Beaded Jewelry- Wavy Bracelet

Continuing on my path of making whatever the heck I feel like each week now that the holidays are behind us, I wanted to work with beads. They are a crafting staple that anyone can work with to some extent, but making jewelry with beads has always intimidated me. I played with them as a kid, but despite my obvious love for the craft stores, I haven't wanted to make anything with them as an adult. This week I am going to get over whatever weird issues I seem to have with beads and hopefully I'll also make some fun jewelry.

I started simple, with this kids wavy bracelet, but when I sat down, for some reason it still took a great amount of willpower for me to actually start putting it together, and for the life of me I can't figure out why. I have done so many other projects and regardless of whether or not they crash and burn I will always consider it a learning experience. So why is stringing some beads onto wire this hard?

Supplies:

-About 10-14 large round beads, depending on size

-Glass beads

-Jewelry wire or string

-Clasps, I used a barbell clasp

-Wire cutters

I started by cutting two lengths of wire about two inches longer than I was expecting the final bracelet to be, and tied one end to the loop half of my binding. I tied it twice to make sure it stayed in place but I'm not sure that the second knot is as secure as the first. On one string I placed on of my large beads. On the other, I added five of the small glass beads. To make the wavy pattern, I took both of my wires and slid them through opposite sides of the same bead. This makes the pattern shown in the diagram. Repeat on the opposite side.

When I finally was able to start, I reminded myself that I picked an easy pattern and as soon as I figured out what the pattern was I was able to work more smoothly. The only real problem was that the wire was a little too long and it kept getting tangled, usually when I was placing the bead that goes on both strings. Besides that, I did have to force myself to be okay with the fact that I was placing the glass beads at random because I knew that the randomness would look good at the end. It was hard, but I think it worked out.

I continued the same pattern, alternating sides each time until it was long enough to go around my daughter wrist with a little room to spare. I tied the end off with the barbell end of my clasp and trimmed the edges. When I finished, my daughter immediately had this thing on her wrist, so I suppose that's a good sign.

I don't like the color of the large beads, and I believe that this would look better with another type. The wire was difficult to work with and it kept getting tangled. But damn it, I finished that bracelet and it now rests in the heart box my daughter made last week. I still don't know what my deal is with beads, but hopefully it will get better by the end of the week.