Description
Geometric Earrings
This is a great pattern if you are wanting to learn more about geometric beading, or have a go at this technique for the first time.
You will be using variations of circular peyote stitch to create a square and triangles. So, you can also use up a lot of odds and ends of beads. You will need size 11 delicas, but you can decide whether to make the earrings in a single colour… Or use as many colours as you want in order to finish up some bead packs.
I designed this pattern for the Etsy Beadweavers Spring Swap in 2014. So if you would like to learn more about the evolution of the design, take a look at my blog entry.
The geometric earrings are made from a series of different components. You will use Peyote stitch to make the two bead-woven elements. These are the hollow square at the bottom and the series of triangles that form the main body of the geometric earrings.
The technique uses two different ways of increasing in circular Peyote in order to create these geometric shapes. I then strung the geometric elements with some single beads to complete the earrings.
Tips
I tend to find that I end up with a lot of tubes of beads that each contain just a few beads – not enough for a full project. This always leaves me with a dilemma. Do I find a project where I can scatter a few beads in as highlights? Or do I buy a new tube of that colour so that I will have enough for a bigger project?
Of course, I’m never usually known to turn down the opportunity to acquire more beads. But often budget won’t allow me to just keep topping up the colours that are running low.
This project gave me the perfect opportunity to combine a lot of almost-empty tubes of Delicas. The recipient of the original pair of earrings had said that she loved colour. I love working with colour. So I didn’t really need to look for more excuses to fit in as many colours as I could.
This happened to have another advantage. If you are new to geometric beading, then it can really help to change colour for different rows. That way, you can keep a close eye on your increase cycles and shaping and make sure you understand the pattern. If you are thinking of making a pair of multi-coloured geometric earrings, then have some fun and use as many colours as you can. You may find this colour theory project also helps you to make some interesting colour choices.
