A Beaded Crochet Necklace for a Dear Friend

A good friend is celebrating her birthday this weekend, and I knew she would appreciate something handmade, so I set about trying to think of something she'd like.  I know she loves to shop and look good, so of course jewelry came to mind fairly quickly!  And, I wanted to make something crocheted.  This beaded necklace was the perfect solution.

I love these colors, they are my favorite and they happen to look great on my friend as well :-)  Let's see what I started with:

Silver DMC embroidery thread...of course any color would work!

Glass beads..I kept the sizes separated because I wanted to space the larger beads between the smaller ones...

Two clamshell crimp beads.  You will also need a closure of some sort, which I don't picture here.  (see below in my final product for my attempt and getting a picture of it!)

 Using a beading needle, I then strung the beads onto the thread.  Don't be afraid to put too many on, because you don't need to use all the beads you put on, but you won't be able to add beads once you've started your chain.

 I forgot to mention that I (sort of!) wound the thread into a ball.  It wasn't easy, at least for me, but if I hadn't done it then the thread would have knotted up on itself!

Start making a foundation chain with a very small hook.  Slide down the first bead when you're ready to add one....

  With the bead up against the last chain you made, make the next chain right over it...it's easier to do than to explain!

  

Just keep crocheting the chain and sliding the beads down the thread to add them in when you wish.  When you get it as long as you like, finish off just like a crochet chain by pulling the tail through the last chain made.  Make sure you leave enough of a tail to work with later!  I made three chains, but you can do as many as you like.

I tried to get a picture of the clasp here.  Basically, thread the ends of your chains through the bottom of the clamshell, then tie a knot with all the threads at once and slide it down as tight as you can against the open part of the clamshell.  Place a little dab of glue or clear nail polish on the knot, then close the clamshell shut.  Add your clasp and you're finished! Want to see it again?

This was simple to make, and it went together very quickly.  All told, it took me two hours to make this, and that included time out to paint my daughter's fingernails! I'm sure with no interruptions, it would take an hour or less to make a beautiful piece of jewelry for yourself or as a unique gift!

Thanks for reading!

Vanessa