of colour B beads untl you have sc beads and sx pairs of B beads Tie the beads into a ring, making sure that your rot is secure, Always leave yourself a tail of about 15cm (6in) to weave back ‘Uyough your work at the endif you have never worked a netted tube before, make life easier by siding the ring onto something rigi¢ lice a pencil or chopstick {0 see how the fist few rows work. To add the first round Being the needie out through the single A bead next to the knot on the foundation ring. At this point, you need to decide whether to work dodewise or anticlockwise around the ring, Once you have decided, you have to commit and ALWAYS keep working round in that direction Ifyou put your work ‘down for any reason, you can check the rection to resume working by looking 3 the thread The thread will alaays be coming out of a bead heading in the right direction. Pick up a set consisting ofa pair of B beads,a single A bead and a pair of B beads. Count along the foundation row Until you have passed the same number of beads (five) on the foundation ring, ‘then pass the needle and thread through the next A bead, the sixth bead on the foundation row. Pick up another set, count along five beads on the ring then pass the needle through the next single A bead en the ring.Do the sare again and you wil find yourself back at the start CN To step up to the second round Pass through that first A bead on the foundation row again, and through the fist pair of B beads and the A bead of ‘the first set that you added You are now ready to work three more sets To work the next and subsequent rounds Pick up aset then pass the needle and thread through the A bead inthe centre ofthe second set that you added of the row before. (Remember that you have just stepped up into the fest set Siep up to the next round by passing dough the last bead on the ring chen the frst beods ofthe fst set added. added at the begnning of the round you have just completed) Then pick Up another set and pass the needle ‘through the centre A bead of the next set round then add the last set You wil find yourself back at the start point and ready to perform the step up, 50 pass the needle and thread through the first A bead of the first round and the two B beads and the A bead of ‘the first set added for round two. Just keep on adding rounds in the same way Until your netted tube isthe length you want it to be. Then see pages 30-32 for information on clasps and how to add them to tube ends.Adding pattern lariat INGREDIENTS. Size ||" seed beads in 2 colours 10g contrast colour A 110g main colour B se 10 needle beading thread This design is w ging the be tube that looks like a basket A and blue for B. Foundation ring Pick up three A beads and three B beads alternating until you have a total of 18 holding the bas into a ring and bring your needle out of the A bead next to the kr st round Pick up two A and three B beads, pass ‘through the sixth bead on the ring (A), ~epeat for the remaining sets and step up. passing through the A bead on the ring and two A beads and one 8 bead of the first set added 1d and subsequent rounds With your thread coming out of a B pick up three A and two B beads then pass through next set round (8), reped ve centre bead of the stand step up at the end of the round, passing through the centre (B) bead of the fist set of the first round, then through the first three A beads of the firs set of the second round To continue the pattern, repent ‘the fist and second rounds ater and keep working until you length you w ‘olour combinations, you ci me way as the original tube, dupa s.| used coral for To finish off ‘Attach a button to one end of your tube, p to the other see pa for instructions, My design ie made using two shorter lengths of tube, each with a button end and a loop end, so you can decide which clasp to show at the fron VARIATIONS. If you lke adking pattem, try vorations, ll achieved through the colour, Start simply by char inter ing the colour of then change a sequence af colours 1 intersection beads i designs, lust using the basic net tube and a litle creating ail sorts of colow bit of countingSlinky lariat Another important aspect of neiting is to be able to m the INGREDIENTS structure without contrasting colours of beads to help you.This is really 40g size 10° triangle beads easy if you always remember that itis the centre, or intersection, bead eae of a set that you pass through to create regular netting, To add some oe interest, try working with beads other than seed beads. For this project beading thread | used colourlined triangle beads, and changed the set size from five to three beads. Foundation ring Thread on 12 size 10" triangle beads (or bead of your choice) Tie the beads na ring and bring the neecle Out trough a bead rex to the knot. Pickup tree beads and pass through the fourth bead onthe rng then pick The subsequent rounds Pick up three beads and pass through the centre bead ofthe net set along of the fist round, Cotinve inthe same ‘way. adn thre-bead sets and then slepping up atthe end ofeach round by passing through the bead you started up three beads and pass through the eight bead on the ring. Pick up three beads and passthrough the fist bead on the ring aguin. Step up by passing through the frst To finish off two beads of the fist set that To decorate the ends, bring the needle you added ut ofa bead ofthe lst round when Yeu stea up Work the same bead teting for three rounds, but change to the larger sie 6 triangle beads Add fringing to the ends of the tube using @ combication ofthe two bead sizes (se page 18 for how to add fringes) from and through the first two beads of the first set added. Keep working until you have a lariat length. By using jst one eo of beatin Us case ceo geld beads lined wih ether red ar live you can create a icy textured piece The tangle shaped beads are just 25 easy to wore with os Seed beads but thei sides ond roundes edges give o mere texured surface to some simple ro ™Changing scale lariat The diameter of your netted tube can be altered in several ways. INGREDIENTS size ||" seed beads: 20g main colour 1g contrast colour B 110g contrast colour C . 