Monday, May 12, 2008


Hey guys! Finally posting something new! This is a variation on a Ndebele swirl, which originally had 4 columns around. I switched that to 6, and decided  to try incorporating bigger beads of the same color. I used cheap beads in case it didn't work out, ha ha, but I really like this necklace. I usually wear  it with an all black outfit so it's not too gaudy. You just make a ladder base of 3 of each color, then go back through the first 3 to make a ring. Then each time you pick up two beads- the  first is the color of the row you just came out of, and the second is the color of the row you'll be going into. Go down two of beads in the next row and out the top bead of the NEXT row. Just keep repeating this and you'll get  a nice  little twisted chain going.  (If anyone's interested, I got the original pattern out of the book, "Mastering Beadwork: A Comprehensive Guide to Off-loom Techniques." By Carol Huber Cypher.) Then I just started adding one big bead and one regular bead, then the next time around I changed it to two big beads until I had about 4 big beads on top of one another then started back to one of each again. (I think this helps a little so it's not such an abrupt change.) I finished with a simple beaded toggle and a ring of peyote stitch for a closure. Hope you like it! :)