daggers are for wearing! bead crochet a stunning two … using a crochet bead pattern ... i had seen...

Copyright © 2013 by Kathleen Lynam, LearnToBead.net.

This handout is available for purchase at www.LearnToBead.net or www.LandOfOdds.com, and is intended for personal use only. Reproduction of this handout by or for any persons other than personal use is strictly prohibited. Kits, Supplies, Tools available for purchase at www.LandOfOdds.com or www.LearnToBead.net .

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Dragon Back Bracelet with Kathleen Lynam

A LearnToBead.Net Class www.LearnToBead.net

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Dragon Back Bracelet Instructor: Kathleen Lynam Turquoise Luster Intermediate Level (arial 12, italic, not bold) BW2-CRO-01-Bead Crochet

Daggers are for wearing! Bead crochet a stunning two-sided bracelet – one side using size 8/0

seed beads and the other all glass daggers.

This set of instructions is organized as a series of (arial 8, bold, italics, add page numbers at end) Jewelry Design Choices:

SUPPLIES LIST, p. 3 I. Planning Your Project , p. 4

IA. Conceptualizing Your Piece, p. 5 IB. Measurements, p. 6 IC. Selecting Materials, p. 7 ID. Sketching a Pattern or Graph, p. 7 IE. Identifying Potential Areas of Weakness within Your Piece, p. 8 IF. Visualizing Your Process, p. 8 IG. Organizing Your Work Space, p. 10

II. Begining Your Project, p. 10 IIA. Basic Steps, p. 10

A1. BEAD CROCHET ROPE, p. 11 A1(1). Preparation, p. 11 A1(2). Row 1 Ladder, p. 12 A1(3). Row 2 Convert Ladder Row to Slip-Stitch Row, p. 13 A1(4). Subsequent Rows to end, p. 15 A2. CLASP ASSEMBLY, p. 16 A3. ATTACHING CLASP ASSEMBLY, p. 22

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IIB. Dealing with Contingencies, p. 23 IIC. Finishing Touches, p. 24

III. Summary of Learning Objectives You Have Met After Accomplishing This Project, p. 25

IV. Next Steps, p. 26 IVA. Suggested Readings , p. 26

What You Will Learn: - Using a crochet bead pattern with different bead shapes and sizes - Implementing a reversible bead crochet pattern which allows for easy wearability - How to add more beads, after you have begun your rope - Discussion of two approaches for starting and ending a bead crochet rope - Making bead woven, brick stitched caps to cover a magnetic clasp - Attaching a bead woven, brick-stitched clasp assembly, which functions, in appearance, as a beaded bead

TimeFrame: This bracelet takes about 4-5 hours to complete

These Instructions are written from what is called The Design Perspective.

They first guide you through the kinds of choices to be made, when designing this particular piece. This gives you a sense of how the artist thought through the development of the project. This provides you with a better understanding and some insights about what kinds of things you would need to consider, when designing a similar piece, or adding personal touches to this project.

Then step-by-step, easy-to-follow instructions for completing this project are presented.

Finally, the skills learned by doing this project are summarized.

I have made a lot of crochet ropes using different sizes of seed beads. I was wondering what would happening if I used a different shape and size of bead -- especially in terms of wearability. Judith Bertoglio-Giffin who has written extensively on "bead crochet" has a pattern for a reversible crochet bracelet. I adapted this pattern as the solution, both to using different shapes, as well as preserving wearability.




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Supplies To Make a Bead Crochet Rope Bracelet To Fit A 6 1/2" - 7" Wrist:

Kit and Supplies available for purchase from: Land of Odds (www.landofodds.com ) LearnToBead.net (www.learntobead.net ) [Additional beads included with kit to make up to a bracelet to fit a 8” wrist.]