5g size 6° round beads (optional) . size 10 needle beading thread If you want a fatter tube, you can add more sets at the foundation ring stage. On the other hand, if you want a thinner one, work with fewer sets.To make a finer texture with smaller apertures in the net. try working with fewer three-bead sets. This design uses three-bead sets and alternates the colour of the intersection bead, giving you another pattern option. Foundation ring Pickup an A.B.A and C bead. Repeat the sequence twice more, ging a total of |2 beads:Te in a rng. Bring the needie out of C bead. First round Pick up a three-bead setA,B and A, and pass through the next C bead on the ring. Repeat twice more and step up by passing tough the frst C bead on the ‘ing and then the A and B beads of the fist set ofthe first round. Second round Pick up a three:bead set, A.C and A. and pass through the centre bead of the frst round (8), Repeat twice more, then step up. Repeat rounds one and two untlthe ‘work is the desired length. ‘Add ol the beads you eed fora e finge. Poss hough al bu the fas tee beads andthe net to ser the next finge To odd some beaded fringes Deccrate the tube ends with simple fringing Bring the needle out of an intersection bead on the foundation ting and pick up a combination of beads to the desired length, plus one c= three more. Pass back through the remainder of the beads and through the intersection bead from the other se (co that your fringe sits centrally over i), Pall all the thread up, then work through the foundation ring beads to the next intersection bead and repeat.Netred bead Not all netting has to be a necklace or bracelet length These beads begin as a short length of netted tube. The tube can then be embellished with a second layer of beads. Embelishing the surface of netting is another element needed in later sections, ‘There are several ways 10 add surface embellishment, all of which require you to pass through the intersection bead again The purpose, apart rom all the fun you can have inventing decorative combinations, is to add rigcty to the structure. Try the techniques on pages 20-22 First you will need to make some netted beads to work on. The instructions below show how to make a basic bead using the fve-bead sets Foundarien ring Pick up single colour A beads separated by pairs of colour B beads until you have 12A beads and 12 pairs of B beads (24 Work the last round with 1 single beod between ach set ON B beads in total), Tie the beads into a tingand leave a longer tal than usual Work total of I rounds of five-bead netting Finish the ends Step up at the end of the | Ith round, but instead of sets pick upa single bead before passing through the next intersection bead. Pul the thread tight and finish off the tail Your last round should pul into a star shape, leaving you with a neat round aperture for threacing. your netted bead onto a neckiace Repeat with the tll at the start ofthe foundation ring. ‘su pul he theeod the end of your tbe wil ose andthe beads wit form a neat star pattem at each end.Lateral embellished bead INGREDIENTS 10g size 11° seed beads in 3 ‘colours that match or contrast ° size \Oneedle beading thread . extra beads. eg size 9°,8" or 6',or shaped beads (optional (VARIATIONS) 1 Start with fve-bead sets ot round 11, then add sever-beod sets ond ninebeod sets. Then drop back down through the sequence unt! you reach round one. © Change the colow or sole of the beads in your embelshment sets to vary the shape and texture of the beaded netted bead. 1 Add embelistmnent co ovo or tree rounds, then leave 0 gap before starting to odd more ours © Aternate two. sivles of embel- fshment between the rounds to aeate a new kind of texte on your bead ee If you look atthe basic net bead, you can see thatthe intersection beads le in regular lines. These can be ether vertical along the length ofthe bead, or laterally around the circumference of the bead The first way to add embelishment is to work around the circumference, passing from one intersection bead to the next tis easy because the holes are already aligned with each other To add the embellishment layer IF you need to start a new thread, knot the tal between two main colour beac, ‘then thread through the beads to the intersection bead you want to start from, ‘Weave inthe tall and snip off the end, Bring the need out of an intersection bead on round |. Pick up five beads, ‘then pass through the next intersection bead along, Repeat adcing sets until you are back where you started, then pass through the beadwork of the netting to the next round of intersection bead (round 10). Repeat unt you have worked through each round of intersection beads to the other end of ‘the bead tube, then fnish off the thread tails.Vertical embellished bead INGREDIENTS. J0g 528 11° seed beads in 3 colours that ratch or contrast . sze 10 needle beating thread . extra beads eg size 9.8" oF 6' or shaped beads (Cptona) By adding lateral embellishment, the tube is supported, but by adding vertical embellishment, you can create a different tension across the “The beads lie in the Wrong direction, 50 10 work the vertical rows, ext right of an intersection bead and enter let through the next one along the raw. Your embelishment beads willie at an angle