Beaded yarn is something to drool over! Beautiful, but with a price in excess of $40 for 100 yards, it is prohibitively expensive.
“I could make that for a fraction of the cost!” (A comment every needleartist has made at least once.)
In response to those exact words, I ordered two hanks of Alpaca Cloud Lace yarn from Knit Picks in a purple/lavender heathered color called Heathered Iris. I also purchased some beads and long twisted beading needles. Total cost was less than $20.
The process of stringing the beads onto one of the hanks of yarn was not difficult. However, spacing the beads evenly throughout the 400+ yards required two full days of winding yarn and sliding beads! At some point on the second day, I began to think the $160 for 400 yards of beaded yarn might have been a better option! (My daughter, being a teenager, came to that same decision about 10 minutes after the start of the process!)
Detail of Beaded Yarn
The resulting beaded yarn was indeed beautiful! However, after two days of winding and sliding, it was put away for quite some time to allow for recovery (mine) and to regain a love of the yarn!
Fiber Trends Estonian Lace Scarf by Evelyn A. Clark
As all knitters know, the more beautiful the yarn, the more difficult pattern selection becomes! Throughout the four years that transpired between beading and completion, 5 different scarf patterns were started – and stopped – and unraveled – and restarted….There was even one ill-fated attempt at developing my own pattern.
To avoid ruining the yarn by so many attempts, I resorted to a pattern I have used previously. Fiber Trends Estonian Garden Scarf by Evelyn A. Clark. Beautiful, but not difficult, lace knitting. This pattern is perfect for anyone wanting to try lace knitting.
A portable knitting project, the scarf traveled to many volleyball games and track meets during its creation.
Prior to Blocking
Prior to blocking, knitted lace is not as awe inspiring as after it is blocked.
During Blocking - purl side showing
Blocking opens each lace “hole” to showcase the lace patterns. However, it takes more than a bit of courage to plunge a knitted project that has required months of effort into a sink full of water!
Beaded Scarf
The end result is worth it, though!
Although, I must say, it will be a very long time before I string beads onto yarn again!
The Destashification Project 
What incredible patience you must have! You have been rewarded with a beautiful scarf which I hope you will enjoy every time you wear it! (Once you stop wincing when you look at it)
It’s beautiful! I don’t think I’d ever have the patience to do all that threading, much like your teenage daughter!
Just stunning! And such teeny beads! Congratulations on finishing it!!
Pingback: The Destashification Christmas – Day Three | The Destashification Project
Assume you used a needle to string the beads, but how did you maintain the spacing? How did you determine the distance between beads? Beautiful! Beautiful! Glad to know there are those of us who start and stop numerous times before completion!! Keep inspiring me!! xxxo
I am not sure I can refer to the distance between beads as “spacing” or “maintained”. I attempted to spread them evenly when I threaded them (yes, with a needle) but there are areas with a number of beads and others with just a few.
I tried to have one bead per 10″ – 12″ of yarn.
But I found I was “pushing” the beads while pulling the yarn from the wound ball during knitting. That caused the beads to stay on the yarn and not move towards the needles. I had to focus on allowing them to pass through my hands and move to the needles.
I finally had to let my inner engineer go and stop trying so hard to achieve even spacing and just enjoy the way the beaded yarn knit!
Thanks for the nice comments!