Confessions of a Bead-aholic: Tips on Knitting with Beads

 by Kathy Conway

Hi, my name is Kathy and I am a bead-aholic.  There.  I confessed it!! First of all, let’s face it.  We could all use a little bling these days.  Being addicted to beading has its benefits. Because of it, I have lots of ear rings, and necklaces. Most importantly, I have some super knitted items which I have bedecked with lovely, beaded accents that make me smile!! Knitting with beads is so much fun.

How do I add beads to my knitting projects? There are several ways and all of them are fun, and believe me, I have tried them all! 

1.  Put them on your yarn before starting your project.  As you knit, scoot a bead between the stiches as you need to. 
2. Add them over a stitch by using dental floss.
3. Sew them on after the project is completed.
4.  Attach beads to small lobster claw clasps and clip them onto the garment.  You can position them to add weight on the edge of your work, like the bottom of a shawl or to highlight a collar or sleeve cuff.

Lets explore these 4 ways of adding beads.  Get out your yarn and some beads and play with me!

Pre-loading beads onto Yarn

1.  When adding beads onto yarn before starting a project there are some things to keep in mind. First, the needle and bead selection must fit each other.  When selecting beads, chose ones that easily slide onto the yarn. Then, figure out how many beads you will need on each skein by doing a test swatch.  Knit a  4” x 4” square to gauge to calculate how many beads per inch you need to slide onto your yarn skein.  Then take a needle that will slide through the hole on your bead.  Thread the yarn through the needle and start sliding beads on! The process will look like this; knit, slide a bead into place, knit, slide a bead into place. ADDICTING!!!

Adding beads directly to yarn by hand before knitting

Knitting pre-strung beads

Using Dental Floss

• Use dental floss! Add a bead directly on a stitch by slipping the stitch off the right-hand needle thread dental floss through the stitch loop.  Put the ends of the floss together and thread the ends through the bead hole.  Then just slide the bead down the floss and onto the stitch.  Put the stitch back on the needle and away you go!!!  Easy peasy and so fun!!

Sew on After Finishing Project

• If you choose to sew on your beads after the project is done, use a good quality beading thread in a color that will blend with your yarn.  Any bead size works, because the yarn does not have to fit through the needle.  If you are adding a beaded fringe, consider attaching the beads to seam binding or bias tape in a coordinated color.  Once the tape has been sewn on the knitted work, it will stabilize the fringe better. An added bonus; the beads won’t be so abrasive on the knitted fabric. 

Fun with Lobster claws

• Adding a few beaded weights on the edge of a shrug, jacket, shirt, top or shawl can elevate the look of your project and help it lie flat and straight.  However, the beads can make your project harder to clean.  I like to use small lobster claw clasps with beads attached.  They can be clasped directly to the garment and can be removed before washing the project. 

Try it out!

All these techniques can be used to add a slight twinkle to your outfit.  You can also do color work with them!  Now, get out there, buy some beads and get your twinkle on!!