Spindle and Wheel

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Spring 2007 Issue

Something fun

Meagan

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Fresh Boarder

Posts: 2

Beaded Yarn - 2007/05/28 14:44 This was a very well-written and photographed article with very clear directions. However, as I was trying this new technique, the thought kept coming into my mind that why wouldn't one just string the beads onto the finished single-ply after it was all spun and then use the act of plying to hold the beads in place?

I'm not saying this wasn't a great acticle, it just seemed really complicated for me. Of, course, I haven't tried the way I mentioned either, so it could be that this really is the best way to produce beaded hand-spun yarn.

Could anybody get back to me about this question?

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Diane

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Platinum Boarder

Posts: 72

Re:Beaded Yarn - 2007/05/28 22:10 That occurred to me too, until I realised that threading beads on perhaps 100 yds of yarn and then spacing them out would not be as easy as you might think!

The thing is - you want the diameter of the singles the beads are threaded on to be close to the diameter of the bead hole. Otherwise, the thread will pull out of the yarn with the weight of the beads and they will dangle and snag on on things. This is a common occurrance with commercial beaded yarns which consist of a thin, beaded thread plied in with two normal singles. Beads that sit nice and snugly on the yarn will stay put.

I also thought the article was very clear and well-written

I have had a go, and I have a sample but haven't got around to taking any pictures yet

www.kurrajonghandcrafts.com

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allena

Admin

Posts: 159

Re:Beaded Yarn - 2007/05/29 04:13 The reason, other than what Diane mentioned I did it this way, is that I thought it was more fun. Also you do want the bead snug on the yarn. So I couldn't figure out how to get a doubled yarn through the hole in the bead. I toyed with the idea of waxing the end, but that seemed more difficult to me. Plus the singles tangle and ply back on themselves and I foresaw a big tangled mess that I would make myself unravel.

If you want to do it the really easy way, buy some hand quilting thread in a matching color and thread your beads on that. Then ply. This allows you to use the tiny seed beads. Just a thought, but you might have the same trouble Diane discribed with the commercial beaded yarns. I don't know.

I couldn't come up with a better way, and I think pushing the beads along was fun, not really tedious, but maybe that's me.

Anybody else know another way? If you fall off, get back on and try again.

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Tina
Visitor

Re:Beaded Yarn - 2007/06/11 15:06 I've only tried beaded yarn once, and I used 2 handspun singles and plied with a commercial yarn that I had attached the beads to. It worked ok, but I think the way described in the article would produce a better looking yarn, more consistent as it was difficult for me to find a commercial yarn that would match my singles.
I'll definatley try this method soon, I'm not sure what I'll make of beaded yarn, but they are fun to make!

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