Beads

Posted 18 Sep 2014 by JC

What’s new at Stitch-Maps.com? Beads! You can now create stitch maps using a slew of bead symbols, in three broad categories. First up, prestrung beads – that is, beads that you thread onto the working yarn before you start knitting:

• SB = Slide bead.
• Sl1 wb = Slip 1 with bead.
• KBL = Knit bead onto left leg.
• KBR = Knit bead onto right leg.

Next up, beads placed onto stitches before the stitches are worked:

• PBk = Place bead and knit on RS, place bead and purl on WS.
• PBp = Place bead and purl on RS, place bead and knit on WS.
• PBsl = Place bead and slip.

Finally, beads placed onto stitches after they’re worked:

• K1 PB on RS, p1 PB on WS.
• P1 PB on RS, k1 PB on WS.
• K2tog PB on RS, p2tog PB on WS.
• K3tog PB on RS, p3tog PB on WS.
• Ssk PB on RS, ssp PB on WS.
• Sl1-k2tog-psso PB on RS, sssp PB on WS.
• Sl2-k1-p2sso PB on RS, cddp PB on WS.
• P2tog PB on RS, k2tog PB on WS.
• P3tog PB on RS, k3tog PB on WS.
• Ssp PB on RS, ssk PB on WS.
• Sssp PB on RS, sl1-k2tog-psso PB on WS.
• Cddp PB on RS, sl2-k1-p2sso PB on WS.

See the bead section of the key for more details. Note that with all the “place bead” symbols, the key talks about picking up a bead with a crochet hook, and using the hook to pull the stitch through the bead. You can, of course, use a different tool if you prefer: a latch hook, a bit of bent wire, some fishing line, or whatever other tool is at hand.

Want to know why these symbols and abbreviations were chosen? See this conversation on Ravelry.

Now for the fun stuff – sample patterns! Swag makes use of “slide bead” symbols to map the bottom of a beaded bag, or the end of a beaded scarf:

Beaded Lily of the Valley replaces the nupps of a traditional Estonian pattern with beads:

Alternating Wheat Ears places beads on the knit stitches between its paired yarn overs:

And Viburnum, from the latest Knitty, places beads on a variety of decreases:

Enjoy!