Generic Item Description This Project #1. Turquoise Luster

Your Project Variation

Crocheted Rope:

COLOR A: Size 8/0 seed beads, color coordinated with dagger beads (198-210 beads or 18 grams)

COLOR A: TOHO 8/0 seed beads, T8/0-PF561F, matte galvanized green teal, permanent finish (in kit, 23 grams)

Czech glass, 5x16mm daggers (aka, spearheads) (198-210 beads)

Czech glass, 5x16mm daggers, ultra luster turquoise blue 1/2 (in kit, 250 beads)

Bead Woven Clasp Assembly:

MagLok magnetic clasp, 8mm disc, silver plated, or similar very strong magnetic clasp (1 clasp)

MagLok magnetic clasp, 8mm disc, silver plated (in kit, 1 clasp)

"Bad" magnet (needed to hold onto good magnet, while gluing into bead cap) (1 magnet)

"Bad" magnet, 3/8" x 1/8" (in kit, 1 magnet)

COLOR B: 11/0 cylinder beads, coordinating color with the daggers (apprx 200 beads or 1.25 grams)

COLOR B: Miyuki 11/0 delicas, DB-1567, opaque sea opal luster (in kit, 2 grams)

COLOR C: 15/0 seed beads, coordinating color with the daggers (apprx 50 beads or .25 grams)

COLOR C: Miyuki 15/0 seed beads, 15/0-536, aqua green ceylon (in kit, 1 gram)

COLOR D: Czech glass, 4mm round druks, (or 3.4mm drops, or 4mm magatamas), coordinating color with the daggers (16 beads)

COLOR D: Miyuki 4mm Magatamas, MAG-2154, transparent pale aqua AB (in kit, 20 beads - 2 grams)

Other Materials Needed:

C-Lon, Tex 135, nylon Bead Cord (apprx .6mm thick), color matching Color A 8/0 seed beads (1 spool)

C-Lon, Tex 135, nylon Bead Cord, sage (in kit, 1 spool)

FireLine, Crystal, D, .008" cable thread (50 yard spool)

FireLine, Crystal, D, .008" cable thread (in kit, 1 50-yd spool)

Size 8, steel crochet hook Size 8, steel crochet hook (not provided in kit)

Big Eye Needle, 2 1/2" Big Eye Needle, 2 1/2" (in kit, pkg of 4 needles)

Size # 10 and Size #12 beading needles Size #10 and Size #12 English beading needles (in kit, 2 size #10 and 2 size #12 needles)

Coil-less Safety Pin Coil-less Safety Pin, 1 1/4" (in kit, 1 coil-less safety pin)


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5-minute, 2-part epoxy glue plus, a toothpick

(not provided in kit)

Bees Wax or Microcrystalline Wax Microcrystalline Wax (not included in kit)

(not included in kit) Scissors pen and pencil Ruler Work surface Bic lighter or thread zapper

Any lighting, magnification, chair cushion to meet your needs

DRAGON BACK BRACELET

I. PLANNING YOUR PROJECT Thinking about the types of choices made for this project

This project is for artists who have some experience with bead crochet, but want to take it a bit further.

I had seen some creative use of dagger beads in ropes done with crochet or peyote or other stitches. I liked the drama. The resulting texture was very appealing. But time after time, I found that many of these designs did not sit well on the wrist. Often, the daggers would not sit straight up, but would slump or spread out from each other, diminishing the effect of tightly arranged daggers pointing upwards. So, too, these bracelets would turn around on the wrist, the rows of daggers pushing sideways or twisting.




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I came across a pattern for a reversible bead crochet rope by Judith Bertoglio-Giffin. The design allowed one color to remain positioned facing the wrist, and the other color facing outward. I wondered what would happen if I incorporated the dagger beads in this 3-3-3-4 pattern. This worked.

Another dilemma I wanted to confront in this project, is how to attach the two ends together. In the Introductory class in this series, we make a bead crochet rope and slip on a beaded bead to hide the normally messy attached ends.[There is another technique to attach both ends with an invisible join, and I save this technique for another project.] In this class, I wanted to attach a clasp assembly, to each end, and disguise this clasp assembly as a beaded bead. This meant starting the rope using a ladder stitch. The ladder gives us something to anchor the clasp onto.

In our Dragon Back Bracelet, we make a rope, 6 size 8/0 beads around, bead-crocheted on Tex 135 C-Lon bead cord. We create brick stitched caps to cover each side of our magnetic clasp, and we attach these covered clasp parts to either side of our rope.

