Crochet Pattern - Beaded Christmas Decorations Pattern Booklet by Janie Crow

From the designer: I am a bit of a magpie – I am a sucker for a bit of bling and get easily side-tracked by sequins, sparkles and shiny things. These days I find it a little easier to resist the temptation of glistening, shimmery items as I wander around the shops, but I am still madly in love with the technique of adding beads to my crochet. I loved creating these twinkly decorations, which would look great hung from the tree or worn as a stunning corsage.

I started work on these designs when I was away in India tutoring a knit and crochet workshop for the charity Knit for Peace. In my downtime between workshops I sat in the hotel gardens thinking through my ideas for the decorations, which were initially inspired by a Russian fairy tale mood board. Although the surroundings of Mysore are a long way from the Russian origins of the design, there are many similarities between the handicraft style of Russian wood paintings and fabrics, well known for their curved and vivid flower, berry and foliage patterns, and Indian Folk art forms, many of which have survived for generations.

I hope you will enjoy making these decorations as much as I enjoyed designing them!

Materials used.

Stylecraft Naturals Bamboo + Cotton
60% bamboo/40% cotton, 100g/250m/273yds
Yarn A Apricot 7130 x 1 ball
Yarn B Aqua 7141 x 1 ball
Yarn C Citronelle 7125 x 1 ball
Yarn D Indigo 7152 x 1 ball
Yarn E Rouge 7136 x 1 ball
Yarn F Spring Green 7126 x 1 ball

Equipment

3mm, 3.5mm & 4mm hooks
190 gold beads
Scissors
Sewing needle that passes easily through the beads
Sewing thread (any shade)
Knitters' sewing needle