Beading, from the Beginning

[chebe]

I don't know how it happened, but I've never learned to bead. I have played with metal and wire-wrap jewellery, just never beading. Not even bead-looms, which are apparently things children learn to use the world over. So, I'm endeavouring to correct that oversight. I picked up The Beader's Bible in a local shop (at nearly three times the cost that Amazon has it, eek), and am using it to pick up the basics. It's a beautiful book, lots of helpful tips and instructions. But, there are very few projects, it's more of a reference book to use when other projects don't explain what a specific stitch is, or how to do it. I'm making up projects, making simple chokers and bracelets as a way to practice the various stitches. But progress is slow. Which tends to be the case when learning something new. So I'm going to keep a log of things I try.

Things that worked:
- Nymo thread, size D (0.012" diameter), with size 10 beading needle. With size 11 seed beads (even going through a few times).
- Doubling up the thread down the entire length, and knotting the two ends together. Nice and secure. Also, didn't lose the needle.
- Stop bead. An extra bead that you loop the thread through a few times, so the rest of the beads don't fall off the end.
- Square stitch. String the first row, then on subsequent rows each bead is added one at a time by looping the thread through the bead in the row below and back through the new bead.

Things that didn't work:
- Square stitch with seed beads. The sizes of the beads were too irregular. Ended up as an irregular grid, and each row spreading out like a fan (spiraling around the first row). Probably just the kind of seed beads I used. (Maybe space out the first row more. Or possibly I just need more practice.)
- After the first row square stitch uses a lot of thread. Approx 3-times as much I guestimate.