Xo You will also work up one row, then down the next, probably turning your base bead in the process. Check which, side of the bead to enter and exit from. If you want your embelishment ON face, gently puling the bead ends together and ‘fattening’ your bead. beads to all ie at the same angle, ahvays enter and exit from the same side in each row. If you want your embelishment beads to lie in a herringbone pattern alternate which side you enter from with each row At the ends of rows, work through the beads of the base bead to get your needle into the right position through the next intersection bead { women VARIATIONS © Ifyou work oternate rows ony, you wl create a ribbed efit © Atemate the angle that the rows fe ct, and emphasize the herring bone effect by using sigh larger centre beod in your embelishment sets. © Change bead colours fer the middle sets to ceate bands of eolou:Picot embellished bead To add more texture and create a INGREDIENTS different type of embellishment, you : os ee eee ae will need to know how to form Se picots, These can either be added size IO neede laterally or vertically in just the same way beading thread as the other bead embellishment, but there is just one extra step. . extra beads. eg size 9°,8° or or shaped beads To form a picot Pass the needle back through the thied (optional) Bring the needle through an intersection seed bead. Then pick up two more bead and pick up four seed beac seed beads and pass through the next intersection bead. To tighten a picot hold the bead at the tip,pul the thread, then let go of the tp. This bead wal then sit back down and ‘ock'the thread in place. c VARIATIONS 1 Picots con hove one (pick Wp three beods to star), te (pick up four Beads) or tree (pick up five bead) bead Tegs: When you hove passed trough a bead to [orm the tip, pick up the cor responding number (one, two cor three) beads to form the second leg 1 Use larger beod forthe bead you poss trough tice. © Use beads in a colour sequence within your pot. —Section Increase net and fastenings Now fo start changing the shape * B: now you will be comfortable with the basics of netting, and hopefully getting used to how much thread tension you need to apply to form happy beaded tubes. Section Three shows you haw to add scale to your netted tube, which is the first step in altering your netting in Corder to start shaping it. The most straightforward way to change the shape of your netted tube is to increase the number of beads ina set. By altering the set sizes, you can create bulges. By increasing ‘the number of beads in your sets as you work, the tube wil become fatter If you reduce the number it will shrink back to she original diameter again You can also start layering your netted tubes one on top of the other, which is a great opportunity to break out all ‘those colours and start piaying with them. I have included some finishing techniques here too. There is no escaping the fact that necklaces and bracelets often need a clasp. Call me a purist if you like, but | prefer closures that are made of beads: There are hundreds of metal clasps available and in the right circumstances they can, look fabulous with beadwork, but all too often a metal clasp, just looks out of place. use a beaded tube as a toggle or a beaded dise, and when | can find them, the easiest clasp in the world to attach is a gorgeous button in just the right material to match your beads. IF you are a fan of metal clasps, use and enjoy them. If you ike the metal versions of toggle and ring clasps, you will need to add a stak of beads behind the toggle, otherwise there may not be room for it to ie at an angle in order to pass through the ring section. Thvead on a few beads, then add the boar end of the clasp, thread back through the beads and into, your beadwork, It helps to repeat the process through all the beads again +o add strength, as the clasp is the part of your design that will get handled the most. ONSwelly belly INGREDIENTS size ||" seed beads: 16g accent colour 31g main colour 8 size 10 needle beading thread ° Frrished length approx. 4écm (18), exdudng dasp Pick up five A beeads each separated by ‘three B beads Tie the beads into a ring and bring the needle out of an A bead next to the knot First round Pick up a three-bead set of three & beads and pass through the A beads fon the foundation ring. When you have acied five sets of beads, you will be back atthe start, so step up ready for the next round Pick up three-bead sets of one Bone A and one B bead Thread through the contre bead of the sets ofthe frst round (these sets are all the same colour so check that you thread through the ),These two rounds form the rn, and you will need to work 43 rounds in total inching the foundation ring ON colours for the intersectior ttle different To work the expanded section. Next round Pick up five-bead sets of ‘wo B beads, one A bead and two B beads. Pass through the centre bead of the three-bead sets of the round before. Step up for the next round. Wark two more rounds of five-baad sets (three rounds in total) Next four rounds Pick up seven-bead sate of three B, one A and thee B beads, stepping up at the end of each of the four rounds. Next chree rounds Add five-bead sets of two B, one A and two B beads stepping up at the end of each of the ‘three rounds, Next 14 rounds Return to the pattern for the three-bead rounds (each round alternates the colour of the centre bead), starting with sets ofthree B beads ‘When you have worked the 14 rounds of the alternating-colour three-bead sats, it is time to add another expanded section of 10 rounds. Then add another three-bead /|4-round alternating-colour section, Continue until you have five expanded sections