Beaded purse

designed by Nancy VanDerPuy

BEAD KNITTING

Learn the bead knitting technique of plaited knitting

The beaded purse you knit today will become tomorrow’s family heirloom.

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©2008 Kalmbach Publishing Co. This material may not be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher.

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P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P PK K K K K2Y0 K K K K K K K K K K K2Y0 K KK K K2Y0 K K K K K K K K K K K2Y0 K K K KK2Y0 K K K K K K K2Y0P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P

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Beaded purseA museum collection of antique bead-knitted purses sparked my interest in learning how they were made. Purse-making techniques have not changed much in the past few hundred years, even though I now use a computer to create my patterns. My favorite beaded purses feature scenes with castles and houses, elements I incorporate into my designs.

stepbystep

Stringing the beads[1] Cut 80 pieces of paper ½ in. (1.3 cm) square. Pierce each piece in the center with

a beading needle. Set the squares aside.[2] Attach a Big Eye needle to the end of a ball of Perle Cotton thread. Unwind 10 yd. (9.1 m) of thread

from the ball. Following the pattern shown below, pick up each row of beads beginning with row 80 in the upper-right corner of the pattern. Pick up a square of paper

between each row. Pick up rows 80–41 on the first ball of thread, following the direc-tion of the arrows. There are no beads in rows 72–70. Push the beads toward the ball of thread. Wrap the ball of thread in a dry washcloth. Wind the beaded thread around the cloth to prevent it from tangling as you knit.[3] Repeat step 2 with the second ball of thread, picking up rows 40–1, beginning on the right edge of the pattern.

Bead knitting[1] With the ball strung with beads for rows 1–40, cast on (Knitting Basics, p. 65) 54 stitches, leaving a 2-ft. (61 cm) tail. For each row, you will stitch two selvage stitches without beads, 50 stitches with beads, and two selvage stitches without beads.[2] Purl one row in plaited knitting (Plaited Knitting) without beads.[3] Knit two stitches in plaited knitting (Plaited Knitting) without beads. Knit 50 stitches in plaited knitting with beads (row 1 of the pattern). Knit two stitches in plaited knitting without beads.[4] Purl two stitches in plaited knitting without beads. Purl 50 stitches in plaited knitting with beads. Purl two stitches in plaited knitting without beads.[5] Repeat steps 3 and 4 through row 69. Tie the tails of the first and second balls of prestrung beads together with an overhand knot (Basics) after row 40. The beads will be offset by one bead at the end of each row.

Nancy VanDerPuy is known for her exper-tise on the subject of beaded purses. Nancy lives in Sheboygan, Wis., in the U.S.

[6] Purl row 70 in standard purl (Knitting Basics) with-out beads.[7] Knit row 71 in standard knitting (Knitting Basics) without beads as follows: Knit six, knit two stitches together, and yarn over (Knitting Basics). Repeat five times. Knit six to complete the row.[8] Purl row 72 in standard purl without beads.[9] Repeat steps 3 and 4 to complete rows 73–80 in plaited knitting. Bind off (Knitting Basics) all the stitches. Set the panel aside.[10] Make a second bead-knitted panel.

Assembly[1] Thread the tails from each panel onto a tapestry needle, and sew the side and bottom edges of the panels together with a mattress stitch (Knitting Basics).[2] To add a row of inter-locked-loop fringe to the bottom of the purse, add a comfortable length of beading thread in the bead-work (Basics), and exit a bot-tom edge purl stitch. Pick up 50 seed beads. Sew through the next purl stitch. Repeat across the bottom of the purse, looping the row of beads through the previous loop (photo a) before sewing through the next purl stitch. End the thread (Basics), and trim.[3] To add a row of picot stitches to the top edge of the purse, add a comfortable length of beading thread in the beadwork, and exit an 110 at the top corner of the purse. Pick up three 110s, and sew through the next 110. Repeat around the top of the purse (photo b). End the thread, and trim.[4] You may choose to insert a lining in your purse. Cut

two pieces of lining fabric ½ in. (1.3 cm) larger than the purse on all sides. Leaving a ½-in. (1.3 cm) seam allowance, sew the two pieces together along the side edges and bottom. Trim seams to 1⁄8–1⁄4 in. (3–6 mm). With the wrong side of the lining facing out, insert the lining into the purse. Fold the top edge of the fabric down below the rows without beads. Pin, and sew the lining in place (photo c).[5] Cut a 24-in. (61 cm) piece of silk cord for a draw-string. Feed the cord through one of the two center-back eyelets. Continue around the eyelet row, zigzagging through the openings (photo d). Pull the drawstring tight, and tie an overhand knot 8 in. (20 cm) from the purse. Slide an accent bead over both ends of the cord, and tie another overhand knot. Trim the cord 1 in. (2.5 cm) from the accent bead. w

Plaited Knitting

Bead knitting uses a technique called plaited knitting that twists each stitch and holds the beads in place on the stitch. The beads will all be on the same side of the panel. For this project, you will stitch alternating rows of knit and purl to work a stockinet pattern.

Plaited bead knit stitchInsert the right-hand needle through the back leg of the next stitch on the left needle with the right-hand needle pointed away from you. Slide a bead to within ½ in. (1.3 cm) of the needles (figure 1). Loop the thread around the right-hand needle from front to back, sliding the bead between the two needles (figure 2). Using your left forefinger, position the bead between the

needles on the beaded side. Complete the stitch, moving the loop from the left-hand needle to the right-hand needle. The beads will face you as you knit a row (figure 3).

