Current Project Update

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I can bead. I can crochet. I thought combining the two would be easy. For me, it hasn't been easy at all.

I have instructions for a handful of crocheted bead-tube projects in several of the books and beading magazines I have, but, until this past week, I haven't tried any. After getting two more books from my husband's stepmom on crochet beading, I decided to finally give it a shot.

The biggest challenge I'm having is seeing which layer of the work I need to pick up. I don't know if that's because the beads are in the way or if it's because I'm crocheting with much thinner yarn than I've used for past crochet projects. Either way, on each attempt to make a simple bangle, I've wound up with nothing but a cluster of beads and string that looks like no piece of jewelry I'd ever wear. I've unraveled it and started again several times. The last time I unraveled, the string broke.

Perhaps my biggest error was thinking I could just dive right in. I just skimmed all instructions, hoping have at least one project complete by the end of the weekend. However, now I'm going to do some backtracking. One of the books my husband's stepmom gave me has an accompanying DVD, which is still sealed in the package because I vainly thought I wouldn't need a video tutorial. After several failed attempts, though, I'm no longer so confident. I'm going to view the DVD and put my magnifying glass to use. Perhaps between the two, I'll have better results this time next week.

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