Bead Crochet uses a "slip-stitch", moreso than a specific "crochet-stitch." Success depends as much on your ability to manage the stitching and all the parts, using both hands, as it does on mastering the basic technique.

IA. Conceptualizing Your Piece

Ask yourself these questions: Purpose? Is this to be for a Woman (6 ½ - 7 ½”) or man (7 ½ - 8 ½”)? What is the Context/Setting the bracelet might be worn in? Sizing? Size of wrist? How loosely should it fit -- very loose, somewhat loose, tight? Given who is wearing the piece, what diameter should the rope bracelet be? 1/2", 3/4", 1", 2" more? What size beads, and how many beads around?

Materials? What types and materials of beads do I want to use? glass, gemstone, metal, mix? What size(s) or shape(s) of beads do I want to use? What kinds of stringing materials do I want to use, and do I want to wax the cord? Design and Color Issues? Given the use of both seed beads and daggers in my rope, what bead crochet pattern do I want to follow? Do I want to establish any kind of pattern? Or do I want things to be random? Are there any odds and evens issues? Are there spacing issues? Are there side up, side down issues? What color(s) do I want to use? What number of colors feels right -- not too many, not too few? How do I want to attach my clasp? Are there things I need to do, to prepare the ends of my bead crocheted rope for attaching the clasp? Should I glue my clasp in place? How long should my clasp assembly be, relative to the length of my bead crochet rope? Wearability? How easily will the bracelet, once the project is finished, conform to and feel comfortable on the wrist? sit positioned with daggers tight and facing up, as bracelet is worn?

Technique? How well can I maintain the consistency of tension while I bead crochet the rope? How well can I management my hands and brain to work in unison, as I bead crochet the rope? How well can I tighten the tension and rotate to the next bead at the same time, to get that even spiraling?

For this project, the aim is to use dagger beads as part of the design for a bead crocheted rope. It is important to coordinate the color choices for all our beads. These choices could use matching colors or coordinated colors. A crocheted rope has a naturally spiraling, sense of movement, and dimensionality to it. These qualities are important in contemporary design.




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The bracelet is for a woman with a 6 1/2" - 7" wrist, and is meant to be worn close to the wrist, and not loose. It is easy to add length to the design, for a bigger wrist, or if you like to wear this more loosely.

The rope is made up of 8/0 seed beads plus the daggers. I use a nylon bead cord called C-Lon in a size they refer to as Tex 135 (0.6mm thick), and in a matching color to the 8/0 seed beads. I find it important to select a bead cord thickness that will fill the bead holes, but not be too thick that the beads are pushed apart a bit, and the cord might show. I don't want the cord to show. If the cord is too thin, on the other hand, the beads will be too wobbly within our rope.

For the brick-stitched clasp, I use FireLine cable thread. I want the bead cap that we make to be stiff enough to sufficiently hug the magnetic clasp. FireLine helps achieve this stiffness. We will also be adding a drop of epoxy glue towards this end.

One of the major design challenges is to create a bracelet where the daggers don't gravitate to alternative positions -- that is slump or spread out -- and where the bracelet does not rotate and twist on the wrist, so that the daggers no longer point outward. The 3-3-3-4 reversible pattern we follow works in our favor here.

The clasp assembly is approximately 1" long with a 6" long rope. The clasp assembly is made to look like a beaded bead and focal point, so that it seems to be an organic part of the piece as a whole.

When we bead crochet, we need to coordinate things in both our left hand and in our right hand. This takes a little bit of practice. If your bead crochet skills are a little rusty, you will want to practice a little by making a short sample piece.

IB. Measurements

Ask yourself these questions: How many beads around for the bead crochet rope? How many beads around for the rope results in 1" in length? What proportion of clasp assembly length to rope length? Do I need any definable center points?

For this project, I wanted to make a bracelet approximately 7" (175mm) long, which includes the clasp, and which fits snugly around the wrist. In this case, the clasp adds about 1" to the piece.

