A bit of BLING!

As you may have noticed lately I've got a bit of a bead addiction. With my Beads & Lace Collection coming out in August I thought I ought to share with all of you how to add beads to your knitting.

'Picadilly' from The Beads & Lace Collection due in Aug.

The traditional way of adding beads is to thread them all on the yarn before you start knitting and then slip them in place in front of the stitch as you knit. It's very tedious to thread all the beads on to the yarn and pulling them down the yarn as you knit can wear the yarn out especially if it's a delicate lace yarn. In addition,  the beads are placed in front of a stitch which you slip. With loose gauge knitting like lace shawl the beads may not stay where you put them.

'Gloriana' from The Beads & Lace Collection published in Aug.

Adding beads using a crochet hook or dental floss is much easier. The beads are placed on a stitch and stay where you put them. You can add the beads as you go and it's quick and easy especially when you get a bit of practice. So I've done a little video showing you how to add beads using a tiny crochet hook and dental floss.

Unnamed shawl from The Beads & Lace Collection published in Aug.

I do prefer the crochet hook method over the dental floss which i find a bit fiddly. Try both and use the method you like. You get the same effect with both.

Another advantage of using a crochet hook or dental floss is that because the bead sits on the stitch, it's visible from both sides which is perfect for garter stitch shawls making them completely reversible.

Here's my video demo:

Enjoy the rest of the weekend. I'm starting spinning for Tour de Fleece. My aim is to spin while watching the Tour de France highlight show every night. I'll tell you more about it next time.