Gatsby Bracelet

I decided to take up beading (for some reason) in early March (2018). I bought two kits off of Beadaholique. One was a plaid peyote stitch kit (which is still not finished), and the other was this Gatsby Loom Bracelet Kit. Two very different techniques. The peyote stitch is extremely similar to sewing, while the bead loom is similar but not quite like regular weaving.

Here it is still on the loom. Unlike the peyote stitch, which adds one bead at a time,  on the loom you load up the entire row on your needle at once, and then push them up and in between the warp threads all at once. Then you pull your needle through while holding them up, and put it back through the beads again taking care that the needles goes over the warp threads.

I find the bead weaving on the loom goes a lot faster than peyote stitch does, but it’s also a lot more fiddly. I had some trouble keeping the beads in place before I had secured them, even after starting – and I a lot of trouble starting it off. (Starts are generally the most difficult, though.) I had originally decided I would go from the bottom up like regular weaving and knitting and crochet is like, but after a couple of rows I decided to try turning it around and working from the top down like I had seen in the youtube videos I watched for instruction. (Beadaholique puts out videos demonstrating how to do each step of their kits, which is very helpful!) Working top down is a easier than going bottom up.

I think the only think I am disappointed with in this kit is the clasp. The hardware feels a bit cheap. I think it’s metallic covered plastic instead of actual metal. I’m also utterly unable to put it on. The lobster clasp is just too awkward to get open with one hand. So that’s disappointing. I enjoyed the technique, though and would use different, better quality hardware in the future.