MEASUREMENTS

Criteria This Project Your Project Variation

Bracelet length for 6 1/2" - 7” wrist, fitting close to wrist

- 6" rope - 1" clasp assembly

Rope - size of and number of beads around

8/0 seed beads, 6 beads around

# Delicas in ladder row 1 ring around 8mm clasp

17 11/0 delicas around (can use 14 11/0 seed beads around)

Crochet Rope Pattern 3-3-3-4 3 daggers - 3 8/0 - 3 daggers- 4 8/0

Crochet Rope Pattern Per Inch Repeat 3-3-3-4 three times as above Equals 1" of length

NOTE: There are 25mm in an inch. Rulers are marked in inches on one side and millimeters on the other.




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IC. Selecting Materials

Ask yourself these questions: Types of beads? Glass, metal, other? Sizes of beads? Stringing material? beading thread, cable thread?

For this project, we mix size 8/0 seed beads and 5x16mm glass daggers. The rope is strung on C-Lon bead cord, Tex 135 (0.6mm thick). The brick-stitched magnet caps are strung with FireLine cable thread, size D, .008".

We do not wax the bead cord.

Waxing the FireLine is optional.

ID. Sketching a Pattern or Graph

We can begin to make a simple sketch of what we want our piece to look like.

This sketch does not have to be to scale. It does not have to show all the elements.




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IE. Identifying Potential Areas of Weakness within Your Piece

Identify potential points of weakness within your piece. These are areas within your piece that you will want to add some extra reinforcement.

In our project, these are points of weakness:

1. Where we attach the bead-capped clasp to each side.

IF. Visualizing Your Process

Holding the piece.

I am right-handed. In bead crochet, I use my left fore-finger as an easel and my thumb as a clamp. I am holding the beads in their right place. I am controlling the tension on my bead cord.

I use my right hand to control the crochet hook.

The bead-to-be-stitched in your bead crochet, and which you are currently working on, should always be positioned in the "upper right hand corner".

With bead crochet, you want to tighten the tension on your working thread, and rotate to the next bead, at the same time, in order to get that even spiraling.

In bead crochet, your current row beads will sit perpendicular to your previous rows' beads.

In which direction do you want to work – away from you/towards you; towards you/away from you; side to side, clockwise, counterclockwise?

For this piece, I like to work the rope clockwise. For the brick, I am right-handed, so I prefer to work counter-clockwise.




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Where the thread goes in and where it comes out. The thread path for bead crochet is basically a slip stitch chain. You move a bead between each slip stitch, and secure it in place.

We will be doing some brick stitch to make our caps, where the thread snags a thread loop between two beads, in order to pull the new bead snugly against the previous row. We will finish off with a little bit of peyote stitch, where the thread path goes through the beads, rather than off the threads between beads.

Do you want to work from one end to the other, or complete the piece in stages, or create a series and components, and then attach them together?

I like to make the bead crochet rope first. Then, I create the bead caps for my magnet clasp, glue them in place, and let them dry overnight. Last, after a 24 hour interval, I attach the clasp to my rope.

Create a sample rope about 1 1/2" long. This gives you a chance to pre-test your ideas and strategies, before barging in to the full task. This lets your body/mind feel/understand the control you need over the thread's tension. Set your mantra going. Organize the “flow” of your work in your mind. Create a pattern and rhythm in your head, utilizing such things as shapes, sizes, and colors, and noting where thread goes in and where thread comes out, and whether you are working clock-wise, counter-clockwise or in a figure 8 motion.

BEAD CROCHET MANTRA: Under the loop, Bring up a bead Drape it over. Hold new bead with right index finger Switch to the left finger As you pull it through both loops.




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IG. Organizing Your Work Space

Get your beads, stringing materials, tools, ruler, wax, work surface, handy pen and paper, and the like, altogether in one place.

II. BEGINNING YOUR PROJECT

IIA. Basic Steps

I am assuming, for this project, that you have a working knowledge of bead crochet. I present the basic steps, but with limited detail.




