The bead knitting method is common when you make smaller items such as jewelry. A bead knitted item doesn’t have to be composed only of just beads knitting; some areas alone can be bead knitted as decoration while the rest is made using usual knitting. Composite bead knitting patterns may include bead knitting, beaded knitting and regular knitting. If beaded knitting can be described as a stitch work with beads spread over a larger area, bead knitting is in some cases many beads on a smaller area, like a border of a piece of clothing. In bead knitting the beads are put on the stitches. Since the yarn is not visible, the surface is composed only by the beads. A pattern is made by using beads of different colors or sizes. In bead knitting you knit a bead on every stitch in every row. You twist the stitches so that the bead hides it. The most common stitch to use in beads knitting is twisted stockinette stitch. If you use garter stitch the yarn will be visible through the pattern of beads. You can read about different stitches in the article “Bead knitting stitches”.
There are some things you must think about before starting bead knitting. It’s important to match the sizes of the stitches and the beads; if you use too small beads, they won’t hide the yarn and may even fall through the stitches and be visible from the wrong side. If the beads are too large in bead knitting, they will be difficult to knit with and the gauge might become uneven. Most beginners prefer to use a thicker type of yarn and bigger needles because it’s easier to handle when bead knitting. The more talented you get, the easier it will be to use the tiny types of beads and the thinnest yarns! To be able to do bead knitting, with or without bead knitting patterns, you have to learn to knit. There are a lot of funny rhymes from earlier years which can help you to remember how to knit with beads before you’ve learned it by heart. Here is one example: “In through the front door, Once around the back, Peek through the window, And off jumps Jack.” In more precise terms of knitting, this means simply: “Put the needle through the loop from the front, Catch the strand of yarn, Through the loop again, And pull the stitch off the needle.” The rhyme is just an easier and funnier way to remember it! Now go get your bead knitting and bead knitting patterns!