separated by four of ‘the three-bead sectione of [4 rounds each, ending with an expanded section. From the end of your final expanded n, continue working in the three. bead rounds until you have worked 1er 43 rounds, To finish ‘To close the tube end, bring the needle ‘through all the intersection beads at the end of your tube and draw the thread Up tight You may need to go round twice, but don't block the beads with, thread, as you stil need to attach the clasp through these beads The final touch isto add a beaded clasp (see pages 30-32)Swelly belly VARIATIONSwelly belly variations © Ir you je! the fished! tbe of the Swelly Belly desi the expanded sections are quite fesbe, yet re held in 0 tubular form by the narrawer sections To make the ‘expanded sections firmer, work the same design, bu change the intersection beads inthe expanded sections 10 choplet beads instead, © Ifyou ore bored with folowing a set patter, i i time to get ceative Try the following ideas for necklaces ard bracelets First of al you can work the expanded sections as close or as far part as you like — just make sure that you hove enough beads. \ Addn sore sections of severl rounds using croplet beods (5s intersection beads on the expanded sections To odd a little colour variation. vy working the sections in ferenc colours or reverse the colours for the expanded sections ‘Now you have the idea and can fee! how rruch firmer your expanded sections are with @ droplet bead asthe intersee: ‘ion bead you could go on and try using a size 8* seed bead or a crystol bead instead of a croplet bea The bive wariaton uses droplet beods 0s intersection beods on the expanded sections onf Te llec varation uses fiosted-finsh droplet beods on the expanded sect an tube ‘ond forfour rounds nthe ONTube train lariar ‘The Tube Train is a netted tube with a second layer of netting INGREDIENTS size 11" seed beads 20g main colour A 10g contrast colour 8 ‘8g each contrast colours C and D ‘5g contrast colour E . the feel of the method. The lariat is worked in the same way as the Slinky Lariat (see page 17), three- bead cet netted tube. This time you use ‘one intersection coleur and one main colour to form the tube. Make the base lariat using this combination: ‘ze 10 needle beading thread Foundation ring Pick up one A bead and one B bead alternately until you have a total of 12 beads. tie the thread in a ring and bring the needle out through a 8 bead First round Follow the Changing Scale Lariat instructions on page 18 to make your lariat using three-bead sets of one A, one Band one A bead throughout To work the expanded section Start a new thread and bring it out of an intersection bead atthe end of your lariat tube. the last row to be netted, Pickup a five-bead set of two C, one E and two C beads then pass into the next intersection bead round (you wil be skipping over the unused one that .was part ofthe foundation ring, pick up another five-bead set and pass through ‘the next intersection bead. Repeat once more and you will be back at the start Step up through the intersection bead and the first three beads ofthe fist new set added.You will be working on these sets now, covering the original ‘tube but not using ay of ts beads Round two Repeat with five beads and step up at the end of the round, Rounds three and four Pick up a seven- bead set of two C. one D. ore E,one D and two C beads, and passthrough the next intersection bead of the round ON worked over itThe second layer shares the intersection beads of the base tube, then expands and contracts just like the Swelly Belly design, before rejoining the original tube. Try this simple lariat to get before, Repeat twice more and step up at the end of the round. Rounds five and six Pek up a sine bess} set of two C,two D. ene E,two D and ‘wo C beads, pass through the next intersection bead of the round before, repeat twice more and step up at the end of the round Rounds seven and eight As rounds three and fou: Round nine As round two. To rejoin to your beadwork, squish the new tube section down, pick up two CC beads and pass through the nearest intersection bead an the oxginal tube. Pick up two C beads and pass through the next intersection bead of the expanded section. Repeat until bath tubes are joined together AeA ‘Add anather expanded section using rounds one to four and back again and starting eight rounds along the tube from the end of your fist expanded section. Repeat at the other end of the lariat Attaching fringes to finish Decorate the unused intersection beads at each end ofthe lariat with colourful fringes ~ see page I8 for how to make and atach a finge to your beadworkTube train red > Now that you have mastered the Tube Train method, try this more elaborate design. | find it easier to work the whole base first, then add in thread to work the expanded sections over it. | used a matt red bead as. INGREDIENTS size 11" seed beads 32g main colour A 16g contrast colour 8 . size 10 needle beading thread . Fished length 48cm (9in). ‘excluding dasp Stort new ses by using the intersection beodk on the existing tbe. the main colour for the tube and a rainbow-finish shiny red for the contrast beads. These colours were reversed for the expanded sections. The base is worked in a three-bead netted tube. Foundation ring Pickup 16 beads alternating the A and B beads you have chosen Tie the rng firmly and bring the thread out through @ B bead next to the knot To work the rounds Pick up three-bead sets of one A. one Band one A bead, passing the needle ‘through every fourth bead of the foundation ring as you add the sets. Step Up for the nest round. Add three-bead sets, passing through the intersection ( beads of the round before, and step Up