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We will approach this project in the following order:

A1. BEAD CROCHET ROPE A1(1). Preparation A1(2). Row 1 Ladder A1(3). Row 2 Convert Ladder Row to Slip-Stitch Row A1(4). Subsequent Rows to end A2. CLASP ASSEMBLY A3. ATTACHING CLASP ASSEMBLY

A1. Let's Get Started With Our BEAD CROCHET ROPE

A1(1). Preparation

String up your beads on the bead cord. I like to string up about 2 1/2' to 3' of beads on my cord, to get started.

I string them up in line with my pattern: 3-3-3-4. Using a Big Eye Needle, I pick up 3 dagger beads, 3 8/0 seed beads, 3 more dagger beads, and last, 4 8/0 seed beads. And start again. But first, I string on 12 size 8/0 seed beads, and then start the pattern. The first 6 of these 12 beads is used to make the Row 1 ladder. The last 6 of these beads is used to make Row 2. So I will have made 2 rows before I settle into my 3-3-3-4 bead crochet pattern.

NOTE: We will also end our rope the same way, with 12 extra 8/0 seed beads -- enough to make 2 final rows.




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ADDING MORE BEADS, AFTER YOU HAVE GOTTEN STARTED I cut the working bead cord, leaving a 12" tail. I string up another 2 1/2' to 3' of beads on a new bead cord, extending from my spool, and leaving about 12" of cord showing at the beginning.. I attach the old working cord to the new cord, using a Weaver's Knot. The Weaver's Knot allows you to maintain the same tension in your work as you bead.

Make first loop. Put the tail end of new thread under the old thread (L to R). Cross new thread over old thread (R to L). Then, cross the new thread back under itself (L to R). Finally, cross the new thread back over the old thread.

Make second loop. Gently put the tail of the old thread over the new thread. (A), over the new thread (B), and into loop and under new thread (C). Pull old thread tail down, to close loop, and bring knot closer to beads. Hold both ends of old thread together with one hand, and both ends of the new thread with the other hand. Pull ends away from each other to tighten the knot.

WEAVER'S KNOT

A1(2). Row 1 Ladder

2

Starting the bead crochet rope with a Ladder Stitch gives us a straight end to attach our clasp assembly to. This is a good way to start, especially for beginners, because it keeps the beads from totally unraveling.

NOTE: If we had begun with a slip stitch, this would have started our rope with a bad looking end -- one difficult to work our bead-capped clasp off of.




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Using our big eye needle, pick up 2A. Circle back around, so that each bead is sitting next to each other, hole side up.

Pick up another 1A. Circle back around.

Do this 4 more times, so that you have a 6 bead ladder stitched row.

After we make our ladder, we need to turn it into a tube.

Attach your last bead and first bead, to bring your ladder into a circular shape.

We are done with our Ladder Row 1. We can take our big eye needle off the bead cord.

The rest we will do with our crochet hook.

A1(3). Row 2 Convert Ladder Row to Slip-Stitch Row

A. We need to convert our Ladder Row to a Slip Stitch Row.

We need a working Loop. Using the crochet hook, go under the first "thread-bridge", drape the thread over the hook, and pull through to have a Loop.

B. Rotate your piece clockwise. So, now your next 2nd bead is on top of our row's circle.

Go under the thread-bridge connecting the 2nd and 3rd bead. Bring up the first bead on your working cord. Drape your working cord over the hook. Pull through both loops.




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C. Repeat all the way around.

You should be able to see 6 beads laying horizontally. (In the ladder row below them, all the beads are laying vertically.

NOTE: As you crochet/slip-stitch each round, these beads will change position, and be oriented vertically.




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A1(4). Subsequent Rows to end

D. Subsequent Rows

We immediately go into our pattern.

- We will not be dealing with bridges. - We will be going under the bead.

Steps: 1) Go under bead, push bead to right side of hook 2) Give a little tug on working thread 3) Bring up a bead 4) Hold in position, so it is the middle bead (behind 1st bead) 5) Drape thread over hook 6) Pull through 2 loops 7) Rotate to next bead, and begin again.




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When you have to stop in the middle of your work...

