The Bead Stitch
A Crochet Tutorial
The bead stitch, often abbreviated bst or simply bead st, is a fun way to add texture to your crochet projects. I love to use it on boarders and to add visual and tactile sensory input to blankets and home decor crochet patterns. The bead stitch is created by working around the post of a double crochet stitch. In this tutorial I will take you step by step through crocheting the bead stitch.
A Side Tangent
I love to inspire woman to continue their self – education throughout adulthood, but I don’t stop at learning to crochet. So let me jump in here before we get started and recommend a podcast I love. The Literary Life Podcast is so good and full of books we should all read. I’ve barely made a dent, but I’m thoroughly enjoying the effort! Check them out the next time you are looking for something to listen to while you crochet. If you have young ones (and even if you don’t), I especially recommend #70 Why Read Fairy Tales.
Now onto the bead stitch.
In The Bead Stitch Tutorial You Will Learn
- Materials needed
- How to set up for the Bead Stitch
- How to make a bead stitch
- How to work subsequent rows
Materials
- You can use any yarn. In this tutorial I am using Soft Classic™ Solid Yarn by Loops & Threads®
- hook size recommended on yarn packaging.
Stitches & Abbreviations
- bead st – bead stitch
- ch – chain
- dc – double crochet
- sc – single crochet
- st(s) – stitch(es)
Notes on The Bead Stitch
In this tutorial, I will show you how to add a row of single crochet stitches between rows of bead stitches to give it stability. I also add a double crochet at the beginning and ending of each row of bead stitches for structure. The bead stitch is the width of 2 stitches so our foundation ch will need to be an even number +1 for the height of our first row of single crochets.
The Bead Stitch
Set Up for the bead stitch
Chain an even number + 1. For this tutorial I chained 21.
Row 1
Sc in the second ch from hook and each ch across.
Row 2 – Bead Stitch
Ch 3 and turn. The ch 3 counts as our first dc so we will skip the first st and dc in the next st.
Now we will begin working around the post of this dc.
Yarn over and pull up a loop, 3 loops on hook.
Yarn over and pull up another loop, 5 loops on hook.
Yarn over and pull up one more loop, 7 loops on hook.
Now, yarn over and pull through the first 6 loops, 2 loops on your hook.
Yarn over and pull through the last 2 loops and you have completed your first bead stitch! Yay!
The bead st is 2 stitches wide so you will skip one st and dc in the next st. This DC will be the first step of your next bead st. So you will work around the post of this dc.
Continue working bead st in every other st until you get to the last st of the row.
Work 1 dc in the last st.
Row 3
ch 1 and turn. Work sc in each st across this row. You will see that each bead st is actually 2 sts, so you will work 2 sc across the top of each bead st. Your last sc will go in the top of the ch 3 of the previous row.
Row 4
Repeat row 2.
Row 5
Repeat row 3.
Continue repeating rows 2 and 3 until your project is the desired length.
Thank you for letting me teach you the bead stitch! I hope this tutorial was clear and helpful, please let me know in the comments.
More Tutorials from The Restful Stitch
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My name is Heather and I have been crocheting for over 20 years and making up my own patterns for almost as long. As a home school mother, heavily influenced by Charlotte Mason, I have a passion for mother culture – that is the continued self education of mothers. Through learning useful skills, creating art and reading great literature, all who so desire can continue to grow in wisdom and virtue. I believe that for mothers this is especially important as an example to our children and for the nourishing of our souls.
Through these free crochet tutorials and free crochet patterns I hope to share the joy and rest that I find in this art. In this space I pray to form a community of like minded woman, who are inspired to live up to their potential as whole people formed in the image of a wise, creative and good God.
-Heather
