I confess that I have an addiction when it comes to beads. To be perfectly honest I have a serious Jones for anything that has that little something extra to make it special, so bead knitting is quite naturally one of my favorite techniques. I don’t claim to be an expert, but I will tell you what I do know.

Bead Selection is super important since it really sets the tone for your whole project. Obviously colorful wooden beads are going to look fun and playful where glass beads will look a little more elegant. You can add them allover a project for serious effect or just as an accent like icing on a cake. If you go with seed beads (which are my favorite) there are choices like clear, smoky, iridescent and opaque, or silver and gold lined for an added sparkle. Beads come in all shapes, sizes, and textures so your choices are limitless. The point is that beads add a whole other dimension to your knitting projects. Just think of all the new stashing opportunities!

The reason seed beads are my favorite is because whether you use a little or a lot they really accent the other design details rather than mask them. They are also easiest to order online because of the standard sizes. I can also share that the best ones are Japanese manufactured (Matsuno, Miyuki, and Toho) because of their uniformity in shape. Sometimes they are a little more expensive, but you don’t have to worry about as many duds with non-existent holes. Czech beads are also very good.

Your Method is also something you should take into consideration. I like pre-stringing beads directly onto the ball of yarn. You can use a Big-Eye needle available in most craft department or improvise with a thin piece of wire folded in half.

(Be sure to crease the fold well so the looped end will fit through the bead).

(The wire I use is a 30 gauge wire I had in my craft room. )

A note on pre-stringing: you have to unwind a fair bit of yarn to pre-string beads. You actually lace a few at a time and move them to the base of the yarn ball until you have a good amount to work with. From there you’ll work with them in small groups from the base of the ball of yarn as you knit. Some people prefer to pre-string half of what you’ll need at the beginning of a ball and half at the end, but it is really up to you. Keep in mind that if you don’t lace enough you’ll have to cut the yarn to string more beads.

You can also add beads as you go using a very small crochet hook. I have avoided this technique because I dislike the start and stop to my knitting rhythm (not to mention the fact that my girls or my cat would likely get into the beads before they were secured on the yarn and havoc would inevitably ensue). Of course this method circumvents all the time spent stringing so if you are interested Lily Chin’s book Knit and Crochet with Beads covers all the bases.

Size Really Does Matter! Once you’ve narrowed down your bead choices you have to think about size. Your bead should be able to slide over the yarn freely without damaging the fibers. For one or two beads it may seem a little pointless, but if you are pre-stringing hundreds of beads they can really wear and tear your yarn.

Size 6/0 glass seed beads
(silver-lined crystal with square holes)

I have found that size 5/0 and 6/0 seed beads, and also E beads work best on worsted and DK weight yarns respectively. The size of seed beads refers loosely to how many will fit in an inch when strung, so the higher the first number, the smaller the bead. If you are going to be working with smaller gauge yarns you can get away with smaller beads.

Bead Shopping: Depending on where you buy your beads they can be purchased by the strand, tube or bag and are usually sold by weight. Most online bead sellers will give you an estimate of the number of beads included in their packages.

Here are some great online sources–Enjoy!

Fire Mountain Gems- great prices and selection of seed beads up to size 6/0 (perfect for DK weight yarns)

Beader’s Paradise- good selection of Miyuki and seed beads in tubes up to a size 5/0.

Caravan Beads and Fibers- good selection of Miyuki and seed beads in tubes up to a size 5/0 and they carry yarn!

Earth Faire- This place is bead knitting central: beads, yarn, books & kits!

Shipwreck Beads- serious selection, good prices and awesome search features. Seed beads even in the largest available sizes.

Munro Crafts- smaller selection of seed and E beads but good prices on tubes.

Linda Richmond- here you will find a small but unique selection of seed and E beads.

Land of Odds- a good selection of Japanese and Czech seed beads.

Hopefully this is a good place to start if you’ve been interested in knitting with beads but didn’t know where to begin.