For my 51st birthday I ordered a charcuterie graze board from a local business in the Nicola Valley and it came on a copper platter, to be returned after use. The pattern on the platter was the inspiration for the Knitala Collection, starting with Copper Platter and followed by I Can Knit Myself Flowers, Liberal Snowflake {I identify as one}, and Double Helix. You can’t knit just one! The pattern collection is available in my Ravelry store.
The Knitala Beady is a stand-alone pattern of the Knitala Collection I created just for my subscribers and I’m so excited to share it. Consider the whole collection more of a recipe than a pattern and have fun with it. I am of course sharing all the details about the sample I knit but depending on the yarn and needles you use you can get wildly different results. Knit knit hooray!
Subscribe and get your free pattern
Construction
The Knitala Beady pattern is knit in the round, starting at the centre.
Size
Various sizes, from 10”/25cm to 12”/30.5cm in diameter, depending on yarn and needles used.
Yarn and Yardage
For the Knitala Beady I used Drops Alpaca fingering weight yarn, in the colour Off White [50 g (1.8 oz) / 183 yds (167 m); 100% alpaca]; 0.5 skeins, 25g, 92 yds (84 m) used for sample.
About 25 g of any fingering weight will work, even sport weight. I recommend using a semi-solid or solid colour, a variegated yarn won’t shine on a hoop.
Needles and Notions
- US1/2.25mm - US4/3.5mm circular needles, 32” (80 cm) length recommended for magic loop. Alternatively, you can also use a set of 5 DPNs of the same size
- For the Knitala Beady sample I used a US2/2.75 mm circular needle.
- Stitch markers to mark each repeat (optional), it is helpful if one marker is different to mark the beginning of round.
- Tapestry needle for weaving in ends.
- Crochet hook 1 mm for adding beads to stitches
- Beads (I used silver-lined glass seed beads 0/9)
- Metal or wooden hoops, various sizes. Most commonly, 10” or 12” will fit – but you can adapt the pattern to any size by using different needles and changing your gauge.
Gauge
Well, I don’t know. It depends on how much you stretch the yarn to fit onto the size of hoop you choose. As you know, yarn is magical. I know it’s sort of a nail biter, but just start and see what happens! You can always shorten the chart or keep going, or you frog and switch to a different needle. Be reckless, go for it!