Description
Herringbone Necklace
This herringbone necklace beading pattern combines different widths of tube to create a plait pattern. The necklace is rope length, so it will fit over the head without requiring a clasp to fasten it. I designed the pattern to teach my students how to work in tubular herringbone. Switching from wide tubes to narrow tubes and then back to wide helps to keep the herringbone necklace project interesting.
This is a project that will require quite a few hours’ work to complete, but it is a great way to really cement your tubular herringbone skills. I decided to work in two-drop herringbone so that the necklace length would grow faster. It may sound as though two-drop herringbone is a complicated stitch, but in actual fact it is just as easy as single herringbone.
Materials
You will be using size 11 seed beads for this project. If you are a beginner or have trouble working with small seed beads, it will work just as well in size 8s to give a chunkier effect. You can use Delicas, but it is not essential. I rather like the more organic effect of the Matsuno seed beads, so there is no need to go to the additional expense of using Delicas – unless you have a large stash to use up! You will need 15g in each colour.
I chose to use three colours, partly to create an interesting design, but partly to make the pattern really easy to follow. I have used very strongly contrasting colours for my herringbone necklace as they match a brightly coloured skirt which I like to wear with a black top, so the necklace looks stunning on this background! You can use much more muted colours, shades of the same colour, or even go totally monochrome for this project – the choice is entirely yours!
