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Bead Knitting is an exciting way to take your knitting experience further.  But it’s not for the beginning knitter.  You should have a good working knowledge of knitting before you attempt bead knitting. The knitting stitches you should know before you start bead knitting are:  casting on, the knit stitch, the purl stitch, and binding off.  I do not describe these basic knitting stitches here, but I do show and describe them in my book, “Knitting Beaded Purses”.  You can also find basic knitting instructions on many web sites.  Just Google “basic knitting”, “knitting” or “knitting instructions” and you will find many sites.  

What I show on this page is how to do the knit stitch and the purl stitch with beads.  Note that the bead knit stitch differs slightly from the basic knit stitch.  When knitting without beads, you knit into the front part (or “leg”) of the stitch, and you bring the yarn around the needle from back to front, or counterclock-wise.  In bead knitting, you insert the right needle into the back “leg” of the stitch, and bring the yarn around from front to back, or clock-wise.  The reason for this difference is that this action twists the stitch, which keeps the bead more firmly on the stitch.  I give a more detailed description of this in my book.  

If you know how to knit and are interested in adding beads, the illustrations below will help you.  If you want more information, check out my book or contact me.  I would be happy to “talk you through” bead knitting, or answer any questions you have

Knit Stitches

IN - Needle through back leg of stitch, to back of work (side away from you)

UP - Slide bead up to within about 1/2" of needles

AROUND - Loop yarn around needle from front to back, forcing bead between needles

THROUGH - With left forefinger, pop bead between needles and to front of work (side facing you)

OFF - Pull completed stitch off left needle

Purl Stitches

IN - Needle through front leg of stitch, to front of work

(side facing you)

UP - Slide bead up to within about 1/2" of needles

AROUND - Loop yarn around needle from back to front, forcing bead between needles

THROUGH - With left thumb, pop bead between needles and to front side of piece (side away from you)

OFF - Pull completed stitch off left needle