Stick a coil-less safety pin into your active loop (where your crochet hook is), to prevent your slip stitched work from unraveling. Wrap your working thread with strung beads around the spool of the bead cord, or other spool. Cover this up with something like an elastic bandage, or with a knee-hi stocking.

A2. CLASP ASSEMBLY

We are going to create beaded caps to cover both sides of a magnetic clasp. We are going to make our clasp look like a beaded bead.

For this, we need to use cylinder or delica beads. These, when woven together, line up together, like a solid wall, with no gaps to let the magnet show through.

You will also need a magnet, about 8mm in size, disc shaped, and with loops on either end. Magnet clasps come in different strengths. You will want the strongest ones available. One particularly good brand is MagLok.

We will also be using some 15/0 seed beads, Fireline Size D, either fringe drops, magatamas, or 4mm round druks, and some epoxy glue. You can use a size #10 beading needle.

MAKING THE BEAD CAPS

We will be using Brick Stitch to make the sides of the cap. When you work with just a few rows -- 3 in our case -- Brick Stitch is easier to manage than Peyote. Brick Stitch is easier to hold onto, and we do not have to worry about it twisting.

We switch to Peyote Stitch to make the top of our cap.




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The "Tube"

We begin Brick Stitch by making a Ladder. We are going to make our ladder 17 cylinder beads around.

Pick up 2B, and circle around. Pick up another 1B, and circle around the previous bead. Your beads will be sitting side by side, holes facing up and down. Continue until you have a ladder of 17 beads.

Follow your thread path all the way back around, to reinforce Row 1 -- the ladder row.

Rows 2 and 3: We will brick stitch these rows off of our ladder.

You are exiting a Row 1 bead. Pick up 2B. Go under the first thread-loop, and back up through your 2nd bead. Pull snugly into place. Pick up another 1B. Go under the next thread-loop, and back up through this bead. Pull snugly into place.

Continue picking up1B, until you have snagged that last thread loop in the row. Step up through the next bead in Row 2, so that you can begin Row 3.

Brick Stitch Row 3 the same way you did Row 2.

Turn your flat 3-row piece into a tube.

If you look on each end, you will see protruding beads and receding beads. On each end, the protruding/receding beads will be reversed. This creates a "zipper". Sew up the zipper, like lacing up sneakers, to attach both ends, and create our tube.




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We will switch to Peyote to make the top of our cap.

First, we need to create that protruding/receding zipper-like pattern, off of which we can peyote.

Pick up 1B, and go down into the next bead. With your needle, come up through the following bead, in position to pick up the next 1B. Continue all the way around. NOTE: The peyote bead lays horizontally, while the brick beads lay vertically.




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Now we are going to decrease slightly, to bring our tube in over the top edge of our magnet, by using the smaller 15/0 seed beads for our next row. We are not covering the entire top of the magnet. See picture above.

Try to do this next row around the magnet.

Sit the magnet in the tube. NOTE: Keep in mind where the two halves of our magnet will join. We do not want our bead cap to prevent a good join. Your thread should be exiting a protruding bead ("up" bead). Pick up 1C, go through the next protruding bead. Repeat this all the way around. NOTE: pick up 2C for the final gap.

Next, we want to embellish our bead cap so it feels more like a decorative bead. We can do this with 4mm magatamas drops. We can use 3.4mm mini fringe drops, or other drop beads. We can also use 4mm round druks.

We create a pattern: 2 15/0 seeds, then move to the next right position, adding a 15/0, drop or druk, and 15/0, move to the next right position, and so forth.

Maneuver your thread down to Row 3, which is our 2nd actual brick-stitch row. (Row 1 is ladder, Rows 2 and 3 are brick). You want to be coming out of a Row 3 bead, towards Row 2. Pick up 2C. Go through Row 1, over 1 bead and up through it back towards Row 2. Pick up 1C, 1D, and 1 C. Continue up through the Row 3 bead above it. Over to the next Row 3 bead, and down towards Row 2. Repeat all the way around the circumference.




