Tips and Tricks

September 2002

I don't mind the hour drive to and from the Society meetings because it gives me uninterrupted time to think about beads and beading. On the way home this month, I was pondering how sometimes the beads just don't want to stay in a spiral shape in a spiral rope, and the rope has to be twisted to make the spiral visible. During the drive, I thought of a way to fix the occasional piece that insists on untwisting like this. It works great!

I'll bring some samples and handouts with diagrams to the next meeting, but basically here's what you want to do.

1. After finishing the spiral, work a new thread to the next-to-last bead in the first section of surface beads on one end.
2. Now loop the thread around the next section of surface beads, so that the thread does a half hitch knot between the middle beads of the section. (Always loop the thread so that the needle is toward the end you started at. This causes the working thread to be twisted into a sort of half-hitch knot around the thread of the surface beads.)
3. Slip the needle and thread through the next-to-last bead on the new section.
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 until you reach the other end of the rope, then work the thread into the core beads and tie off.

Be aware that you will lose a tiny bit of flexibility in the finished piece. Also, remember to choose a thread color that doesn't contrast with the underlying core beads.

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