Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Beads?!


Favorite Scarf Ever. Pattern info via Ravelry.


I know nothing about beads. Not completely true. I know that beads are round-ish and have holes so they can be strung. Relevance? Well, a while back I bought some van Gogh inspired sock yarn at my LYS. (Translation: local yarn shop) Click here to see original post. Later, when I was in another yarn shop, having neither the yarn nor a picture of it on my phone, I stumbled upon matching beads at a trunk show. I like trunk shows and when there is a bead trunk show at a yarn shop...   

Here's a pic of the yarn and perfectly matched beads.
Anyway, the scarf has been finished and blocked for a while, meaning May 24th. So, after a metaphorical nod to my friend procrastination, I decided there’s no time like the present to add the beads. I’ve never added beads before, but I have added fringe, should be easy, right? 


Ready for beaded fringe
Not so fast. Due to my lack of knowledge regarding beading along with my disdain for most things math, I paid no mind whatsoever to the diameter of the holes in relationship to the size of my yarn. In other words, the yarn was too large to simply string through the beads. And, the beads were too large to loop and crochet. Thus, my dream of adding beaded, crocheted fringe was not to be. Sigh.



Beads attached to yarn and ready to become fringe.
Again, not so fast. After mourning the demise of my dream for a respectable 5 minutes or so, I dried my eyes and set about making this work. I mean, the beads and yarn are a perfect match. I ended up tying/rigging the yarn with regular thread and using a sewing needle to thread/force the yarn through the bead. I attached with a crochet hook and voila! 

Queue the happy-ending music and roll the credits: beaded fringe.


I'm very happy with the results. Thanks for reading. I'd love to hear about your project challenges and how you overcame them! ~ Christina

12 comments:

  1. The scarf is gorgeous. Love the pattern and the beads are a wonderful match!!

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    1. Thanks! When I saw the beads I knew they'd be perfect - didn't even try to resist :)

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  2. Glad you were able to Mc Guyver the beads on! I recently had a challenge of finishing the Windschief hat. I frogged and ripped back and sought help on Ravelry from those who had completed that project. It helped to ask as I asked the right questions and was able to move on.

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    1. Thanks for reading! I was determined to make it work. I could have used a thinner yarn too, but wanted to stay with the same yarn :)

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  3. Very clever!! I once knit a little stuffed elephant and I put poly pellets in his feet to weigh him down. Well, the pellets kept escaping through the knitted fabric, so I ended up gluing old nylons onto the inside of the piece to keep the pellets contained. Worked like a charm!

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    1. What a great idea! I'll remember/borrow that idea. I'm just starting to make stuffed toys as one of my bffs has a brand new baby. Thanks for reading and following :)

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  4. You are so sweet! If I ever get out to your area...I'd love to meet with you. Mahalo for reading KO and I love your open, honest voice via your blog!

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    1. Thanks for your kind works, Kepanie. You must come to Lake Michigan on the Michigan side - it's like being at the ocean but with sugar sand and no salt :)

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  5. Helloooo, pleased to meet you, and thanks for stopping by at knitsofacto. Your beading is wonderful ... weren't those beads just the very best match :D

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    1. Great to meet you too. Am enjoying your blog :)

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  6. Beautiful scarf! I like the beaded fringe :) I haven't tried any beading with knitting yet, but I think sometime I will have to!

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    1. Hello Jesse thanks for stopping by and thanks for the compliment on my scarf. This was my first bead experience. Think I'm hooked... :)

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