It was some time ago that I showed a bracelet-making kit on one of our Product Segments and mentioned that I was so fascinated by it that I would feature it on the show one day. Today was the day.
Mary Libby Neiman is the clever woman who came up with the pattern and put the kit together. Fortunately for us Mary is as generous as she is clever, so she graciously agreed to allow me to give the directions on the show and have them printed here. I have not copied them word for word...I'm inclined to get a bit wordy...but this is how I made mine following Mary's directions. I also used all the materials in her kit, but you can experiment using different needle sizes, yarn and beads. In fact, if you are a beginner or do not knit often, it might be a good idea to practice using larger sizes first. The directions are very easy, but working with the small needles and fine thread takes getting used to. The thread/cord used in the kit is 100 percent polyester, which will not break with use the way a silk or cotton thread would be inclined to do. The kits come in a variety of color combinations.
Materials:
8 yards of fine polyester metallic cord
long-eyed, very thin wire beading needle
one pair #0000 double-pointed knitting needles
2" square of cardboard for bobbin
no. 8 glass seed beads (140 each of two colors)*
*It is not necessary to use two colors, but for the first bracelet, it is easier to spot any mistakes.
1. Thread cord through the needle eye and pull through half way so you have 4 yards.
2. Cut a small slash in the cardboard and wrap the doubled thread around it, securing it in the slash. Leave 1 yard unwrapped (figure A).
3. Thread the beads onto the thread/cord, alternating two of one color and then two of the other color, until all 280 beads threaded. It will go much faster than you might expect (figure B).
4. Push the beads back about 10 inches from the needle. There you will start to cast stitches on one of the knitting needles.
5. Cast on three stitches! That's right. Cast on just three stitches! Because the needles are so small and you are working with a double thread, you might find it easier if you hold both of your knitting needles together and cast on over both needles.
6. Once cast on, remove one of the needles.
7. Row 1. Knit all three stitches.
8. Row 2. Insert the needle in the front of the first stitch as if you were going to purl, but do NOT bring the yarn in front as you do with a purl stitch (figure C). Slip the stitch.
9. Insert the needle in the second stitch as if to knit it, but before you actually knit it, push a bead up the thread so it rests against the needle (figure D). Knit the stitch.
10. Repeat this process with the third stitch...insert needle, slip bead up, complete knitting the stitch. Repeat this row until all the beads are used.
11. The strand will twist as you knit (figure E). It will also be easy to see immediately as you knit if you make any mistakes in adding the beads, which is one of the reasons for using two different colored beads (figure F). It is also attractive.
12. At this point I cast off the three stitches and then used the still-threaded sewing needle at the end to weave the ends of the bracelet together. It was all but invisible.
NOTE: Mary's more professional directions for finishing off the bracelet are included along with diagrams in her direction sheet. I mentioned on the air that they would be included here, but I have since realized that without her rather detailed illustrations, they would be all but impossible to interpret. Mary does state in her printed directions that if you find her method too involved, it is all right to weave the ends together as I suggested.
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