Crochet guide
Crocheting with beads
A bead gets into crochet in one of two ways. Either every bead is strung onto the yarn before the first stitch and slid up to the hook when it is wanted, or each bead is pulled onto a loop with a very small hook as the work goes along. Both ways use the stitches you already know.
On this page 10 parts
Two ways to add a bead
| Strung on first | Added with a small hook | |
|---|---|---|
| When the beads go on | All of them, before the first stitch | One at a time, at each beaded stitch |
| What you need | A needle fine enough to pass through the bead | A steel hook fine enough to pass through the bead |
| What to plan | How many beads, and in what order | Nothing ahead of time |
Stringing first is the usual way. The hook method suits a delicate yarn, or a piece where you want to place beads as you go.
Stringing the beads first
String every bead the piece needs onto the yarn before you begin. Once the work has started, no more beads can go on from the hook end.
If the beads are not all alike, string them in reverse order. The last bead you string is the first one you will use.
Two things help a bead onto the yarn:
- A needle. Thread the yarn into a needle slim enough to pass through the bead, then pick the beads up with the needle.
- A stiff end. Paint the tip of the yarn with clear nail polish, shape it to a point and let it dry.
As you crochet, push the beads along the yarn, out of the way. Slide one up to the hook when a stitch calls for it.
Working a strung bead into a stitch
The move is the same in every stitch. Slide a bead up close to the hook, then make the next yarn over beyond the bead. That yarn over traps the bead in the stitch.
- Chain. Slide the bead up to the hook, yarn over and pull through. The bead falls to the back of the chain. See chain stitch.
- Single crochet (double crochet in United Kingdom terms). Slide the bead up against the work, then make the stitch as usual. The bead ends up on the back of the stitch.
- Taller stitches. In double crochet (UK treble crochet) and taller stitches, the bead is slid up partway through the stitch, before one of the yarn overs that finish it.
Which side the bead shows on
A strung bead lands on the back of the stitch, the side facing away from you as you work. So:
- In rows, add beads on wrong side rows, and they show on the right side. With plain rows between, the beads fall on every other row.
- In rounds, the fabric has a beaded side and a plain side.
The right side and the wrong side explains the two faces of a piece.
Adding beads with a hook
This way needs no stringing. You need a second hook, a steel one fine enough to go through the bead.
- Work up to the stitch that takes a bead. Draw the loop on your hook up a little taller than usual.
- Take the hook out of the loop.
- Slip a bead onto the small hook. Catch the loop with it and pull the loop through the bead.
- Put your working hook back into the loop and carry on.
Because the beads go on as you work, there is no need to count them out first. The yarn is also spared the wear of beads sliding back and forth along it, which matters with a fine or delicate yarn.
The limit is the hole in the bead. It has to take the small hook and a doubled strand of yarn, so very small beads may not fit. The steel hook size chart lists the small hooks.
Sewing beads on afterward
Beads can also be added to a finished piece with a needle and thread.
Beads, thread and hook sizes
The yarn has to fit through the hole in the bead, so the bead and the yarn are chosen together.
- Seed beads are sized by number, and the numbers run backward: a higher number means a smaller bead. Size 6/0 is a large seed bead.
- Thread. Bead crochet is often worked in crochet thread. Size 6/0 seed beads are paired with a thick thread: size 3 crochet thread, a heavy cotton thread, or six strands of embroidery floss held as one. The how-tos that name a hook for those use one from 2.5 mm to 3.5 mm (E-4, or a steel hook 00).
- Smaller beads need a thinner thread. If a bead will not go on, change the bead or the thread.
Crocheting with thread covers thread sizes, and the thread size chart lists them. For floss, see crocheting with embroidery floss.
Sequins are worked the way strung beads are: threaded onto the yarn first, then slid up one at a time.
Bead crochet ropes
A bead crochet rope is a narrow tube with a bead in every stitch. It is worked round and round, with the beads on the outside of the tube.
In outline: string the beads in the order of the pattern. Make a few chains with a bead in each, and join them into a ring. Then work a slip stitch with a bead into each stitch, round after round, without turning. See working in the round.
Ropes are made into necklaces and bracelets.
What beads are used on
- Jewelry, such as necklaces and bracelets.
- Bags and purses.
- Edgings, on scarves and shawls. In Turkey, crocheted edgings called oya are often worked with beads.
Beads can also be strung on wire and crocheted. See crocheting with wire.
Where to go next
- For fine threads and small hooks, see crocheting with thread and the steel hook size chart.
- For the stitches used here, see single crochet and slip stitch.