at the end of each roune. Work until your tube measures 48cm (I8in) and then dose the tube ends, To add the first expanded section Fst count along the rounds from one end and mark an intersection bead of round 56 with a spare piece of thread. From your marked beads, count along another 8 rounds and mark an intersection bead of that round (round 64), Bring a new thread out at the fist marked bead (remove the fist marker thread), Work a round of fie-bead sets (1W0 A, one B and two A), joining them through the intersection beads of the round you marked ~ see diagram, left Reverse your colours for these and the following sets You now have the foundation round of the expanded section i place. Next two rounds Work as sever-bead sets, through the intersection beads of the new tube round. Next round Work as nine-bead sets Next two rounds Work s seven-bead sets, fo Rejoin the new tube tothe exsing ne by ‘shanng the intersection beads for the last round The final round rejoins the nerted tube Using the intersection beads of the second marked round To do this pick up ‘wo beads, passthrough an intersection bead on the neckace, pick up two more beads and pass through the next intersection bead on the expanded section ~ see diagram. above. Keep working round tl the two sections are joined, then frsh off the thread To odd the other expanded sections and finish off ‘You will need to add another five ‘expanded sections, each worked over ceght rounds and spaced 12 rounds apart Finish off the thread tals and add a clasp (see pages 30-32), Ifall the marking and counting is too much to contemplate, you could find the conve of your neties tube and work the first expanded section over it then space your other exganded sections equal distances from each end Ifyou Pian to add lots of expanded sections remember to add more beads to your ingredients ist.Tube train variations =A) SSS (Te method of working anger tube over a thinner one hes 50 % ‘many possibitis, such cs the following 19 Try working a sevenbead tube over @ tree beod tube for a dense ond colouful bangle or necklace © Add in some expanded sections to the larger wibe These can be stretched out or scrunched up to create different texturesClasps: button and loop a —<—<——=— ey Attach button tha stk of beods behind ito accomodate the e loop. Add loop t0 the ther end of your work big encugh to fit over the button dé a row of peyote 00h tothe foop to ake i store ond ‘more colour Creating your own clasps is easy, and another chance to get inventive. Buttons are a simple and easy way to create colourful closures to match your beadwork. And it can be great fun searching out that perfect button. have a collection of finds’ now waiting for that perfect piece of beading If you have time, itis worth experimenting with buttons and toggles made entirely of beads. They will always match the mood of your beadwork if you use the same colour beads. Buttons and loops There isa whole world of glass buttons on offer from plain to gorgeously patterned, and they come in all the finishes that beads do.| prefer flat or ‘opale buttons.as they ie better and are less ikely to come undone than round or ballshaped ones. Shank buttons ~ those ‘with a loop at the back ~ are easy to stitch onto your beadwork at one end of 1 nacklace or bracelet Hole buttons those with two or more holes — work. elif you decorate the thread passing across the button surface with a few beads You need to create a shank for the loop te be accommadated behind the button, but this is easly done with a few beads. To make a button and loop clasp Take your beadwork and attach a thread to the beads at the very end Thread on three beads. then pass though a hole in your button from back to front Thread con enough beacs to cover the distance between the hoes of your button then 0 back through the other hole in your button (fits a fourhole button, add more beadk next time round). ‘Add one more bead then pass the tread through two ofthe tree beads behind the button before passing back into the beads atthe end of your necklace, on the opposite side of the end to where you started Those two beads work lke itle legs across the back of the button and keep the stalk. and therefore ‘the button, nicely centred: Work through some beads of the necklace, then back ON ‘through all the beads and the button agin, before finishing off the thread The more passes you can make with the thread the stronger your dasp will be. To make the loop At the other end of your necklace, attach anew thread and sting on enough beads to form a loop that will JUST sip over the button. Itis worth trying. cone more or one less bead to get the fit exactly right Pass your needle back through the beads of your necklace end ‘then back through al the beads ofthe loop again For a fancy loop, you can now peyote- sitch a row of beads Bring the needle out atthe base ofthe loop Plck up a bead, skp the next bead on the loop and pass through the one ater it Repeat al the way round the loop unt you are back at the start | Ike ths fish because it ges the loop extra strength.Clasps: beaded toggle Lh. Start with a row of beads then wark back up the rom adksng new beads aerate ri Alrove: Every new row starts by kde beod RightJoin the tube ends by ‘pping up working back and forth from ane edge ‘bead tothe other You can work a narrow tube of beadwork using peyote or brick stitch, The tube should be five or six rows roun in size I seed beads. To work @ peyote tube “Thread on a stap beacl to stop all the others fling off as you work Use a diferent colour bead and pass your thread through it twice, making sure not to split the thread with your needle. Leave 2 ISem (6ir) tal Foundation row Pidk up 14 beads (Gagrams