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We need to do a little bit of planning and strategizing for how we want to distribute these drops or druks around the circumference of our cap. Our cap is made up of 17 beads around. This is an odd, indivisible number. The instructions call for distributing 8 of these beads around, adding one, skipping a row bead, adding the next. This leaves a gap of 2 row beads at one point around. I had tried making the ladder row 16 beads across, and then, with another try, 18 beads across, and neither worked well. Use your bead intuition to decide what looks best for you.

What I like to do is put my two 15/0 beads at a diagonal in this 2-bead gap. I have to vary my thread path a bit. See diagram below:




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Repeat these steps to make your 2nd bead cap for the other half of the magnet.

Now Glue.

We cannot glue before we embellish the sides, because the glue would clog up the bead-holes, and we would not be able to get our needle through them.

We are going to use a 2-part, 5 minute epoxy glue. You can find this glue at craft stores, many bead stores, and hardware stores.

With a toothpick, put glue along the entire edge around the side of the magnet. You want a thinnish coat -- no globbing. Put our beaded cap on the table. Take "bad" magnet, and adhere to 1 side of clasp. NOTE: "Bad" magnet gives you something to hold onto while you are positioning the good magnet clasp half into the bead cap. Push good magnet into bead cap. Slide off the bad magnet. Let the glue set overnight.




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NOW IT'S THE NEXT DAY...

A3. ATTACHING CLASP ASSEMBLY

Attach your bead-capped clasp to your crochet work.

We are going to use FireLine cable thread, size D, .008".

Trim off the bead cord tails.

A. Prepare Both Ends of Your Bead Crochet Rope END 1: One end of your rope is a ladder. This is all set, with two rows of size 8/0 seed beads with no daggers. Nothing else to do on this end.

END 2: This ends with your slip-stitch-crochet.

Make sure you have 2 rows of size 8/0 seed beads with no daggers. Last row: Do a row of slip stitch without any beads, which will make the last row's 8/0 beads stand up, and be vertical. You are ready to attach the clasp.

B. Attach Your Cap With FireLine

Attach a piece of FireLine. Exit one 8/0 bead in the ladder row (end row). Go through the loop on the end of the magnetic clasp. [Sometimes this is a straight shot; othertimes, need to maneuver your needle/thread to a place where you can make that straight shot.] Go through an 8/0 seed bead on the opposite side of the loop. Repeat this 3 more times. [Thus, you want to go from 8/0 across and thru the clasp-loop thru an 8/0 on the opposite side 4 times.]

Now pull tight, secure with a knot, zig-zag through a few beads away from the knot, and trim the fire line.




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C. Reinforce the Connection

We are going to add a second reinforcing attachment.

Once our clasp initially has been attached, anchor another piece of FireLine to the 8/0 beads in the first/last row of our rope.

Pick up an 11/0 cylinder beads -- Color B -- and thread through a protruding 15/0 beads on the magnet side. Go through the next cylinder bead and 15/0 bead, pick up 1B, come back through the 8/0 on the rope side. Move over to the next 8/0,and repeat this pattern, all the way around.

Give It The Once Over.... Once your bracelet is done, look it over carefully. Now is the time to get out your thread zapper or lighter. All of those tiny threads that peak out from between beads will scream sloppy! Zap them all! or bring the flame on your lighter close to, but not touching, the threads, so that they shrivel and ball up.

IIB. Dealing with Contingencies

1. Running out of thread – Adding Thread -- Finishing Off The End Of Your Thread Bead Crochet: See adding Weaver's Knot above.

Bead Weaving: When it looks like there is about 12” of thread left, I start to plan to tie it off and begin another thread, if I am not at the end of my project. NEVER cut the thread at the point you have tied a knot.

2. You Don't Have 6 Beads In The Round You Are Working On.

After every round, check your tube to be sure you have six beads around the spokes when you flatten the top. If you see less or more, pull out the work until you have 6.

You will know you are off count because this is a patterned piece, so visually, you will see it right away.




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Possible causes: you have either missed one stitch, or placed more than one bead into a stitch.

3. Preventing Unraveling, should the bead cord break in your finished piece

Sorry, no tricks or tips here.

