Monica Knits

For a quick, festive, warm gift to knit, beaded wrist warmers sparkle. They take longer to knit than wrist warmers without beads--the time depends upon how many beads you decide to use. When you pair beads, plus yarn, you create a unique tribute to the wearer. These narrow, fitted wrist warmers were designed for a medium sized woman working at her computer. The turquoise blue color was selected to complement my sister's coloring. The beads resemble ornaments on a Yuletide tree.    Read more .... for pattern instructions.

Design Features. Designed to hug the wrist and sparkle while you work, these wrist warmers (or cuffs) feature ninety (90) size "E" (4 mm diameter) opalescent glass beads in mixed colors, a 2 x 2 rib pattern for close fit and an acrylic/mohair yarn blend for softness. The purl stitches cradle and lift the beads, while the ribs (knit stitches) frame them. These wrist warmers are 6" long (5" long, when worn), with a 6" circumference and fit a wrist which measures 6-1/4" around the wrist bone. There are 10 rows of beads, with 9 beads per row.

Construction Techniques. Knitting with beads is the new technique introduced with this project. Other techniques used are knitting in the round with circular needles, the long-tailed cast on and a loose rib stitch bind off. Because this project is knitted in the round, all rows of the body are the same, with the exception of the bead insertion row.

Gauge. Measured in stocking stitch, in the round. With 2.50 mm circular needles 7 sts/inch, 10 rows/inch. The key dimension is the sts/in for the circumference; you can adjust the number of rows to suit your style. I find that I knit tighter in the round, so my swatch is knitted in the round.

Instructions

1. Let out 3' of yarn. Thread 100 beads onto the yarn and push them down towards the skein. Only enough beads for the first wrist warmer (plus 10 for insurance) are threaded onto the yarn, as managing the beads slows the knitting process.
2. Using the long tail cast on, cast on 36 stitches loosely. You will need 27-30" for the long tail.
3. Join the round.
4. First 3 Rounds (2 x 2 rib):
   Round 1:     K2P2 across
             2:     K2P2 across
             3:     [K2 P1 (insert bead) p1] across        See link below for instructions on bead insertion.
5. Main body stitch pattern
   Rounds 1 - 3:     K2P2 across
                    4:    [K2 P1 (insert bead) p1] across   See link below for instructions on bead insertion.
6. Repeat rounds 1 - 4 until the wrist warmer measures 5" long on the wrist (~6" off). End on pattern round 2.
7. Bind off loosely in K2P2 (round 3, no beads).
8. Weave in yarn ends.

Supplies

1. Fingering weight, brushed yarn, 90% acrylic/10% mohair, sky blue, less than 50 gram/1.5 oz.
2. 200 size E beads. 180 were used, however the beads are sold by weight, so there may be broken or defective beads in the package, so buy a few extra. A 30 gram container of "Create-A-Craft E Beads, Black Opal 80224-30" contains enough beads for 2 sets of wrist warmers.
3. One (1) stitch marker.
4. One (1) tape measure.
5. Two (2) 2.5 mm, 24" long circular needles, or 4 dpns.
6. Tally counter or stitch register to count rows.
7. Beading needle.
8. Darning needle.
9. Thread for inserting beads on the knitting yarn.

Related Posts
Tools and Sources
Knitting Needle Size Cross-Reference Chart
Long Tail Cast On (illustrates cast on stitch creation)
Circular Cast On (demonstrates use of circular needles and joining in the round)
Stitch Patterns (2 x 2 rib illustrated)
Bind Off in Rib Stitch (stepwise instructions)
Bead Insertion in Knitting (stepwise instructions rib stitch ground using a purl stitch)
Bead Insertion in Knitting (stepwise instructions stocking stitch ground using a slip stitch technique)