Beading.Beadwork.Beads

Mid-July Finished Object!

Over the weekend, I finally finished these:

   

They are the Symmetry in Motion Earrings, designed by Cynthia Rutledge. Cynthia was at my bead shop, Bead Obsessions, for four days in March 2010, and this is one of the three classes she taught.

Even-Count Tubular Peyote

Most bezelling techniques call for even-count tubular peyote. It also takes less thought and planning if you want to make symmetrical decreases and/or increases and you use even-count peyote. Let's load up our needles and give even-count tubular peyote a try.

1. Start with a comfortable length of thread. Wax or condition your thread as needed. Thread your needle.

I don't use a stopper bead. I keep the tail wrapped around the index finger on my nondominant hand to keep the beads from falling off as I'm getting started.

2. String on 8 beads in alternating colors (notice that the colors alternate all the way around the circle). Move the beads to within about 6 inches of the tail end of the thread. Stitch through all 8 beads again to form a circle (i.e., go through the beads again from the tail end). Take your needle through one more bead so that the tail and the working threads are exiting the same bead but in opposite directions. See the photo below.

 

2. Begin peyote stitch (remember that peyote stitch is pick up a bead, skip a bead, pass through the next bead). My color pattern is that I'm picking up the same color bead as the bead I'm skipping. In the photo below, I've made four stitches with four black beads, stitching through the silver beads. I'm back to the beginning of the circle, i.e., the tail and working threads are coming out of the same bead in opposite directions again.

In the photo above, there are three rows of peyote (click here for a refresher on how to count rows of peyote).  There are now up-beads (black) and down-beads (silver), right? Here's the catch the even-count tubular peyote: you have to reposition your needle to be able to stitch the next row.

There are several stitches and/or patterns that require you to reposition your needle. In peyote stitch, the act of repositioning is called a "step-up" or "step-down." This just means that you need to move your needle into the next up-bead (for a step-up) or the next down-bead (for a step-down).

Check out this next photo to see where the next stitch is supposed to be.

3. End row 3 by stepping up, i.e., by passing your needle through the next up-bead. See the photo below.

In even-count tubular peyote, there is always a step-up at the end of every row. In the photo below, I'm ready to stitch row 4 (with four silver beads).

4. In the next photo, I'm finishing up row 4 by adding the fourth silver bead (which stitches into a black bead) and stepping up through the next up-bead, which is a silver bead (and the first bead added in row 4).

Notice also that I've got the tube on a stick (in this case a knitting needle--what a surprise). Sometimes it's easier to get your tube started if you stitch around something. Just be certain to use something that won't interfere with your tension (don't use a stick that's too fat).

In the photo above, I'm ending row 4 (with the step-up), and row 5 will be stitched with black beads.

Most intermediate or advanced peyote patterns and classes require that you have a good understanding of even-count tubular peyote and/or of the step-up and step-down. In my intro classes, students use two colors of beads so they can more easily see the stitches and dissect the process. Give it a try, and then give it a try in a single color until you're able to consistently see the step-up.

Odd-Count Tubular Peyote

Sometimes you want to stitch peyote in the round or in a tube. Here's how you do it with an odd number of beads. I'm using two colors of size 8 round seed beads to demonstrate.

1. Start with a comfortable length of thread. Wax or condition your thread as needed. Thread your needle.

I don't use a stopper bead. I keep the tail wrapped around the index finger on my nondominant hand to keep the beads from falling off as I'm getting started.

2. String on 9 beads in alternating colors (notice that there are two of the same color next to each other). Move the beads to within about 6 inches of the tail end of the thread. Stitch through all 9 beads again to form a circle (i.e., go through the beads again from the tail end). Take your needle through one more bead so that the tail and the working threads are exiting the same bead but in opposite directions. See the photo below.

 
 

2. Begin peyote stitch (remember that peyote stitch is pick up a bead, skip a bead, pass through the next bead). My color pattern is that I'm picking up the same color bead as the bead I'm skipping. In the photo below, I've made four stitches with four white beads, stitching through the black beads. The next stitch will be picking up a black bead and stitching through a white bead.

     

3. Continue around and around the circle. After you've stitched a couple of rounds, if you want to create a tube, adjust your tension (snug it up) so the beads begin to form a tube. See the photos below.

   

There's nothing too special about odd-count tubular peyote. If you want to make a flat, circular piece of peyote (sometimes called "circular peyote"), you have to make increases generally in every other row. But more on that later.

Another Odd-Count Flat Peyote Technique

Last month, I showed you how to stitch odd-count flat peyote stitch two different ways. Today I'll show you another. This technique comes from beadwork master Cynthia Rutledge, who has kindly given me permission to blog about it.

In the photos that follow, I'm using a different color bead in each row. For example, row 1 is orange, row 2 is matte turquoise, row 3 is black, etc.

1. Start with a comfortable length of thread. Wax or condition your thread as needed. Thread your needle.

2. To keep the beads from falling off the end of the thread as you begin peyote, add a stopper bead.

3. To begin odd-count flat peyote, string an odd number of beads (I'm using 11) onto the threaded needle, and push the beads down to the stopper bead. Start odd-count flat peyote stitch just as you do even-count flat peyote, that is, you pick up a bead (bead number 12 in this case), skip the next bead (bead number 11), and go into the next bead (bead number 10). This is the first stitch in row 3, and each stitch passes through a row 2 bead (the turquoise beads in the photo below). Make four more stitches (there are a total of six stitches in row 3).

