More about beads!!!

Before starting - day 8 is out now and can be found here.

A few people choose to add beads to their tatting after completion.  I've never understood this as the sewing thread could so easily come undone.  When I do something I like it to 'stay done' and not fall apart!!  With a little planning and good instructions it's so easy to add beads into the work as the piece is made.

There are several ways of using beads in your work - at the top of the picot (that is, included in the picot itself) is probably the first method that comes to mind.

This needs a bit of 'planning'.  Patterns should tell you to add the beads either to the shuttle or chain threads (sometimes both) and the quantity before starting.  When the element (ring, chain, split ring or whatever) is reached that needs the bead then some patterns will instruct you to move the bead to the back of your hand before starting the next part.  Always read the instructions before starting each element - just in case!!!  When annotating patterns I tend to use B as the instruction for a bead used like this (see below) with the 'move B to back of hand before starting ring' at the end of the previous element.  Sometimes I forget, though.

If the bead is to lie between the doubles then it stays on the shuttle thread until required by the pattern's instructions.  Then it's just moved along the core thread to sit there happily between it's two doubles!!!  Like this picture below.  In this case I use the instructions MB (move bead).  This is perhaps the easiest way of using beads but does leave a thread over the top.  Useful effect for some patterns and very useful for placing 'eyes' in critter designs!!!

Combining the top two methods (on and in a picot) gives some interesting effects like the sample shown below.  There are other combinations too.

Another way of adding beads is one  I first found in 1974 when I bought (new as just published!!!) Rhoda Auld's book.  This is what I've always thought of as the 'lazy way' of adding beads!!!  Why lazy?  Well, no planning is needed!!!  When you feel you want or need a bead you add it to the thread round your hand, take the shuttle thread through the loop coming out of the top of the bead and then snug up the thread.  I  think the result is ugly.  I've never liked the threads showing over my beads so soon after using that method I abandoned it.  This is how it's done!!

And this is what it looks like when finished!  Not my cuppa tea!!!!  I found that the thread round the bead 'snagged' on things too.

Tomorrow I'll be talking my final (probably!) talk about beads in tatting.