Tips and Tricks for Beaded Rope Crochet
This page contains tips and suggestions for beaded rope crochet (aka rope bead crochet; tubular crocheting with beads). This page will grow as I come across or think of new things. So though this page may start off small and short, be assured that I will collect more bead crochet notes here as time goes on.
This here is an example of the use of a beaded rope crochet ( First Love Bead Crochet Necklace (CH0241)).
Level of Skill Needed for Beaded Rope Crochet
Beaded rope crochet is actually very simple in the sense that it usually uses no complicated stitches but relies mostly on the very basic crochet stitches (like chain, single crochet, slip stitch etc).
However I would still suggest that the level of expertise should be intermediate to advanced. This is because as you learn to crochet with beads, unless the feel of the crochet hook in your hands is like second nature, you might find it a bit arduous having to deal with beads at the same time as trying to cope with an unfamiliar crochet hook. But once you are familiar with using the crochet hook so much so that you don’t even have to think of your hand and finger positioning, then taking up crocheting with beads will just be adding to a comfortable competence in crocheting.
Beaded Crochet Rope
How to Start a Beaded Crochet Rope
You can start a bead crochet rope with either:
- a ring of joined chain stitches (un-beaded) and then work in the beads from thereonin or
- a ring of joined bead chain. That means that the beads are already on in the very first foundation row.
I use both as starting methods.
Alternate Ways of Starting Circular Crochet
It is very hard to make sure that there is no twisting on first (chain stitch) row when joining up into a circle. So I suggest some alternative starting methods – whereby the joining into a circle has lesser chances of twisting.
- tatting to start first round
- beaded chain stitch
- crochet braids
- start with MM caston
The choice will also depend on the design you are making.
Stitches for the Body of the Bead Crochet Rope
The two photos below show the standard bead crochet rope. This is how I first learnt to bead crochet a rope. It is created by using slip stitches. You can see that the thread used is virtually invisible.
TIP:
For beaded rope crochet, I usually use from between 0.5mm to 0.7mm thread thickness. With that, I normally use a Clover crochet hook, size #3 (which is about 1.3 – 1.4mm).
For me, that is Clover crochet hook #12 (which is about 0.6mm).
I don’t mean have the fine hook ready in your box somewhere – but have it ready ON HAND, right where you are working. Because it is very easy to drop a stitch when you are working beaded crochet ropes (as you want pretty firm tension). If you drop a stitch, it literally seems to disappear. And you will want a much finer hook (than your working hook) on the spot to have a good chance of hooking into the dropped stitch to rescue it.
Here you can see the golden thread I used. And that golden forms part of the final look of the piece.
How to Calculate Number of Beads Needed for your Bead Crochet Rope
Note that this is only my rule of thumb but it seems to work pretty well.
Calculating for Same Sized Beads- Determine the length you want your finished crochet rope to be. e.g. 200mm
- Ascertain sizes of beads you will be using. For example:
a) all 2mm or
b) mixed sizes – e.g. 2mm and 4mm (per row) - Calculate number of rows:
If using all 2mm beads, then => 200mm/2mm = 100 rows, viz you will be looking to have about 100 circular rows to achieve your desired length. - Calculate number of beads.
Determine how thick you want your bead crochet rope – i.e how many beads per row?
Say you want 4 beads per circular row.
Therefore you will need 100 rows x 4 = 400 beads needed in total - Include Safety Margin (10 rows):
Personally I always add a few more rows in the calculation as a buffer in case I want it longer later or in case the calculations come up a bit short to achieve the desired finish length.
So add about 10 rows – which is 4 (beads per row) x 10 = 40 additional beads.
viz. I will then thread about 440 beads onto my crochet thread before beginning to bead crochet the rope.
Calculating for Mixed Size Beads
For example, for a 4 bead per row rope made up of [2mm – 4mm – 2mm – 2mm],
the average “height” per row is (2+4+2+2)/4 = 10/4 =2.5mm (ave. height per row).
So to get the desired finished length of 200mm:
200mm / 2.5mm = 80 rows
Therefore you will need 80 of the 4mm beads and 80x3 (of the 2mm beads) = 480 of the 2mm beads.
As before, it would be prudent to calculate for an additional 10 rows to ensure you don’t come up short.
Tips & Tricks: Tassels and Loop for a Lariat
If your crochet lariat is to have tassels at one end, with a loop at the other (as shown), then it is advantageous to make use of the inherent form of the bead crochet loop.
This looser tip is ideal for adding the tassles. You can use it so that the tassles seem to flow out from the beads at the tip.
Thread on long strong beading thread. Sew and attach (invisibily) to body of crochet rope. Pick up beads to the tassel’s desired length. Use a turning bead at the tip of the tassel. Then work back along the beads on the tassel till you reach the body of the crochet rope. Stitch to secure. Then carry on to next tassle.
The tighter ‘starting end’ of bead crochet rope will then be where you will work in your loop.
Endings for Beaded Rope Crochet
As mentioned above, you can have tassels to end a beaded crochet rope. But that is not the only way.
If you want to make a rope crochet necklace (see photo), you will want some neat way of finishing both ends of your work.
You can use cord ends. Or tube magnetic clasp.
Important:
beaded rope crochet 006If using magnetic clasp, do not use flat ended magnetic clasp. These clasps tend to snap open during wear.
Instead use a magnetic clasp with an inner tube insert. In fact, any of the more secure magnetic clasps (as per below) would be better than flat ended magnetic clasps.
Bead Sizes and Diameter of Crochet Rope
This info is really more for my own records. However they might be useful to you as an estimate of how many beads to use for each row.
- Software: jBeads for graphing out pattern and colour
- Seed Size: 8/0 Toho
- Crochet Hook: 1.5mm
- With 8 beads per row, ==> approx. 10mm diameter; 196R => 40cm
- Tip: graph & string enough for 200R to be sure