After making a total of five peyote stitches in row 3, you of course don't have another row 2 bead to stitch into. So instead, pick up another row 3 bead and pass through a row 1 bead from the outside (look at what the needle is doing in the photo below--the working thread is exiting a row 2 bead and the needle is going into the last row 1 bead from the side the bead stopper is on).

   

Here's how your three rows should look after finishing row 3. Note that the working thread and the tail thread are both exiting the same bead (a row 1 bead), but in opposite directions.

   

4. Row 4 is going to stitch into row 1, NOT row 3! Tricky, right? I like to flip the piece over, as in the photo below, so the row I'm stitching into is on top. I used white beads for row 4, which is shown completed in the photo below. The turn at the end of row 4 is normal. Notice where the tail and stopper bead are.

   

5. For row 5, I used blue beads. Row 5 has five regular stitches in it, but when you complete the fifth stitch, step down into the first row 1 bead (where your tail is). See the photo below.

 

To finish row 5, pick up a bead and step up through a row 4 and a row 5 bead. See the photo below.

   

This is how your work should look when row 5 is complete.

   

6. Row 6 is stitched with lime green beads (from left to right) in the next photo. Make four stitches in row 6, and at the end of the row, make a normal turn to begin row 7. The photo below shows how your work should look at this point--row 6 is not complete, but we're going to start row 7 anyway!

   

7. I used teal beads for row 7. Make four peyote stitches, and step down (as in the photo below) into a row 5 bead (blue) to end the fourth stitch.

 

If you knit, this part is rather like making short rows in your knitting. We are now going to complete row 6 by picking up a bead (mine is lime green) and stitching through a row 5 bead (mine is blue). See the photo below.

   

Now we're going to finish row 7 by making two peyote stitches (I used teal beads, remember), finishing with a step up through a row 7 bead. The first photo below shows the first of these two stitches. The second photo shows how your work should look at the end of row 7. The working thread is exiting a row 7 bead in the middle of the work.

And look! The odd-count turn is gone!

8. Now we're ready to begin row 8. I stitched row 8 with light yellow beads, and there are three stitches to make in this partial row.

 

9. After making the three row 8 stitches, begin row 9. My color choice for row 9 was red. Make three row 9 stitches, and to complete the third stitch, stitch into a row 8 bead (light yellow) and step down through a row 7 bead (teal), as in the photo below.

 

Now we'll complete row 8 (light yellow beads) with two more stitches. Again, the odd-count turn has been replaced with a regular turn at the end of the row (see the first photo below). Work back across the piece, finishing row 9 (red beads) with three stitches, stepping up through a row 9 bead to finish. The second photo below shows how your work should look at the end of row 9.

10. To start row 10, make two peyote stitches (my row 10 is done with grey beads in the photo below).

 

11. To begin row 11 (I'm using gold beads in row 11), make two stitches and step down into a row 9 bead (red). Finish row 10 (grey beads), and make a regular turn at the end of the row.

   

Complete row 11. The photo below shows how your work should look at the end of row 11, with your working thread exiting the second-to-last row 11 bead.

12. We can only make one stitch to start row 12 (white beads this time), as in the next photo.

 

13. Make a regular turn to begin row 13, in which I'm using some gorgeous green beads. Make one peyote stitch through a row 12 bead (a white bead), and step down to exit a row 11 bead (gold) so you can finish row 12. See the photo below.

 

Now you're ready to finish row 13 (those gorgeous green beads). There are five peyote stitches remaining in this row. To finish the fifth stitch, pass through the row 12 bead as usual, but then step down into a row 11 bead (gold). See the photo below.

 

14. To begin row 14, we first have to reposition the needle to exit the first row 14 bead, as in the photo below.

You're now ready to begin the next row (row 15). It will have five stitches. Row 16 will begin with a regular turn, but you'll begin the "short-row" process all over again (see step 5).

So what we have is a nice peyote band with no wonky turns in it that either alters the way the beads sit (as in Method 1) or leaves a messy thread path along one edge (as in Method 2). Is Cynthia Rutledge a genius or what?!

I made this little swatch using cylinder beads too. You can see how nicely everything lines up.

 

Ah, my assistant is here to let me know it's time for lunch--her lunch that is!

Give Cynthia's method a try. It's pretty cool.

A Bit About Needles

Here's what I think is the best way to thread a beading needle.

Hold the very end of the thread in your nondominant hand between your thumb and index finger. Hold the needle in your dominant hand. Then put the eye of the needle over the end of the thread (see the photo below). If this technique isn't working for you after you've practiced it a few times, try holding the thread closer to the end, so less thread is exposed between your thumb and index finger.

 

Thank you to my hand model, Cindy Sayers (my hands are way too gross for this shot!).

Still having trouble? Try turning the needle over.

The eyes of needles have smooth and rough sides. Check out these photos:

Can you see that the inside of the eye in the top photo is smoother than the inside of the eye in the bottom photo (click here for zoom-able photos)? True, this is a huge tapestry needle, which I used to illustrate this point, but beading needles can have the same properties. Thread will most likely go through the needle from the side pictured in the top photo.