Welcome to the Beading Beat! Every Friday (except for Tutorial Friday's) I'll discuss various beady topics like tips and tricks, some of my favorite beading products, and more. Some weeks it will be a quick discussion, some weeks it will be longer. But every week it will be fun and full of beady goodness.

This article includes affiliate links. That just means that I get a little fee if you click on the link or purchase something and no additional cost to you. That little fee helps me keep writing these articles. All my opinions are my own. I am featuring these products because I love them.

This week I'm going to feature one of my favorite products that I use on a daily basis when I bead. My favorite beading surface. My lap desk.

I like to bead all over the place. I bead in the living room. I bead on our back porch. I bead outside. I bead wherever my little heart desires. And to do that I need a surface that I can move around. Something that will hold everything I need and move with me.

I have used a few different lap desks and my favorite one is from Ikea. I bought this desk from my husband so he could work in the living room. Buuuuuuut, I decided I liked it much more than him and I knew I would put it to better use then him.

So, what makes this my favorite lap desk?

I love the fact that the legs are adjustable. You can put them up or down. Using it with the legs up makes it possible to use it in bed or outside. It puts my beads at a height that puts less stress on my neck and makes beading easier. But sometimes I don't need that height, so I can fold the legs down and just use it on my lap. I love that I have the options.

And having adjustable legs, means you can fold it up and store it away easily. I've had other lap desks that don't fold up and now you have to store a huge lap desk somewhere. So it folding up is nice.

Next, I love the lip that goes around the whole thing. It is nice and deep, so nothing is going to fall off the sides. Everything stays safely on the tray.

I also love the little area on the top that you can put your phone or a tablet. You can watch a show while beading outside or keep your phone at arms reach. I've been using my tablet when keeping track of my patterns, so I can pop it in there and have my patterns right where I am looking (I will have a future post about switching from paper to my tablet, so stay tuned for that).

I also like that it's sturdy enough that I can clip my magnifying lamp on it and not have to worry about it tipping over or even breaking the tray itself.

Now like everything, this tray isn't perfect. It does have a few things that could be improved.

The legs are adjustable, but only two heights. It would be nice if you could adjust them to a few different heights. The legs are also a little tricky to get in and out. They also will come out of the tracks if you are not careful. I had a lot of problems getting them in and out when I first got it. I have since gotten really good at it, but there is a learning curve to the legs.

The tray is also very deep. It works great from my beads, but I can see this being really annoying if you try to use it for a computer. The sides will get in the way of doing anything. Now I only use this tray for beading, but if you are looking for a tray to do multiple things, this one might not be for you.

So it's not perfect, but it's one of the best I've found. What is your favorite surface to bead on? Leave a comment below and let me know what you use.

Other Helpful Goodies

​Want to know how I keep track of where I am in a pattern? Click here to read about my method for staying on track.

Find out what kind of bead boards I use. Click here and here to read about my favorites.

What are my favorite beads to use for peyote? I love me some Delica cylinder beads. There are a number of awesome choices HERE.

Beady Tutorials

Even Count Flat Peyote Stitch - Click Here
Ladder Stitch - Click Here
Brick Stitch - Click Here
How to Read A Peyote Word Chart - Click Here
How to Read a Peyote Graph - Click Here

Want to get beady updates sent right to your inbox? Maybe you'd be interested in a 25% off coupon? Sign up for my email newsletter today and get all that and more! ​

Every week I share what I have been working on. Come take a look at what's on my bead board this week.

I've been working on a number of new patterns, but I've also been making some new dish clothes. I found these great colored yarn and had to make some new clothes. I love having a simple project to work on late at night before I go to bed.

I am making these for myself, but a friend saw them and made a comment about how nice they were, so I'm making a few for them for Christmas (hopefully if I start those gifts now, I'll actually get them done in time).

What have you been working in? Leave a comment below and let me know what you've been up to.

Want to get beady updates sent right to your inbox? Maybe you'd be interested in a 25% off coupon? Sign up for my email newsletter today and get all that and more! ​

Welcome to the Beading Beat! Every Friday (except for Tutorial Friday's) I'll discuss various beady topics like tips and tricks, some of my favorite beading products, and more. Some weeks it will be a quick discussion, some weeks it will be longer. But every week it will be fun and full of beady goodness.

This article includes affiliate links. That just means that I get a little fee if you click on the link or purchase something and no additional cost to you. That little fee helps me keep writing these articles. All my opinions are my own. I am featuring these products because I love them.

This week we're going to talk about a hot topic. What do I do with my thread when I get to the end? Should I knot it? Should I weave it in? Should I do something else? What do I dooooooo?

When I first started beading, I hated ending/starting thread. I just wanted to accomplish the whole project with one thread and be done with it. I would either stick to small projects that I knew would only take a small amount of thread or I would just an indecent amount of thread. And that thread would always get tangled or break or both. And I would loose my mind.

