Beads!!

We are gathering our supplies for some beadwork. Why, you ask? On a recent visit to LYS (local yarn shop), this little booklet was discovered. "Gee whiz, there is no way you could miss out on working with bright shiny beads", the mind voice said. So that is why we are gathering the necessary supplies for this project. The yarn is handspun (properly aged), one ply merino, one ply silk--all from the same colorway--thinking here.......oh, yes, these rovings were purchased in 2009 at Southeast Fiber Forum conference in Asheville, NC. Vendor bought from? we have to think on that one a little bit more. The beads are from Art Beads There was a wonderful little 'needle' with the booklet but somehow, that went missing after the first day of browsing through to figure out which pattern to knit. The patterns included seven scarves and one shawl--which one to knit? Okay, got to find more of those 'needles', order beads and of course, spin the yarn! and you thought this process was an overnight sensation?--Ha, fooled you! Never!!!!!
Finally, yarn is spun and we are adding beads to the yarn. Pour out the beads on a flat container lid and thread the long flexible needles with the yarn. Slip on the beads.
Pull them down over the yarn--thought that part was going to be hard, but the beads went on quickly and easily. But, it is the most time consuming part of the whole project--Sliding on those tiny 10 mm beads. A dear friend had given me one of those bead machines that is suppose to spin the beads onto the thread, but it didn't work with the handspun. Or maybe, we just didn't try hard enough.
Beads are strung and we are knitting! It is little awkward at first, knit a stitch, slide a bead, knit to lock in the bead. But, once you get the hang of it, the process becomes second nature to your fingers.
and oh, yes, love those interchangeable harmony needles from Knit Picks . We are still working on this scarf--ran out of beads!!