show 8 beac) pick up bead rumber |5, sip bead Hf and pass the neede through bead 13, pointing the neede towards the stop bead. Pull all the thread up tight Pick up a new bead, skp bead |2, pass back through bead || and 50 on uni you" needle and thread exit bead one. Remove the stop bead and te the tall and the working thread togethec This will old all your beads in place, leaving you free to carry on beading The next and subsequent rows Pek up a bead, passthrough the last bead you added of the row before pick up another bead, pass through the next bead ofthe row before and repeat to the end of the row:To start each row, 1d, and 14 rows long worked pick up a bead and pass through the last bead of the raw just added. You will need to work 10 rows Check by counting the number of beads along the straight edges ~ there should be five beads to each straight edge. To zip up the ends To mp your work nto a tube fold lengthways and passthrough each bead that sis our going from side to ie Pull your tread up and the jon al sappear knot the thread tothe tail agin and frish of, To finish ‘Attach the tube to the end of your beadwork in the same way as you would attach a button, going through beads on the side of the tube to hold it in place. At the ather end of your necklace ar bracelet, attach a loop. VARIATIONS © The peyote tube con be worked in bands of colour using some, oF ly of the colours in your desig. Add the colours in pas, or groups of even numbers. © The foundation row for this peyote tube design always fas an even umber of beads. You con make a longer or shorter version by adding more or fewer beods ot the start © Ifyou wont a foiter tube, work two or more rows before zipping up. This wal ‘ve you o bigger hole at the end. Fil it by threading o seed bead or larger beod over te hale. ONClasps: beaded button Flat, round peyote forms a neat disc of beadwork that will if you get By using efferent colours you can create ‘a number ofcferent patterns within your peyote buttons Add a loop jus big ‘enough to she aver your button ee Stare witha foundation ving of tee beads. Fess dough o bead next to the Anat reedy to set the fst rou @ ‘dd pas of sad tthe spoces between the singe beads MS Each oud cc single 0 pots of bead combanaions of sgl ord pais of ead your tension right lie as flat and firm as a button. It can be worked in any combination of bead colours to match your beadwork Try working each round in a different colour for the first one it easier to see where you are. Peyote buttons Foundation ring Pick up three beads and tie in a ring with a firm knot. Next round Bring the needle out ‘through a bead next to the knot, then acd two beads to the space between teach bead on the ring Step up by bringing the needle through the first bead on the ring and the first bead of the fst pair you added. Next round Pick up single beads to go into the spaces between the two beads it makes ofthe pairs ofthe round before, and pice of beads ta go into the spaces between each ofthe pats of beads of the row before ‘To continue Follow the large diagram below to see where to add single or pairs of beads in each row. Pull the thread uptight as you work: If your disc is floppy. work through all the beads with ‘thread again Attach your beaded button ‘0 your beadwork inthe same way as you would add a regular button Fotow the char ofthe complece design to odd ifthe ici stil realy Noppy or you want a mare substantial beaded button work two peyote buttons using the same colours and then zip the edges together by pasing your need aerrately through the edge beads ofeach bution unt they are neatly joined together ONSection Flat netting can be rounded too e ~ Ne you should be really comfortable with netted tubes: and thread tension. Section Four is a complete change in pace and moves away from tube-constructed netting to ‘explore flat netting To get you used to making flat pieces and Zipping them up, we start with a cute beaded ring These are great fun to make and use up those small amounts of spare beads that are never quite enough for a full project. Flat netting may not appear to lend itself to shaping, but it ilustrates one more step in the quest for self-supporting netted structures as we begin to explore the physics of ‘structure, Threac tension comes into play as always, but this ‘time it is assisted by bead size, Be amazed by your first piece of stretchy net, and also by netted beadwork that begins to mimic the properties of that original piece of plastic packaging | worked with, ‘We then apply these ideas to netting in the round, In Section Two you worked on surface embellishment and used it for decoration. Within the following projects it is used to add surface tension, helping to pull your flat netting into a rounded shape that will happily stay rounded on its own. Be prepared to start mixing it up with bead sizes and to play with the scale and texture of your embellishment. We also take a ook at some alternatives to netted tubes ‘as a base for your work, with simple wire work and some colourful textiles to get your ideas flowing.Ring INGREDIENTS size 11" seed beads ‘Sg.each colours A,B and C 5g size 9° or 8” beads (optiona) ° size IO needle beading thread Version one: The basi ving portern Version ewo: Moke the basic ing better, then sting singe or pos of beads beoween cach ofthe beads a ie tip ofthe pcos Version three: Moke the basic rng pattern, but substitute the size 1° B beads with sze 9 0° 8" beads This litle ring design is worked in 2 form of netting that is a variation ofa version of netting sometimes known as chevron chain. It is worked as a strip and the ends are joined together to form the ring ‘The thread path is more complicated than regular