Free Herringbone Rope Tutorial

HERRINGBONE ROPE TUTORIAL by Jenny Lawson (Craft Cove)

The herringbone stitch is also known as Ndebele stitch. It is most commonly made into a flat piece of beading, or a straight rope. Here is a tutorial to show you how to make it into a rope.

Materials:
• size 8/0 or 10/0 beads in two contrasting colours.
• Beading needle
• Fine fishing line or thread
• 2 small jump rings
• Lobster clasp, or other type of clasp
Techniques:
• Ladder stitch, herringbone rope, stringing
Difficulty:
• Moderate


It’s easier to use 2 different colours when starting out, but once you understand it, and have had some practice, you can try it with one colour only.

Step 1:
Pick up one of each colour, tie the thread to make a circle, leaving a long tail to work the clasp onto later.

Step 2:
Thread back up through the first bead, and back down through second. Pick up one of next colour, go back through second bead, then back through the third bead. Pick up the forth bead and go through the third bead again, then the forth bead again. You will now have a row of four beads joined together. They may look a little wonky at this stage, don’t worry about it for now.
You have just learnt to do ladder stitch!

Step 3:
You now need to join these four beads to create a circle. Just put the needle back through the first bead, go back through the last bead, and back through the first bead. Now go through them all again, and again if you feel the need, and if there’s enough room in the bead holes. They should now all be sitting pretty evenly, and in a circle.
Note: The images will show the work looking flat, but in reality the work is round. You will be working from the top of this circle; the hole of each bead is also at the top.

Step 4:
Be sure the thread is now coming out of the top of a bead, it doesn’t matter which one. Pick up two beads, the first one needs to be the colour of the bead the thread is coming out of, the other one in the contrast colour.
Needle down through the next bead to the left of where the thread is coming out of. Go down through that one bead, pull tight, and then go back up through the one bead in the next column.
Pull tight. Add another 2 beads, starting with the colour you come out of, and work the same way -down through the next bead, move across to the next column, and go up through the bead directly next to the one you came out of.



 
Step 5:
You will now see that you need to come up 2 beads, to get to the top. This is what you need to do at the end of each and every row.





Step 6:

Come up those two beads, pull tight, then add two more beads, then go down one bead only. Come up at the next column at the bead directly next to it, coming up one bead only. Repeat. Come back up the bead directly next to the one you come out of, and go up 2 beads.


Step 7:

Repeat step 6 until you reach the desired length. Remembering to go up two beads at the end of each row.





Step 8:

For the final row, go back through the last bead in each column.




Step 9:

Add clasp: Add one bead and one jump ring, go back through the extra bead, and back into the work, move up to the next bead in the next row, and back out the edge of the work. Go back through that extra bead and jump ring, and back through the extra bead and back into the work. Do the same through each column of beads. Work the thread back and forth through some of the work, and cut off.
Repeat exactly the same with the thread left from the start of your work, this time adding a clasp as well as a jump ring, or just the clasp, if you prefer.


Created by Jenny Lawson
http://craftcove.weebly.com
http://flowercove.weebly.com

For any questions, email me at: craftcove@gmail.com

More tutorials can be found at: Jewellery from Craft Cove http://craftcove.blogspot.com

Please do not distribute, lend or copy.
Do not mass produce.

Copyright 2010 Jenny Lawson