I quickly learned I was going to have to get over my fear of ending/starting thread. 

So I started with knots. And boy would I knot a lot.

I have the fear (I fell like a lot of beaders feel this way) that my beadwork will fall apart. I needed to bead as many times as I could. Maybe 5+ times. That would keep everything in order.

My first knots were always on the edge of the beadwork. You could see them and it was knot pretty (hehe, word pun). Then I started knotting in the beadwork and trying to hide the knot. This worked sometimes, and sometimes it didn't.

So I went on a quest to find a better way. How could I finish my thread off without knotting it or at least learn to do it in a better way? I asked friends that beaded and researched on the internet and I found an amazing thing.

That's when I learned about weaving the ends in. Seriously, I had no idea you could just weave the end in to secure it. Where was this my whole life? How did I not know this earlier?

It's great. Weaving the ends in strengthens the piece. Unlike knotting, which can possibly weaken the thread at the knot point. And it's way less of a headache then knotting. It is my preferred way to end a piece.

So how do we do it? How does this magical weaving work?

So this is how you are "supposed" to do it. Make a figure 8 with your thread. I was always told that you should start in the middle of a row to hide the threads better. Buuuuut to be honest, I almost always end/start at the end. I just weave my thread in a little farther and then do all the fun turns.

And to be honest, mine looks a little bit more like this.......

Okay, maybe it's not quite that much, but I do a few extra turns just to make sure me thread is secure. Because like I said earlier, I have a fear my beadwork will fall apart.

Every week I share what I have been working on. Come take a look at what's on my bead board this week.

I've been working on a bunch of new patterns and I can't wait to share them with everyone very soon. But until then, check out these amazing square beads I was gifted.

A good friend of mine sent me a HUGE box full of these beauties. Now to figure out what to do with them.

What would you do with them? Leave a comment below letting me know the wonderful projects you would make with these amazing square beads.

Want to get beady updates sent right to your inbox? Maybe you'd be interested in a 25% off coupon? Sign up for my email newsletter today and get all that and more! ​

Today's tutorial is a little different, but it's based on a question I get all the time. "How do I read this pattern?" Which means today I'm going to go over how to read a peyote graph that came with your pattern. If you’re looking for how to read a word chart, check out my tutorial over here.

This article includes affiliate links. That just means that I get a little fee if you click on the link or purchase something and no additional cost to you. That little fee helps me keep writing these articles. All my opinions are my own. I am featuring these products because I love them

​After a long hiatus, I am back with some new tutorials. In this tutorial, I am going to be focusing on even count peyote stitch but will be covering other stitches in future tutorials. 

So maybe you are new to beading or maybe you are just new to patterns. I know I learned how to do basic stitches before I ever figured out how to read a pattern. I remember my first few attempts at following a pattern. It didn't go well. I don't think it helped that I decided the first pattern I would try would be a large tapestry. Looking back, I see now that it really wasn't the best choice for my first attempt. 

To save you that frustration, I'm going to walk you through how to read that pattern and get you started on peyote project.

This tutorial is for beaders that already know how to do even count peyote stitch. If you are looking for a basic peyote tutorial, please see my tutorial here. 
Materials 

• Beads - I use Perler beads for this project, but any cylinder bead would work, like these 
• Needles 
• Thread 
• Word Chart 

​And if you are looking for some awesome patterns, just stop by my Etsy shop and check out all my patterns. I suggest a simple pen wrap or small bracelet to get started with. Something that won't be too overwhelming. Well, that's enough self-promotion, let's get on to the tutorial. 

How to not lose your place in a pattern
​

Here is the little pattern we are going to follow today. Just a simple even count peyote project. I have used a different color for each row, this way you can visualize the word chart easier. 

Before we jump in, let’s look at our pattern. Most pattern graphs will look like this. There might be a few differences, but once you know how to read one, you can figure out all of them.

In my patterns, the graphs are colored and has the corresponding letter in each bead (square). Some graphs will only have the color, some will have a letter, some will have a number, some will have a symbol. It all depends on the designer. 

​So how do you know? We can look at the color chart. This is the color chart for the pattern we’ll be using. You can see that it has “chart #:Capital Letter”, this is the letter that will correspond to that color. So, in this example, pink correlates to the letter A. 

The color chart can tell you several other things as well. It can tell you the number of beads you’ll need. It will tell you the manufacturer’s number for the beads. Some color charts will have a color name on them but remember that both Miyuki and Toho don’t name their beads, they only give them a number. So, the color name may not correspond to the name given by different bead sellers. Also make sure to match up the manufacture’s number, not the name.

So, let’s get back to the pattern. To start a peyote pattern, you need to string rows one and two together.
​
You can also start with a starter strip, but that is a later tutorial.