netting. The design will get you used to working in a different way. Basic ring parrein Start by attaching a stop bead (see page 31) Leave a Iam (6in) ta Step one Pick up two A one B, one C, tone B, two A and one B bead Pass your needle back through the A bead next to the last B bead. Pull the thread up tight Ths forms the fist picot (see first diagram below) Stop two Pick up one A, one B and one CC bead, then go through the first 8 bead you began with. Pick up two A and one B,then pass back through the A bead Next to the B, Pul the thread up tight. (Gere second diagram below) Step three Pk up one A, one B and one CCthen pass through the B bead, added in Step Two. You have now formed two picots (see third dagram). Continue acing picots and using the B beads as the intersection beads The dagram will help you follow the thread path until you et into the rhythm, Continue until you have a length to fit around your finger The thread should be coming out of 2 B bead at the bottom right (jour start ‘thread is coming out of an A bead at the top left) You will need an even number of picots at the top, including the half- formed one you started with. At the bottom you will need the same number, less one, so you will have an odd number of picots To zip up the ends Pick up two A beads and one B bead, to form the final picot on the bottom. Pick Up one more A bead and then pass the needle up through the B,C and B beads ‘nex tothe final pico at the start Pass Up through the two A beads of ths picat and remove the stop bead. Pick up one B bead as the tip ofthis pict and pass back down through the A bead Pick up one more A bead and pass down ‘through the B and C beads to jon the ring together Your ring is now complete Pass the needle through the two B beads now lying side by side. to tighten the join, then pass back up to the tip ofthe picot and your original thread tai. Pull your ‘thread up. knot the thread tals together, then finish off the ends 7 Also lf Fur the fest pico. Centre:Add a set of bods for Step Two. igh Form the next pict and complete the sequence with onother set of beads. Nu Te finish off the cng inthe two ends together by acting beads 0 fish the pict sequence. ONRing bangle INGREDIENTS, size 1" seed beads 10g each colours A and B 5g size 9 beads colour © 10g size 8° beads colour D (optional . size 10 needle beading thread Version one (near right): The basic bangle patter. The far right Bangle the basic bangle wih picots (as hagrarn on this page). then beads at picot tps joined with single beads between ther (as ‘variation shown on previous page). Version two (centre right): Add picots long the edge and then add a second row of beads between the picot tips. Two or three seed beads wil neatly fil the gap ‘and give you a straight edge: more wi give you a nicely undulating edge. Version three (not shown): Moke the basic bangle pattem twice, then jon the picot beads together along one edge of ‘each bangle to make a weer bangle. Sle bead between the picot bears t fil the gap. You can then go on to decorate the Unattached edges either sie of your new wider bangle. Try the design with different sized beads to see what hoppens. ‘The ring bangle uses the same basic pattern as the ring, but you work a longer length. The net is slightly stretchy, so make it to just slide over your hand. For a medium-sized wrist, 38 picots seems to fit: add more for a larger wrist. fewer for a smaller one, Once you have the basic bangle made and zipped up, you can work back along the edges, adding a whole variety of embellishment. Try using bigger beads, or stick with the bead combination that you used for the basic bangle. Bosic bangle pattern Folow the pattern for the ring design on page 34, but work a strip long enough to side over your hand, Zip up the ends. To embellish the edges Use the beads at the tip of the picots as intersection beads and add another picot between each one “These wil ie in all sorts of directions faving you a rules edging The basic design diagram on the right shows picots of three beads giving your picats one-bead legs. For ather picot options, see page 22.Expanda bangle This netting really is stretchy and will slide over the hand and then sit INGREDIENTS, size ||" seed beads 10g each colours A and 8 . 5g se 9' beads colour C snugly back around your wrist: Teenagers love them, as do those who love to wear beadwork but have tired joints that don't want to have to deal with fiddly clasps any more.The design works without hidden tricks or elastic — just as long as you have mastered the thread tension by now. Basic bangle parrern Add a stop bead, as you did for the ring pattern (see pages 31 and 34).Fallow the left-hand dagram below, reading up and down it vertical starting at the top let Step one The first row is one long string in your chosen colour order When you get to bead 6 (you will hve 2 beads on the thread). pick up one more bead and pass the neecte back through bead %6 to form the first picot. Step two Add seven beads (with bead 7 in the middle), then pass the needle fist row Add seven more beads (bead 'S will be in the middle) then pass the needle through bead 7 Step three To make the second picot, Pick up four beads (the last one wil be bead'9), pick up one more bead, then pas back through bead Now that {yu have the first two rows in place, the pattern is beginning to form, Make sure ‘that you pull your threads up tightly as you work Keep working until you have 24 picots top and bottom including the halFfinshed picot at bead’! bead’ isat the top lef. your working thread should finish at the bottom right of your work, To zip up the netting Following the reanrght diagram, pick up three beads, then pass the needle through