What Brenda Franklin enjoys most about beaded knits is that it combines two things that she really enjoys – beads and knitting. She has been indulging in her love for knitting with beads for about six years now. And what she also loves is that projects can be so quickly from start to finish.

And for people who are concerned with whether they will be able to successfully create with this fun form of stitchery, she says, “Knitting with beads in general is very easy. Most patterns for beaded knits require only beginner knitting skills and the ability to thread a needle and some beads.” Her designs use the garter stitch. And, since the thread that is used for the knitting is fine, the needles needed for knitting with beads is also very fine, ranging from 1.25 mm to 2 mm in size.

Wondering how much time it takes to create a beautiful beaded knit item, she says the time required obviously depends on the size of the project. The average bracelet might take a half to a full day to knit (or 3 to 8 hours). A necklace can be up to 2 days (4 to 12 hours) and a bag can take as long as 3 days (18 hours).  Earrings are quick to complete and within a couple of hours, you can have a pair of earrings to wear out for a special evening. Most often for items like these, it takes longer to string the beads than it does to actually knit the project.

Brenda first fell in love with beaded knit with a design that she found in a bead magazine. She couldn't resist the feel of the fabric that resulted. “Knitted beads have a fluid sensuality that is so pleasingly tactile and once I had designed a few ideas of my own, I started to experiment with different threads and beads.” This is where Brenda discovered Kreinik threads. “The Silk Serica is great for working with the larger beads and being a filament silk. It is very strong as well. People who are afraid to work with tiny beads and fine thread can easily enjoy this product. I have been experimenting with the metallic braids as well.  For a very stable and stiffer knit, the #12 and #16 Braid are super and also work well with larger beads.  The Ombre, which I have recently used for a selection of new designs, is more difficult to work with because the threads split apart or break if you are not careful, have such a gorgeous effect that I'm very willing to overlook the difficulty in working with this thread to create such marvelous jewelry.”

Her website has a selection of designs available. She is working on a "thread comparison" page for her website to help knitters with the types and sizes of threads that are available and work well for bead knitting.  She is also working on some books that will deal with some of the different types of beaded knit and a selection of new designs.  She hopes to have the first one ready by the fall of this year.

Visit her website to learn more! www.bfdesigns.on.ca