The October 2011 issue of Bead&Button magazine gives six great tips for finishing the ends of a beaded rope in the Bead Soup section on p. 10. One of the tips mentions beaded end caps, which are an excellent way to cover up an unattractive end of a stitched tube or create a neat termination to a multistrand necklace or bracelet. I came up with these beaded end caps just playing around with some leftover beads. One is worked predominantly in tubular herringbone stitch, while the other is all tubular peyote stitch.
Herringbone stitch end cap
1. On 1 yd. (.9 m) of Fireline, pick up four 11/0 cylinder beads. Tie the beads into a ring with a square knot, leaving a 6-in. (15 cm) tail. Sew through the next 11/0 in the ring.
2. Pick up two color A 15/0 seed beads, and sew through the next 11/0 in the ring. Repeat around the ring, and step up through the first A added in this round.
3. Work one round of tubular herringbone stitch using As, and step up through the first A added in this round.
4. Work an increase stitch: Pick up two As, and sew through the next A in the previous round. Pick up a color B 15/0 seed bead, and sew up through the next A in the previous round. Repeat this step to complete the round, and step up through the first A added in this round.
5. Pick up two As, and sew through two As in the next column and the adjacent B. Pick up three Bs, and sew through the B your thread exited at the start of this stitch and the two adjacent As in the next column. Repeat this step to complete the round, and step up through the first A added in this round.
6. Pick up an A, and sew through the next A in the previous round, the three Bs added in the last step, and the next A in the previous round. Repeat to complete the round, and sew through the first A added in this round.
7. Pick up three As, and sew through the center B added in step 5. Pick up three As, and sew through the next A in the previous round. Repeat to complete the round. Retrace the thread path to reinforce the beadwork, then end the working thread and tail.
Peyote stitch end cap
1. On 1 yd. (.9 m) of Fireline, pick up 20 11/0 cylinder beads. Sew through the first bead to form a ring, leaving a 6-in. (15 cm) tail. Sew through the next cylinder.
2. Work the following rounds of tubular peyote using the indicated beads, stepping up after completing each round:
Rounds 2–4: Work three rounds using 15/0 seed beads.
Rounds 5 and 6: Work two rounds with cylinders.
Rounds 7–9: Work three rounds with 11/0 seed beads.
Rounds 10 and 11: Work two rounds with cylinders.
Rounds 12 and 13: Work two rounds with 15/0s.
3. Work a decrease round: Work one stitch with a 15/0, then sew through the next three 15/0s. Repeat around, decreasing the number of beads in this round to five. Step up through the first A added in this round.
4. Work a round using 15/0s.
5. Sew through the last round added to pull the beads into a tight ring. If too much thread shows, work another round of 15/0s or remove this row and use 11/0s instead of 15/0s.
6. Retrace the thread path, and end the working thread and tail.
I hope you enjoy these end caps. If you have any questions with these or anything else beady, just let me know. Use the form on the main Ask Anna page, or email me at anna@beadandbutton.com.