Grey Jewel Cowl

Sometime in mid-June I came across a beaded cowl pattern on the Stash 'n Burn group on Ravelry. I think I cast on the same day, and the only thing that slowed me down was picking out the PERFECT beads at T & T Trading Company.  Of course, rather than coming home with one $5.00 vial of beads I came home with a selection of about 12 vials of $2-$10 beads. Yeesh. I am SO not about restraint sometimes.

Pattern: Jeweled Cowl by Sachiko Uemura

Yarn: Treadsoft, hand dyed by Nancy McRay (my boss!) ~490 yards of sock yarn

Needles: US 7

Beads: 8/0 Japan 649 GREY AB beads, 1 vial from T & T Trading Co. in Grand Ledge, Michigan

Mods: I used the size 8/0 beads called for in the pattern, but discovered the crochet hook was tearing apart the yarn a little bit, so I devised a way to bead that didn't use a hook and didn't require pre-stringing either.  I followed Sachiko's advice and knit the first stitch before the yo through the back loop.  This kept a nice neat line of yo's as the cowl progressed. 

This gorgeous thing will be staying at Woven Art for a few weeks as a shop model, and then will be sent off to a friend.  I will be teaching a one day Tips & Techniques class around this project to help people learn the new beading method I worked out, and to help them through the simple lace.

A little word about T & T Trading Company - it is a fantastic brick-and-mortar shop out in the farm land west of Lansing - perhaps 20 minutes from where I live.  I have gone several times, and I have never left empty-handed.  In fact, I get delusions of grandeur when I am in there - especially if I have been browsing etsy before I go. (I have to remember  I am NOT a jewelry maker.)  The wall of 6/0 and 8/0 beads is humbling.  You can buy vials, but you can also get bulk beads should you need a 1/4 kilo of Japan beads. (I may have bought 2 1/4 kilo bags of silver and peacock beads last year.)  I have tried my more local bead stores and have found only 2 or 3 colors of beads appropriate for knitting. T & T has dozens of colors.  Whenever I teach a class involving beads I always encourage my students to go there.

I was thinking I might want to go back there this week - even though I have MORE than enough beads. So. Addictive.