For my next beadwoven rope project, I chose to use chenille stitch. I haven't really used it a lot, but I knew that it worked up fairly quickly into a rope that held its shape with no need of a core, and yet was soft enough to curve nicely.
It turns out that it's just about the perfect stitch for a pretty rope! I'll be doing this again for sure.
There are several places you can get instructions for chenille stitch if you are not already familiar with it. The way you'll use your needle is similar to peyote stitch, but there are two different rows that will alternate with slightly different thread paths. I made a rope slightly larger than the one in the sample at the link above. Here's how I did it:
1. I start with a core of 8 size 11/0 seed beads (color A - shiny black) and make a loop. Tie it, leaving a tail of at least 8 inches.
2. Add 4 size 11/0 seed beads (color B - matte teal), one between each pair of As. Step up through first B added.
3. Add 8 color As, two between each color B. Step up through first A added.
4. Add one B between each pair of As, as in step 2. Continue alternating the two rows.
5. At each end, add two small loops with seed beads (shown below). Look at the instructions for my herringbone stitch rope from last week to see how these loops are used for finishing off the necklace.
This post contains affiliate links: Beadaholique
Copyright 2018 Cyndi Lavin. All rights reserved. Not to be reprinted, resold, or redistributed for profit. May be printed out for personal use or distributed electronically provided that entire file, including this notice, remains intact.
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