Dutch Spiral

Thursday, I decided to attack the Dutch spiral, a stitch that I've heard a lot about, but one that I've never tried. It's different from regular peyote spiral in a couple of ways - in regular tubular peyote, you add a bead just like the one you went through. For example, in the cellini spiral that I previously blogged about, I made a wavy spiral by varying the size of the beads. Each time I added a bead, I added one exactly like the one I'd just gone through. If I'd passed through a 15/0 gold, I added another 15/0 gold. If I added an 11/0 transparent blue, I added another. And so on. Pretty easy to remember. With the Dutch spiral, you add the matching/like bead BEFORE you go through it.

The other difference are the beads that are added that you don't pass through again. They're "along for the ride" as Carol Huber Cypher says in her instructions from Mastering Beadwork: A Comprehensive Guide to Off-loom Techniques. Depending on the size of the beads you choose, these beads hanging out there can create a very dense feel or, as I chose to go, a very open, airy feel.

I used lime green 11/0s red 8/0s and a vial of multicolored E beads for my first try. Do I have a picture to show you? Nope. Left the bracelet at home. I'm such the absent-minded artist sometimes. Rest assured, the pic will be along soon.

However, I tried my hand again yesterday, this time challenging myself by using long bugle beads for the added beads. Oh my! It created a very nice look, but entailed adding increases and decreases along the way to compensate for the bugles. After about 2 inches the first time, I ripped everything apart and started again. I'm pretty pleased with the results.

This piece uses Miyuki fringe beads, lined 11/0 seed beads and twisted bugle beads in the Dutch spiral. The ends use the 11/0 and bugles in herringbone with a toggle bar in square stitch and loops in peyote. Kind of its own little sampler!