Most of us probably think that sometimes, like when you’re about to knit something new that you have never done before, it’s safer to use bead knitting patterns, you make less mistakes and you waste less material because you have this pattern to follow and you can make up a plan on how to start, continue and finish your new knitting project. Using bead knitting patterns asks more from you sometimes; you have to consider more variables and really think and concentrate while you knit. Knitting without bead knitting patterns, on the other hand, gives you more freedom to just let your thoughts float away and to get into a more meditative state of mind which can be very nice and relaxing. Maybe you even forget that you’re knitting (without bead knitting patterns, that is, otherwise you have to concentrate on this)at the moment because a fact is that when you occupy your physical parts and your body, your psychological properties can rest and walk their own ways.

When you knit and don’t use bead knitting patterns, you get more freedom to vary your stitch work along the way, to change and adjust your project according to what you think and feel when you see how it starts to look. Bead knitting patterns will kind of lock you in a place where you can’t change so much because if you don’t follow the bead knitting patterns, you won’t know where you’ll end up. So there are both lots of good things about using bead knitting patterns,m just as there are several things that you may not like too much when knitting. You’re free to do exactly as you wish and I think that the best solution is to sometimes use bead knitting patterns and sometimes not. This way you’ll vary your knitting and you’ll enjoy it for a longer time. I always keep some new bead knitting patterns among my knitting tools and material, then I can choose whether I want my next knitting project to be free or to a higher degree decided in advance.

In this article I present some of the most popular and widespread software for knitting, if they are free or if you have to buy them and some other information about software for knitting. Some of the software goes best with either PC or Mac, some works just as well on both and some works with only one of these operating systems. This is good to know before you download or buy a software for knitting, but the instructions and descriptions are often very informative so that you don’t take any risks of getting a software for knitting that doesn’t work on your computer! Here is a short list on the most popular software for knitting:

Sock Wizard (for Mac)
Sweater Wizard V3
Knitting Math Wizard
Mitten Glove Wizard
Stitch & Motif Maker V3
Print-A-Grid
Sock Wizard Version 2 (for PC)
Swatch Wizard
DesignaKnit

Mac knitting software and PC knitting software doesn’t differ more than on a level that is invisible to us, that is, how the software programs are technologically constructed so that they work the right way with the right computer. Sometimes the layout differs slightly but that doesn’t change the allover impression. If you have a knitting machine, you can use software for knitting on your computer and then connect or transfer this to the knitting machine. Look for instructions for each program to see how you can make this work; it’s very practical! With all these technology tools, what really happens to the traditional image of knitting or beaded knitting; the one with a person sitting in a cozy armchair and just meditating over life? Or the more recent image; with a group of people gathering to drink coffee, sit and chat and continue with their different knitting projects?

Well, in my opinion, these aspects of knitting will always remain because we need the social and relaxing effects it gives. But if one look at things in a more industrial or design related perspective, all these new tools can help knitting to get a higher position in society because knitting and bead knitted items can spread much faster and more effective over the world. This can lead to more people getting interested in the art of bead knitting, and the good circle will continue. Of course we pay tribute to the pioneers of knitting, but as the world changes, we must also find new ways to make our voices heard and the bead knitted stitch works to reach a bigger audience!

When creating a beaded doll, you need some knitting beads and other things; bead knitting needles, bead knitting patterns (if you want and need those), a calm place to knit in and time, patience and a good will! On the wide range of Internet knitting blogs, you can find lots of inspiration, bead knitting patterns and information on how you make your first, beautiful beaded doll. If you don’t know how to read knitting patterns, a good thing to do before starting out on all the projects you’re planning to do, is to buy a bead knitting book. In books on bead knitting or regular knitting you are often given an easily read explanation on bead knitting patterns, how you’re supposed to read and understand all this new terminology and complicated new words. When you feel that you’ve got a grasp on what bead knitting is all about and how you understand the most basic bead knitting patterns, then you can slowly and carefully begin to to your fist little beaded doll. If you haven’t got enough knowledge about the basics in bead knitting, you will just start with a beaded doll, make mistakes and fail and finally get so irritated and tired on this thing that never works out that you’ll loose all the joy and fun with bead knitting. And we wouldn’t want that!

So take your time and get a hold on the basics before you start and everything will be so much more easy and fun! Beaded dolls are usually rather small, only a few inches high. But of course there are variants to this. Since the size is small, you create a beaded doll pretty quickly and the need of material isn’t too high. Use many different bright colors to get the best effects on your beaded doll’s clothes. It’s also popular to give every beaded doll its own theme; for example you can make one with Spanish colors and clothes; yellow and red, flowers in the hair, and curvy forms.