​For this example, we’ll be starting rows one and two together. We'll string both the first row (white/I on the color chart) and second row (blue/B on the color chart) at the same time.

These are the two rows we want to look at on our pattern. This is the trickiest part in my opinion to remember to start with both of these rows. 

*Note: Why is this considered even count peyote stitch when there are a odd number of beads in each row? Well technically you can look as a complete row as both the up and down. So this pattern has an even number of beads in both the up and down rows. Most patters consider just the up or the down to be a row, so don't let that throw you off when looking at a pattern.  

Here is what it would look like on your thread. 

The red bead is our stop bead and then working left to right we strung one blue (B), one white (I), one blue (B), one white (I), one blue (B), and one white (I). 

One thing I want to point out when you stringing the beads for your first two rows. Make sure you are stringing them in the correct order. You want to make sure you end on the bead that you are going to make the turn at. So in our example, the last white bead the arrow is pointing at above. 

If you string them the other way, your patter will be off.

In our example, we start with a blue bead, which is technically our second row. This is why sometimes reading a graph can be confusing. 

Now we have our first two rows completed, so let's make sure to cross off rows 1&2 on your pattern so you don't lose your place. You can see how I keep my place while beading here. 
​
Now that we have row 1 and row 2 on our thread, we're going to start row 3. ​

In our example row three is 3 yellow beads (represented by the letter J and the color yellow on our graph). ​

Now we are going to pick up our first row 3 bead (yellow (J) on the color chart). We are then going to skip the first bead in row 1 (white (I) on the color chart) and go through the first row 2 bead (blue (B) on the color chart).

We are going to continue to do a basic flat peyote stitch for the whole row. When we are done, our beadwork should look like this. 

Let's make sure to cross off the third row so that we don't loose our place

Once we are past the first row (both rows 1 and 2 combined), it becomes a little easier to follow the graph. The biggest thing is making sure you keep your place. 

We are just going to continue now adding each row following the graph. Our next row is the forth row (green (F) on the color chart). 

The nice thing about using a graph while following a pattern is you get to see the visual representation of the pattern. You can see the colors, you can see the design, you can see if you made a mistake or if things aren't looking quite right. It's easier to compare.

We are just going to continue adding beads, following the graph until we finished the pattern. 

The three things to keep in mind are:
1. You are going to string rows 1 and 2 together
2. Make sure you are starting on the correct side and end with the bead where you will make your turn
3. Make sure to keep your place 

Keeping your place is crucial the more complicated a pattern gets. I don't know how many times I've lost track of where I was and then had to go back and count or even pull rows because I added a row twice. It is not fun. 

There are a number of ways to keep your place in a peyote graph. You can use a post it note to keep your place, you can use a ruler (a magnetic one works really well for this), or you can cross off each row. I do the last option. I cross off as I go. I do it two different ways, I use a plastic sheet cover, like here, or I've started using my computer and crossing off the rows as I go. I like this way because it uses less paper. Try the different ways and see what works best for you. 

But once you get the hang of reading a graph, there will be no stopping you. You can tackle the most complicated tapestry out there. 

​Looking for more beady tutorials?
​
​Even Count Flat Peyote Stitch - Click Here
Ladder Stitch - Click Here
Brick Stitch - Click Here
How to Read A Peyote Word Chart - Click Here
Increasing/Decreasing Brick Stitch - Coming Soon
Increasing/Decreasing Peyote Stitch - Coming Soon
Square Stitch - Coming Soon
Two Drop Even Count Flat Peyote Stitch - Coming Soon
Odd Count Flat Peyote Stitch - Coming Soon
And many more!

Other Helpful Goodies

​Want to know how I keep track of where I am in a pattern? Click here to read about my method for staying on track.

What are my favorite beads to use for peyote? I love me some Delica cylinder beads. There are a number of awesome choices HERE. 

What are my favorite needles? Check out these great Tulip needles. They are some of the best needles out there. Click HERE for more info

Want to get beady updates sent right to your inbox? Maybe you'd be interested in a 25% off coupon? Sign up for my email newsletter today and get all that and more! ​

Every week I share what I have been working on. Come take a look at what's on my bead board this week.

I have been working on a number of new patterns and other projects. I'm keeping myself busy this summer. And I'm doing most of it while enjoying the beautiful weather we've been having this year.

My favorite place to bead is sitting outside on our deck while LO plays. Last year I asked for outdoor furniture for my birthday. I've always wanted a big couch and chairs (basically an outdoor living room) to enjoy outside. So I was thrilled when my husband surprised me with a beautiful set. Now we spend most of our time outside from spring until fall.

Where is you favorite place to bead? What new, fun projects are you working on? Leave a comment below and let me know!