bead'S' of your frst row worked Pick up three more beads and pass the needle through ‘the next intersection bead of your last row. Keep working Lup until you reach bead’ then remove the stop bead. Pass the needle through bead’! Pidk up one bead and pass the needle back through bead" Work both your thread tails back through the neting knotting the thread as you werk uti itis secure then snip off any leftover talsExpanda bangle variations © Once you have tried the Expand bangle in two colours try it with more / colours The flower pattern bangles use the same basic design, but are worked in four bright shades of size |” seed bea The basic design wil easly ts doreter sie ard ig tos unstretched stote to fi srugy © Ifyou work the design but change the intersection beads to just one larger the elasticty of your net increases radically giving you a truly elastic m ist tube of netting that wil always spring back to its tightest form Try it with n beads, or even size 8's © You can add some sparkle Jon bead at each substi picot with a crystal or similar glass bead. © You can make a wider bangle by usi design in sze 9” seed beads and sub size 8's. larger beads work the whole stitute the 1on beads © Vary the picot Instead of adding one bead at th p.add a set of beads with an accent bead such as a round glass or crystal bead in the centre Simply pass back through the ntersection be: in the usual way to reads, Ser ined purple beads the sme desNetball bead INGREDIENTS sze 11" seed beads 10g each colours A and B size 10 needle beading thread @ e ra @ § @ @ 3 6 ee @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ee ee @ 8 Flat netting with different set sizes can be zipped up into a tube that will have more space in the centre and less at the ends. By joining the beads at 9 tips of the picots, the tube can be encouraged into a ball shape. Thus the basics we have covered so far come together to make a beaded bal. The basic ball porte Add a stop bead, as you did forthe ring pattern (see pages 31 and 34) Follow the diagram eading up and down it vertically starting atthe top left Step one Start at'I' on the dagram and pick up one A and one B bead. Pass back ‘through the A bead to form the tip of the frst picot, Stop two Pick up the beads in sequence ‘rom the top to the bottom of the let- hand side of the dagram (24 beads in total including bead’), pass back ‘through the A bead next to bead’8' and pul the thread up tight. Step three Work back up the chart, adding bead sets and passing through the intersection beads as marked At the top, form the next picot. Keep working up and down, making sure that your set sizes correspond, and that you pass ‘through the right intersection beads Pl your threads up tightly as you work. Keep working until you have 16 picots top and bottom. including the part- formed picat at bead'I”fbead'I'is at the top left, your working thread should fish at the bottom right of your work. To zip up the nen Pick up one bead. then pass the needle ‘through the part-used intersection bead of your start row.Pick up two more beads and pass the needle through the next intersection bead of your last row, Keep working up untl you reach bead “V,adding the right number of beads to keep the set sizes the same, then remove the stop bead. Pass the needle through ‘the first picat again Work both your ‘thread tals back through the netting, knotting the thread as you work un is secure, then snip off the tals. To form the ball Bring your needle out ofa picot bead, pick up a bead and pass through the ext picot bead along Repeat right round one edge. Pul the thread up tight (you may need to pass through all the beads again), then finish off the thread, Repeat on the other edge of the ball.Spiky embellishment ‘The zipped-up ball is fairly squishy, even if your thread tension is perfect.To enable the ball to hold its shape, you need to add some surface INGREDIENTS 5g se 15’ seed beads ‘Sg sze |" seed beads 5g sae 9 seed beads tension in the form of embellishment. worked iS through the intersection beads, size 10 needle beading thread Adding embellishment Step three Werk down through the beads ofthe ball to the next intersection Step one Bring the needle out ofan _—_—bead Below then add another splke. intersection bead below the last row ‘Work up and down the netting, adding a. (2ot one that forms the picot edge) You spike over every intersection bead ws be working from one edge tothe other this wil help pul the balinto_Pullshe thread up as tht as possible as shape, you work to help create an even surface Step two Pickup one size one ||° tension over your beaded ball Don't be and one IS" bead (or ary combination tempted to work round and round the of beads ending ina size 15').Pass back ball as this wll create a diferent tension ‘through the II" and3* bead. and then and squish your bal back into a tube through the intersection bead from Below are examples of netball in matt the other side (0 thatthe spike wil story shiny ser and turquite seed ec over the intersection bead). Pull beads. For more necklace ideas using this the thread uptight. techrique, see page 40. rake o sting of beads Instead of wary cnet tube (as the three-bead example shown right like the ‘one on poge 18), you could thread eech beod ene a length of wire and form @ loop ot each end. Make a selection of ‘beads on wire to go in between your rnetbols for @ luxurious design The ite stars on the lariat ore made just lice the beaded button on poge 32. Stare Uith six Beads ana ving Ack! a single bead between each bead for the next round, then ocd thee beads becween each ange bbeod forthe lost round Fish off your ‘Uread tall and ettach to your lana wich beads, os you would to moke a fing.