Knot Knecessarily Known Knitting

A third approach to adding beads with crochet is a hybrid method. This involves pre-stringing, so has all the caveats about stringing multiple colors in order, difficulty in fixing mistakes, and fraying yarn. It also has the advantage that if you strung correctly, the beads are not going anywhere. This method is slow because not only is the bead secured by being strung, it is secured again by pulling a loop through the bead. You'll need beads with large holes for this technique. In technique video 5 the hybrid method is used in between stitches. The result in double crochet is a horizontal bead that is very secure. In single crochet, the result is more angled. Also, this method means the bead is on the chain, and can interfere with making the next row of stitches. This method is best suited to adding beads on a final edge or adding looping swags of beads in a chain stitch edge. In technique video 6 the hybrid method is used in the middle of making a...

If pre-stringing beads for crochet is unappealing, then maybe adding loose beads as you work is better? Once again, there are advantages and disadvantages. On the upside, there are greater options for improvisation and creative freedom. You can change your mind, rip back, fix mistakes. And you aren't dragging yarn through lots of beads, so less likely to damage yarn. On the downside, you have loose beads. Have you ever tipped over a container of beads? It is amazing how far they go! Another positive is since you are pulling a loop through, two strands of yarn pass through the center of the bead. It feels more secure. In my series, technique video 3 shows adding an unstrung bead in between stitches.  The result in double crochet is similar to a pre-strung bead between stitches — horizontal orientation that is reversible. There is a little piece of yarn that goes underneath the bead but the bead has two strands going through the center. Single cr...

Like many fiber artists, I am multi-craftual. I don't crochet a lot. But I know how to crochet. For some projects, crochet is the appropriate choice. Crochet is stiffer than knitting. For items that take hard wear, crochet can be a good solution. And there are a lot of lovely lace patterns in crochet. I decided to investigate adding beads to crochet. Since I like crochet lace patterns and beads go well with lace, this seemed like a good idea. And I found I wasn't always happy with what I got. Specifically, I was often unhappy with little strands of yarn that went around the outside of the beads. In knitting, beads are often reversible. In crochet, sometimes so and sometimes not. And I was specifically unhappy with how there didn't seem to be a way to thread a bead on to a crochet stitch. A double-crochet is a nice sturdy post. Surely there must be a way to get all of that post through the center of a bead? My experiments resulted in a series...