Knitting with beads has long fascinated me, and at the same time discouraged me. The idea of threading all those beads on my yarn one by one, hoping and praying that I got them in the correct order, just seemed too tedious. Thus I never pursued intricate patterns that called for beads. All that changed when on a lucky visit to a local yarn shop in Maine, the enthusiastic shop owner displayed a beautifully detailed garment scattered throughout with small pearls and beads knitted in very complicated patterns. “How in the world,” I asked, “did one ever get all those beads on the yarn in the exact order and then work the pattern so beautifully?” She explained how one bead at a time can be added, using a crochet hook, allowing the knitter to follow any chart and make any pattern without the drudgery of threading all those beads on the yarn beforehand! What a simple technique that has made me love knitting with beads. I think you will enjoy the technique too…happy beading!