Plaited bead purl stitchInsert the right-hand needle through the front leg of the next stitch on the left-hand needle. Slide a bead to within ½ in. (1.3 cm) of the needles (figure 4). Loop the thread around the right-hand needle from back to front, forcing the bead between the two needles (figure 5). Using your left thumb, position the bead between the needles on the beaded side. Complete the stitch, moving the loop from the left-hand needle to the right-hand nee-dle. The beads will face away from you as you purl a row.

FIGURE 1 FIGURE 2 FIGURE 3

FIGURE 5FIGURE 4

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Knitting BasicsCasting on (CO)

Make a loop with the thread, leaving a 12-in. (30 cm) tail.Insert the needle into the loop as shown. Tighten the loop around the needle. This counts as your first stitch.

Hold the needle with the first stitch in your left hand, keeping the tail in front of the needle and the working thread in back of the needle. Hold the empty needle in your

right hand, and slide its tip through the stitch on the left-hand needle from the front of the stitch to the back. The needles will form an X, with the right-hand needle behind the left-hand needle.

Hold the crossed needles between your left thumb and forefinger. Using your right hand, wrap the working thread coun-terclockwise around the tip of the right-hand needle. Pull the tip of the right-hand needle down and through the stitch, pulling the new loop through. Gently stretch the loop on the right-hand needle.

Working from left to right, slide the tip of the left needle through the loop on the right needle as shown. Slide the right-hand needle out of the loop, leaving two loops on the left-hand needle. Pull gently to tighten the second stitch. Continue until you have cast on the required number of stitches.

Knit stitch (K)

Knit stitch (K)

Hold the needle with the cast-on stitches in your left hand, with the first stitch (the last cast-on stitch) about 1 in. (2.5 cm) from the needle tip. Slide the tip of the right-hand needle into the first stitch, forming an X with the nee-dles. Wrap the working thread around the tip of the right-hand needle as shown.

Slide the right-hand needle and its loop down through the middle of the stitch.

Slide the stitch off the left needle, creating a loop on the right needle. Repeat until all of the stitches have been knit off the left needle.

Purl stitch (P)

With the yarn in front of the left-hand needle, slide the tip of the right-hand needle from right to left through the first stitch. The needles will form an X, with the right needle in front.

Wrap the yarn counterclock-wise around the tip of the right-hand needle.

Slide the right-hand needle from front to back through the center of the stitch.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Knitters use a variety of knitting methods, and other sources may include instructions for plaited or twisted stockinet stitch that differ from those described in this story. For this project, it is important to study the instructions for bead knitting and follow the stitching directions. You may need to adapt the method you usually use to produce the desired result. Practice the plaited knitting technique without beads to refine your skills. – Lynne

MATERIALSpurse (with fringe) 4½ x 63⁄4 in. (11.4 x 17.1 cm) • accent bead for drawstring• 110 seed beads in 12 colors: off-white, dark red, medium blue, pink, light green, medium green, dark green, light brown, medium brown, black, white, maize• 2 balls size 8 Perle Cotton thread• beading thread, size D• 2 ft. (61 cm) silk cord• knitting needles, size 0000• Big Eye needle• beading needles, #10• tapestry needle• beading mat• scrap paper for row markers• 2 washcloths• lining fabric (optional)

Pull the loop off the left-hand needle, creating a loop on the right-hand needle. Repeat until the row is completed.

Yarn over

Yarn Over

Before knitting a stitch, bring the yarn over the top and to the front of the right-hand needle (this leaves an extra loop on the needle). Knit the next stitch.

Binding off (BO)Place the needle with your stitches on it in your left hand and the empty needle in your right. Knit two stitches onto the right-hand needle.

Slide the tip of the left-hand needle into the outer stitch, pull it up and over the inner stitch, and drop it off the needle.

This leaves one loop on the right-hand needle. To continue, knit another stitch onto the right-hand needle and repeat step 1.

When you reach the last stitch on the left-hand needle, knit it onto the right-hand needle and repeat step 1. One loop remains on the needle. Cut the thread, remove the loop, pass the thread through the loop, and tighten.

Weaving in tailsOnce all stitches have been bound off, the thread tails need to be woven in. Thread each tail onto a tapestry needle, and weave it in and out of stitches on the wrong side of the beadwork. Trim the excess thread.

Mattress stitch

Lay the knit panels next to each other with the right side facing up. Thread a tapestry needle on a length of thread twice as long as the seam to be stitched. On one panel, insert the needle under the horizontal thread between the first and second stitch, leaving a 6-in. (15 cm) tail. Insert the needle under the

parallel horizontal bar on the other beadwork panel, and snug up the panels.

Work back and forth between the two beadwork panels, connecting a few rows at a time. Gently pull the thread in the direction of the seam. Snug up the panels until the seam lays flat. Connect the top and bottom corners. Secure the working thread and tails by weaving them through the beadwork, and trim.

DESIGNER’S NOTE: This advanced knitting project uses size 0000 knitting needles, size 8 Perle Cotton thread, and 110 seed beads. If this is your first bead-knitting project, practice the stitches using size 1 needles, thin cotton or acrylic yarn, and 60 seed beads.

Knitting beaded purses was popular during the Victorian era. For this project, I took my inspiration from the two purses shown here. The upper bead-knitted purse was made during the 1850s. It may have been used for a memorial or funeral, as it shows a woman sitting on a bench beside a tombstone. The other purse was made by Elisa V. Caldwell around 1832 and depicts a village scene.

Photos of antique purses used with permission. Purse with image of woman: From the collection of Paula Higgins as pictured in A Passion for Purses by Lori Blaser and Paula Higgins. Purse with village scene: Kathy Burch, Tri-State Antiques, Canonsburg, Pa., in the U.S.