An old lady using bead knitting patterns while all the others knitted by heart and adjusted the stitches directly after body parts? No, that would definitely not have been popular. And my grandmother has no interest in using bead knitting patterns to be able to create some advanced clothing. She’s perfectly happy with knitting some socks to me and my family for Christmas, and some occasional babies clothes. (Maybe she’s also secretly hoping to knit for my own babies some day…). But this wasn’t supposed to be all about my grandmother and her not using bead knitting patterns, though I like to talk about her because she’s such an amazing person and a big part of my life. I was about to tell you about when I for the first time lay my eyes on bead knitting patterns. I remember it very well. It was actually only some years ago, when I went to school and wanted to develop my hobby of bead knitting to a higher level. I needed this hobby since school created a lot of stress and I really needed a break sometimes, but I had never used bead knitting patterns. I had always wanted to bead knit some kind of top clothing, a sweater or jumper for example.

I had a very good friend at the time who once saw me free hand knitting. She simply asked “Why don’t you go get yourself some bead knitting patterns, if not, how will you know what that piece of bead knitting will look like when you’ve finished?” after school, we went to the local yarn shop and asked if they were selling bead knitting patterns. And, of course they were! I immediately bought three bead knitting patterns and went home to try them out. Since then I almost never bead knit without bead knitting patterns!

Knitwit is inspiring and funny and really makes people take an extra look! It’s like graffiti with yarn! Knitwit combines humor with beauty and reality with imagination. It’s serious in an easily accessible way. No one really knows who started knitwit the first time, the whole thing is surrounded with a little mystery. On the knitwit homepage, people are prompted to go looking for knitwit in their own towns and countries, and to take photographs of these incredible bead knitting patterns and send these images to the knitwit administrators. This way they can upload all the images they get on their site and thus people all over the world can share their experiences of knitwit. You can contribute as well by either knitwit yourself or take photos of others knitwits.

Another meaning of the word knitwit is that it’s a helpful tool you can use when you’re a beginner at bead knitting who wants to lean more and faster. A knitwit in this case is simply a hand held loom which can be used along with most of the types of bead knitting yarn. On the Internet you can read a lot about knitwit, either if it’s the knitwit tool or the knitwit as a social culture trend you’re interested in! The most popular among the knitwit patterns is maybe the knitwit flower pattern. It’s fast and easy since you make a rather small object, but nonetheless very appreciated as a gift. When knitting a knitwit flower you can also choose to use some of the bead knitting patterns to be found for smaller stitch works. If you love knitting and want to be at the edge of the trends, you should definitely learn more about the knitwit phenomena! I did so myself and I can really recommend it.

But the knitting blogs can also be only about knitting and not actually include any knitting instructions or bead knitting patterns. Some, actually many do, people find knitting very meditative and relaxing and they may just write about their life with all its aspects where bead knitting may be one of the bigger parts. If a person is very good and skillful in knitting, he or she tend to want to share their items by selling them, and this way also create profitable Internet knitting blogs. If you’re stuck in a knitting projects, can’t get any further or simply search for more and new inspiration, Internet knitting blogs are your best way to get rid of your problems! The blogs are filled with colorful photos of everything from bead knitting yarn and bead knitting beads to different types of bead knitting needles and bead knitting patterns. You can learn the difference between beads knitting, beaded knitting and bead knitting, which can be good to know if you’re a beginner in the vast world of knitting! Search for Internet knitting blogs whenever you need help or inspiration in your beaded knitting and you’ll find out even more than you were looking for at first. Get surprised, inspired and tipped off!

A beaded scarf pattern may look simple at first, but may turn out more difficult to get through than you thought. Don’t forget that the beads has to be put in place. Beaded scarfs can be used throughout the year, no season is too cold or too hot for a knitted scarf. During the winter you may want to look for a beaded scarf patter which results in a thicker and warmer scarf. These properties can be manipulated by the choose of knitting technique (sparse stitches or more dense ones) but also by which type of yarn you choose. The fall and the spring time are seasons with colder and damper weather, with much rain and cloudy days. Then it’s very comfortable to have a cozy scarf to pull around your neck. The scarf doesn’t have to fit under your coat, wrap it a few times around your neck and then let it hang loose over your jacket. This looks very nice, especially if you’ve bead knitted your scarf in a bright accent color! So go find yourself a nice beaded scarf pattern and begin to bead knit!

Crochet isn’t an exception in the matter of handcrafts multimedia. Crocheting may not be quite as popular, traditional and widespread as knitting is, but it’s definitely growing. There are so many crochet blogs and crochet communities that if you have any kind of question or problem, you can be sure to find an answer, probably many, on the Internet! To those who doesn’t have access to the Internet or just doesn’t like the sometimes cold, isolated and impersonal feeling about it (because sometimes you want a real person to talk to you and you want real fabric and yarn to feel) there are other kinds of multimedia to go to. Knitting books have been written, knitting magazines are edited, knitting videos are recorded and knitting meetings are arranged. So you just have to choose which option that fits you the best!

