Welcome Jan and Bead Loom Stuff

First off, before you spend beaucoup bucks on a loom, see if you like loomwork first. Two ways to go: Make a loom (easy-peasy) or buy a cheap kiddo loom.

has the cheapie wire Indian bead loom kit we all had as kids for a whopping $2.95. Best price I've seen anywhere, by far. If you go this route, bend the wire "arms" with the springs until they're almost perpendicular to the bottom. You'll almost double your working space that way (for free - my favorite price) And throw away the beads they give you free with the loom - they're totally worthless.

If you want to make a loom, it's also very simple - make a box frame out of wood, bigger than the project you want to make and put a push pin smack in the middle of the short ends of the box. Then off to our friends at the local hardware store and get two old fashioned screen door springs. (Not the kind inside a cartridge springs, these are normal, but good sized springs, and are cheap) Attach the springs to the top edge of the box, on the same sides as the pushpin (use little nails or heavy duty staples to attach the end loop of the spring to the wood). Voila' you are done. (Similar instructions with pictures are at

You can use counted cross stitch patterns exactly as they are, substituting a bead for each little square. Because beads aren't really square, the proportions may be a little bit odd. However (you knew there was a however, huh?), Japanese Toho seed beads are much closer to square than any Czech bead you'll ever find. Toho beads are available at - I buy them by the half-kilo, although you probably want to start with tubes. Until you get used to loomwork, I suggest starting with 8/0 beads. They're small enough to be pretty, and big enough that you won't go crazy. Or. If you have lots of money and want to go buck-wild with teeny beads, Delicas are the gold standard. They make a loomed surface that looks tiled, because of the cylinder shape of the beads. It's not to my taste, but loads of people like loomed Delicas. The biggest advantage to Delicas in my mind is that they come in a mind boggling number of colors. AND, there are sites which convert DMC thread numbers to Delica bead numbers, which is very, very nice for a person who is familiar with counted cross stitch. Here's one to start with:

One more piece of advice I have for you is to NOT use Nymo thread (or _any_ sewing thread at all) for your loomwork. It stretches, and isn't half as strong as the newer alternatives. Here you also have a couple of choices: if you prefer a smooth, slightly stiff, waxed fiber (maybe just for the warps?), use Fireline If you like a more thread like material, PowerPro is what you want. Neither line comes in a boatload of colors, they are fishing lines after all, but any visible threads can be hidden by the judicious use of a Sharpie when you're finished. Buy these lines from a fishing store, not a bead store, a fishing store is at least an order of magnitude less expensive. Here's another link to my favorite line place: If you want loom patterns, I strongly suggest reading Don Pierce's "Beading on a Loom" or Margie Deeb's "Out on a Loom." In my mind, the ideal time to read one/both of these books is after you've done a couple of easy projects and decide that loomwork is right for you. Don Pierce also sells his own loom, named "Larry the Loom" that is very highly regarded. But, you can get by for _years_ with homemade looms that you tailor to the size of your projects. It's really up to you.

Welcome Jan, and feel free to ask all you want. Soozala, do you think that this looming advice is worth adding to the Bead Notes?

Kathy N-V