4. A dagger breaks on you finished piece.

Gentle pull the broken dagger away from the rope, so that you can slip a safety pin into the loop the dagger is strung on. Use a pliers to break the dagger and free up the cord. You have to be gentle but firm here. Using needle and FireLine or other beading thread, secure to the bead-cord-loop, and sew in the dagger. Pull tight and secure in place. Trim the thread.

IIC. Finishing Touches

IIC1. Signature bead or embellishment

I think it is always a good idea to use a signature bead in your projects. This might be a unique bead added near the beginning or end of the piece, or incorporated within each link, or an engraved tag added as part of the clasp assembly. You want your signature bead to identify the piece as your own, but you don’t want your signature bead to compete with or detract from your piece.

The general structure of this Dragon Back Bracelet was created by Kathleen Lynam. Any personalization you might do – choice of beads, choice of patterns, choice of stringing material, choice of clasp, choice of color scheme, choice of embellishments – are your own touches, and deserve your signature.




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III. Learning Objectives Met After Accomplishing This Project

LEARNING OBJECTIVES DRAGON BACK BRACELET BW2-CRO-01

BEGINNER INTERMEDIATE ADVANCED

TECHNICAL MECHANICS

1. Managing Thread Tension BEGINNER

2. Holding Your Piece To Work It BEGINNER

3. Reading Simple Pattern, Figure and/or Graph INTERMEDIATE

4. Selecting Materials INTERMEDIATE

5. Identifying Areas of Potential Weakness, and Strategies for Dealing With These

INTERMEDIATE

6. Determining Measurements, including Width and Length of a Piece, Especially In Relationship To Bead Sizes

BEGINNER

7. Finishing Off Threads in Piece or Adding Threads BEGINNER

UNDERSTANDING CRAFT BASIS OF STITCH

1. Starting the Stitch INTERMEDIATE

2. Implementing the Basic Stitch INTERMEDIATE

3. Finishing Off Your Piece With A Clasp Assembly INTERMEDIATE

4. Creating Simple Surface Embellishment BEGINNER

5. Increasing and Decreasing BEGINNER

6. Working Stitch in Tubular Form INTERMEDIATE

7. Working Stitch To Create Open (Negative Spaces), and Split Forms

8. Elaborately Embellishing the Stitch, including Fringes, Edge Treatments, Straps and Connectors

9. Working Stitch in Circular Form

10. Working Stitch in 3-Dimensions




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UNDERSTANDING ART & DESIGN BASIS OF STITCH

1. Learning Implications When Choosing Different Sizes/Shapes of Beads, or Using Different Stringing Materials

INTERMEDIATE

2. Understanding Relationship of this Stitch in Comparison to Other Types of Bead Weaving Stitches

INTERMEDIATE

3. Understanding How Bead Asserts Its Need For Color, Using This Stitch

BEGINNER

4. Creating Your Own Design with This Stitch, in Reference to Jewelry Design Principles of Composition

5. Creating Shapes, Components and Forms with This Stitch, and Establishing Themes

INTERMEDIATE

BECOMING BEAD WEAVING ARTIST

1. Developing A Personal Style

2. Valuing or Pricing Your Work

3. Teaching Others The Stitch

IV. Next Steps IVA. Suggested Readings: Creative Bead Weaving, (Carol Wilcox-Wells), Lark Books, 1996 Introduction to Beadwork - Bracelets, (The Beadworkers Guild of England) Beyond Beading Basics, (Carole Rodgers) The Complete Guide to Beading Techniques, (Jane Davis), Krause Publications, 2001 Teach Yourself Visually: Beadwork, (Chris Franchetti Michaels) Bead Crochet Ropes, (Judith Bertoglio-Giffin) Bead Crochet, (Bethany Barry) Bead Crochet Jewelry, (Freed) Beaded Crochet Basics, (Nieman) Crochet With Beads (Shake) Patterns & Graphing Bead Crochet Ropes, (Judith Bertoglio-Griffin) Beautiful Beaded Ropes, (Wiseman)


daggers are for wearing! bead crochet a stunning two … using a crochet bead pattern ... i had seen...

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