Knitting blogs
there are many knitting blogs, yarn blog, stitches blogs and other blogs about all that has got to do with knitting. Some of the most popular blogs about knitting are Mason-Dixon Knitting, Yarn Harlot and Knit and Tonic. The first one is written by two women, living in different states, with one big thing in common; the passion for knitting. Knitting blogs are good to read because they are of course very personal but still informative. You get lots of ideas!

Knitting communities
The knitting market online is very wide spread. There are forums and communities where you become a member and join discussion threads about different knitting related matters. Some of the knitting communities are KnitPicks, Knitting Pattern Central, Knitting Daily and Ravelry.

Crochet blogs
There are also lots of free crochet blogs where you may find crochet patterns for different stitch works. People who are interested in crocheting are often also interested in knitting, and the other way around. I recommend that you try out both these methods to find out which suits you best and which you find the most fun!

Bead knitting patterns for Barbie clothes are available on the Internet but you can also use some sort of software for knitting to design your own patterns. Below I provide you with a list with measurements of the parts of the bodies for both the Barbie and Ken dolls. With this you can create a bead knitting patterns for the dolls without actually having one yourself. Maybe you’re making a gift for a grandchild or friend’s child and don’t have access to a Barbie doll. Now that’s no longer a problem! You’ll discover how fun it is to use doll knitting patterns and maybe you even go from Barbie dolls to bigger dolls.

With some practice you’ll become an expert in using doll knitting patterns and even creating them yourself and you may find this profitable. Often you can sell these miniature clothes for surprisingly high prices. The clothes are regarded expensive since they’re often made of not so cheap materials and yarns and also because people think the intricate patterns are very difficult to make. Though, if you try knitting Barbie clothes you’ll discover that’s not the case. And even if you come to a difficult step, you don’t have to continue for long since it’s only a matter of centimeters! You can use almost anything you can think of as decoration; a piece of fur, beads in different sizes and colors, silk, velvet and so on. Make a set of skirt, jacket and hat in matching yarn and colors, this will be very popular.

I’ve used Metric measurements (in millimeters) in this list for doll knitting patterns. If you want Imperial measurements you can just split the number given here in 25,4 and you’ll get it in inches. (One inch = 25.4mm)

]]> http://www.beadknittingpatterns.com/doll-knitting-patterns/feed/ 0 http://www.beadknittingpatterns.com/tips-on-how-to-use-bead-knitting-patterns/ http://www.beadknittingpatterns.com/tips-on-how-to-use-bead-knitting-patterns/#comments Thu, 07 Jan 2010 08:40:49 +0000 admin http://www.beadknittingpatterns.com/?p=140 In this article I present some tips on how to use bead knitting patterns. I explain some of the most common mistakes people do when beginning their “bead knitting career” and how you avoid the same mistakes. You also find a short FAQ-list (frequently asked questions) about bead knitting patterns at the end of the article. If you read this article, you’ll get a good start and hopefully you avoid some of the mistakes that are often made when starting to bead knit without the right preparations.

Bead knitting patterns tips
Sort your beads color wise in small heaps before starting to bead knit. Remember that the first bead you thread will be the last one you knit. If you’re about to make a complicated pattern, think carefully about how you thread the beads and do it reversibly. A nice buttonhole decorated with beautiful stitches all around will lift any simple garment and make it something special. The buttonholes doesn’t have to end just at the button’s end but can continue a bit in on the garment. (not the actual hole of course but the decorations around it!)

Bead knitting patterns: Common mistakes
Many people not run out of yarn when knitting because the cut off the yarn. To avoid this; don’t estimate how much yarn you need (because you’ll always need more than you think!) and don’t cut off the yarn. Roll it up on the ball of wool instead. This way, you can roll out more yarn while you knit.

FAQ about bead knitting patterns
Where do I find free bead knitting patterns?
You can find free bead knitting patterns on the Internet and in books at the library.

Where do I buy bead knitting patterns?
- At yarn shops, on the Internet, with books and with magazines.

What do I start with when knitting with beads?
- Carefully read your bead knitting pattern and then pre-thread your beads.

What do I do if I make a mistake during the knitting?
- If it’s only a simple mistake, remove the needles and reverse the stitch. Otherwise the best you can do is to save what you’ve already knitted and try to hide the mistake later.

Can I make a knot to tie two ends of yarn together if I run out of yarn?
- That depends on how big the beads you use are. The beads have to be able to pass over the knot if you have to make one.

My bead knitting patterns doesn’t tell me which needle size I should use. How do I know?
- An easy way to find out which needle fits your yarn, is to take a double strand of yarn and try to put it trough some of the holes on a needle gauge. The best size is the one that fits not too loose or too tight.

Can I use bead knitting patterns for children’s clothes and toys?
- Be careful because of the risk that the child will swallow the beads. Sometimes it’s better to embroider eyes, mouth and other details instead of using beads.