Beaded Infinity Scarf

Beaded Infinity Scarf





Pattern: BWC Infinity Scarf (Buffalo Wool Company)
Yarn:  "Nimue Sock" from Wooly Wonka Fibers, Colorway "Peacock"
Fiber Content:  50 percent silk/percent Merino wool
Beads: Size 6 seed beads from "Bead Biz", Color "Dark Bronze"
Number of stitches in project including cast on and bind off: 18,480
Number of beads used: 1,056
Number of beads left over: only 9 (that's cutting in close)
Numbers of rounds I knit before realizing I had the stitches twisted and my cowl is now a "double Moebius shape" (if that is a thing): 64 rounds out of 70 rounds.

Yep, I was nearly done with the entire project when I realized I twisted the stitches after I cast on and before I joined to knit in the round.

Number of years I've been knitting (and should have caught that way sooner): 10 stinkin' years.

Despite all that, isn't this lovely!?!  It sure looks nice when I wrapped the scarf (cowl) double and styled it on my mannequin.  I am sure I'll enjoy wearing this despite the HUGE mistake I made.  Oh well.  This is a project I told myself I will make only ONE TIME.  For this design, you do string the beads on ahead of time. This means you are FOREVER pushing beads (over 1,000 beads) out of your way to make yarn available for the rounds you work without beads before you start knitting with beads.  Another tricky thing about this pattern is that you are always looking at the wrong side of your work when you are knitting so when you are adding the beads so that they appear on on the right side of the work, you are constantly counting and flipping your work around to make sure you are getting the beads in the right spot.

While working on this project I was watching a video class about knitting with beads. The website is "Bluprint" (formerly Craftsy) and the instructor was Laura Nelkin.  She was discussing beads and how sometimes beads are rough inside and sometimes they are smooth.  She said this is an important consideration especially if you are stringing your beads onto your yarn before you begin knitting as I did in this project. Just imagine if my beads were rough inside and I kept pushing them down the length of my yarn until I needed to knit with them. This could really tatter your yarn. She suggested buying Japanese beads as they tend to be smoother inside.  I have a lot to learn about knitting with beads.  And apparently, I need some remedial training regarding casting on a large number of stitches and joining to knit in the round WITHOUT twisting my stitches.