Netted Beaded Bead

The focal bead in the black necklace is a larger variation of the bead in the previous two posts. Not only is it longer, but it is also worked on a beaded bead that is composed of five columns rather than four. I've also made a few other changes to further illustrate the versatility of this bead. The embellishment in both uses netting over the beaded bead.

So, what are the differences? This bead uses 3mm Fire Polish beads and is worked over a basic bead that is much darker than the 3mm beads. Also, I've used an 11/0 seed bead in the center of the element rather than a drop bead.

Design Notes. There are several choices which you as a designer can make about the color of the basic bead whenever you are creating these beads for a piece of jewelry: lighter, darker, or matching the bead chosen for the embellishment, or a metal color (silver, gold, copper, bronze). In the case of the black necklace and the bracelet of the previous post, I've used a basic bead constructed of silver beads. Today's basic bead is a dark value of the color of the 3mm. Then there is the finish of the basic bead to be considered: shiny, metallic, matte, frosted, aurore borealis (AB). While it's true that little of the basic bead is visible to the eye, there is a vast difference in the appearance of the finished bead. The bead on the left has a basic bead constructed of matte beads that match the color of the embellishment. The bead on the right is built on a silver basic bead. I had made three beads like the one on the left when I realized that it simply didn't glow like the ones in the black necklace, so I went back to the necklace to see where I'd missed the boat.

Materials Needed:
11/0 Delicas
10/0 Delicas
10/0 twisted hex
3mm Fire Polish rounds (FP) (40 per bead)
11/0 seed beads
15/0 seed beads
FireLine, WildFire, or C-Lon (70")
#11 needle

Since I'm using 3mm FP for the embellishment, the basic bead doesn't need to be much longer than the one in the previous post. I decided to make it a bit larger around, so I began my basic bead with ten beads, which yields five columns of 10/0 Delicas (8 beads high) and five columns of twisted hex (7 beads high). Working with your thread doubled, string on ten 11/0 Delicas, bring the needle around and go through every other bead until you reach the last two beads. Take your needle through both of these beads and pull the beads into a tight circle. Work one round of (tubular) peyote with the 10/0 Delicas and one round of peyote with the 10/0 twisted hex, always stepping up at the end of each row. Continue working peyote, alternating the rows with the two types of beads, until you have worked 8 rows of the 10/0 Delica. Finish with two rounds of 11/0 Delicas, threading your needle back through the final round to make the hole as small as possible. Take your needle through one of the 11/0 Delicas on the outer row.

Step One. The element for the embellishment consists of two 15/0, 3mm FP, 11/0, 3mm FP, two 15/0 beads. There are five of these elements worked through each of the 11/0 Delicas in the outer row. Move your thread through the 10/0 Delica directly below the element and through the next 11/0 each time to position the thread for the next embellishment.

Step Two. When you have finished the last of these elements take your thread through the two 15/0 seed beads, the FP, and out the 11/0 seed bead as shown. Place one 3mm FP, one 11/0 seed bead, and one 3mm FP on your thread and take the needle through the 11/0 seed bead in the next element. Continue around until you have placed this new element between each of the elements in Step One. Gently pull these elements around the basic bead. Anchor your thread in the 10/0 Delica directly under the 11/0 seed bead you exited. Walk the thread down to the other end of the basic bead by going through the 10/0 Delicas in the column as shown.

Step Three. When you reach the 11/0 Delica on the outer row at this unadorned end, repeat Step One all the way around, bringing your needle down to the 11/0 seed bead in the center as you did in Step One.



Step Four. Place one 3mm FP on your thread and take the needle through the next 11/0 seed bead in the center of the elements in Step Two, gently pull the beads into place. When you have completed this round, weave your needle through several beads and tie off. If you wish, you can take the needle under the embellishment to the basic bead and tie off there.

Embellished bead with 4mm FP. If you want to make this bead with 4mm FP instead of the 3mm I used here, you would do everything the same except the basic bead will need 10/0 twisted hex columns of eleven beads and 10/0 columns of twelve beads, which means that you work twelve rounds of 10/0 Delicas and eleven rounds of 10/0 twisted hex.

I added silver bead caps to each end of the bead just because I like the look. I haven't decided how I'm going to use this bead, not even if I'm going to use it in a necklace or a bracelet. The bead without the beadcaps is 19mm tall and 15mm around.

Bracelet Base

I have more flowers to share with you, but I wanted to pause and add the tutorial for the base I use when making bracelets using these beaded flowers. There's one bracelet pictured in the header of this blog, another in this post, and one in yesterday's post. All of these bracelets are built on a 3-bead peyote base made of either 8/0 or 6/0 seeds, 3 or 4mm cubes, Miyuki 8/0 plain or hex seeds, 8/0 or 5/0 Miyuki triangles. The one thing I want is a large-holed bead because I will be adding all of the embellishments through the center beads. I also like this technique because it has a nice working rhythm that yields a flexible, sturdy and smooth band. Here's one of my bracelets using "loopy" flowers and sunstone chips, one of my "Chips Ahoy" collection of necklaces and bracelets.



I first found this 3-bead technique in a special Interweave publication, Jean Campbell's "Beaded Cords, Chains, Straps and Fringe," and I've used it ever since.

I work with nine to ten feet of thread doubled to four and a half to five feet, so I don't have to add a new thread. And, yes, it can be aggravating in the first few rows, but I deal with it.

The beginning:

String four beads and move them to about 6" from the end of the thread.










Bring the needle through the first two beads on the thread as shown. Pull the thread until the last bead added (#4) is sitting on top of bead #3.










(I flip the beads in my hand after each step so that I'm always moving the needle from right to left. There's no real reason for this except that I can work faster this way.) Pick up a bead and take the needle through the center bead and the #3 bead below the bead on the left. Pull the thread to bring the needles into position. You'll note that there's now a space in the middle.


Take your needle through the first bead in the row, add a bead, and take the needle through the last bead in the row. Now you're ready to weave the band.



The Rest of the Story:

I think of the three steps as Straight, Down, and Across. (Remember that I flip the strip with my left thumb as I pick up the next bead with my right, so I'm always moving my needle from right to left. It's all part of the rhythm.)








I continue with Straight, Down and Across until the base is the desired length without the clasp.