Want to get beady updates sent right to your inbox? Maybe you'd be interested in a 25% off coupon? Sign up for my email newsletter today and get all that and more! ​

Welcome to the first ever Beading Beat. Every Friday I'll discuss various beady topics like tips and tricks, some of my favorite beading products, and more. Some weeks it will be a quick discussion, some weeks it will be longer. But every week it will be fun and full of beady goodness.

This article includes affiliate links. That just means that I get a little fee if you click on the link or purchase something and no additional cost to you. That little fee helps me keep writing these articles. All my opinions are my own. I am featuring these products because I love them.

This week I'm going to be talking about one of my favorite things. An item that has truly changed my life when it comes to bead work. What am I talking about?

My magnification lamp.

I have been beading for well over 20 years and it's only been the last year or so that I started using one of these. If you use one already, I'm sure your shaking your head in disappointment. I own a wide variety of beading lights, but I've never actually used a magnifying lamp.

This thing has changed my life. It makes beading so much easier. I love it and I can't imagine beading without it now.

To be honest I bought it to help my husband sort Lego bricks. He buys big lots of used Lego and then we need to figure out what they are. So I need a bright light and a magnifying glass to do that. But after I got it, I thought, why not use this bad boy for beads.

I did have a little bit of learning curve to get use to beading with it. I wasn't use to see my beads to big, but I think I had it down the first time I used it. It took me maybe 30 minute to get use to it. Now I can't imagine trying to look at those tiny beads without it.

I have the TomShine Magnifying Glass Lamp. I got it from Amazon an I think it was under $30. On of my favorite things about it is that it plugs in using a USB cord, so I can plug it into the wall or I can use these battery packs to power it. Having it run on batteries is great because I can use it anywhere. And the battery packs are inexpensive and can be recharged (no wasteful batteries). I think I got both of these at Target for around $10 (the one can also be charged using solar energy).

My only complaints with this exact model is the lid won't stay open when you are using it. It just falls down. I've gotten around this by just taking the cover off when in use and putting it back on when I'm done. The other annoying thing is it did not come in with the USB power adapter, but not much comes with one now a days, so I guess I should have expected that. The only other thing I can see being a problem is the clip on it is VERY strong. Which is good because you know it won't fall down, but it could be difficult for some to use it.

Other than those few things, I love it. I recommend anyone that does beadwork get some sort of magnifying lamp and reduce that strain on your eyes. And get your self one of these portable ones so you can take it with you where ever you go.

Do you use a magnifying lamp? Which one do you use? Do you like it? Leave a comment below and let me know what you use to bead.

Looking for beady tutorials?
​Even Count Flat Peyote Stitch - Click Here
Ladder Stitch - Click Here
Brick Stitch - Click Here
How to Read a Peyote Stitch Word Chart - Click Here
Square Stitch - Coming Soon
Two Drop Even Count Flat Peyote Stitch - Coming Soon
Odd Count Flat Peyote Stitch - Coming Soon
And many more!

Other Helpful Goodies

​Want to know how I keep track of where I am in a pattern? Click here to read about my method for staying on track.

What are my favorite beads to use for peyote? I love me some Delica cylinder beads. There are a number of awesome choices HERE.

Want to get beady updates sent right to your inbox? Maybe you'd be interested in a 25% off coupon? Sign up for my email newsletter today and get all that and more! ​

Every week I share what I have been working on. Come take a look at what's on my bead board this week.

Happy 4th of July.

Want to get beady updates sent right to your inbox? Maybe you'd be interested in a 25% off coupon? Sign up for my email newsletter today and get all that and more! ​

Every week I share what I have been working on. Come take a look at what's on my bead board this week.

I'm still working on summer and outdoor themed patterns. This week I've been working on this fun little tree. It would make such a cute necklace or even a pair of earrings.

I am having so much fun with these little brick stitch patterns. They are fun to make, work up quick, and can be used for so many different things. I like to use them as little charms. So many possibilities.

What do you think of this pattern?  What else would you like to see me make? Let me know in the comments below.

Want to get beady updates sent right to your inbox? Maybe you'd be interested in a 25% off coupon? Sign up for my email newsletter today and get all that and more! ​

Every week I share what I have been working on. Come take a look at what's on my bead board this week.

The weather is getting warmer (pretty damn hot here) and I'm getting in the summer mood. And what is one of my favorite summer time things? Watermelon!!! It's seriously one the of the most perfect hot weather snacks. Who doesn't love watermelon?

This pattern is one of the many yummy food patterns in my shop. And I have plans for more foodie patterns in the future (LO is full of food ideas for me to try). What do you think of this pattern? Does it remind you of summer? Let me know in the comments what you think and let me know what you're working on right now. I'd love to know.

Want to get beady updates sent right to your inbox? Maybe you'd be interested in a 25% off coupon? Sign up for my email newsletter today and get all that and more! ​