Cut Out + Keep

Beady Eyed Lizard

This beading will give your hands a bit of a work out...

https://www.cutoutandkeep.net/projects/beady-eyed-lizard • Posted by Making Stuff

Bead shops are a bit like sweet shops—millions of little pots of multicoloured seed beads that look good enough to eat. but what can you do with them other than string them up to make a necklace? (really you shouldn’t try to eat them...) how about a cute little reptile that makes both a charming pet and a key ring? This beading will give your hands a bit of a work out... <b>Project by Zoe Bibby from the book Making Stuff: An Alternative Craft Book.</b> <img src="http://img.coplusk.net/books/0000/0119/1904772617.01.LZZZZZZZ_153x200.jpg"> <u>About Zoë</u> Zoë is a self-confessed jack-of-all-trades. A freelance artist and maker she comes from a long line of arty folk whose motto/ curse is: “Don’t buy one, I’ll make you one.” After completing a degree in ceramics, Zoë has spent the past 16 years teaching, shopping, travelling and parenting, but always making and creating. She lives in Wiltshire with her husband, two daughters, cats and a room full of junk waiting to be transformed into gorgeous items.

You will need

Project Budget
Cheap

Time

1 h 00

Difficulty

So-so
Medium screen shot 2010 04 07 at 16.03.12 1270652802

Description

Bead shops are a bit like sweet shops—millions of little pots of multicoloured seed beads that look good enough to eat. but what can you do with them other than string them up to make a necklace? (really you shouldn’t try to eat them...) how about a cute little reptile that makes both a charming pet and a key ring? This beading will give your hands a bit of a work out... <b>Project by Zoe Bibby from the book Making Stuff: An Alternative Craft Book.</b> <img src="http://img.coplusk.net/books/0000/0119/1904772617.01.LZZZZZZZ_153x200.jpg"> <u>About Zoë</u> Zoë is a self-confessed jack-of-all-trades. A freelance artist and maker she comes from a long line of arty folk whose motto/ curse is: “Don’t buy one, I’ll make you one.” After completing a degree in ceramics, Zoë has spent the past 16 years teaching, shopping, travelling and parenting, but always making and creating. She lives in Wiltshire with her husband, two daughters, cats and a room full of junk waiting to be transformed into gorgeous items.

Instructions

  1. Hold the fishing line in your left hand (right if you are left- handed) with 5 cm sticking up from your fingers. Thread 2 beads onto the line but do not let them drop below your thumb and finger.

  2. Now take the other end of the fishing line in your right hand (left if you are left handed!) and pass the end through the 2 beads in the opposite direction—where the left hand thread is sticking out—and move toward your fingers. Now move your finger and thumb and pull the strings tight so that the beads end up in the middle of the whole length. Steps 1 and 2 form the basic movement, always hold the line in your left hand and cross over with the right.

  3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 to form the underside of the lizard’s nose.

  4. Head: continue to repeat steps 1 and 2 adding the following sets of beads in each movement — 3 beads, 3 beads, 4, 4, 5, 5, 3, 3, 3, 3.

  5. Front legs: thread 8 beads onto the RIGHT hand line. Missing out the last three beads, thread the right hand line back through the 5 beads closest to your hand. This forms the leg and foot. Now thread 5 beads for the body, as before, threading onto the left hand line and passing the right hand thread back through them. For the second leg, thread 8 beads onto the left hand line and feed the line back along 5 beads, missing out the last 3 beads as before.

  6. Body: continue with the basic movement (steps 1 and 2) threading sets of beads as follows—5 beads, 5 beads, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5.

  7. Back legs: as for front legs—repeat stage 5.

  8. Tail: again, continue with the basic movement as follows — 4 beads, 4 beads, 4, 4, 3, 3, 3, 3, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2,1,1,1.

  9. Loop: thread 21 beads onto the left hand line, take the end of this line and pass it through the first bead you threaded on of the 21 and pull tight. This will form the hanging loop. Tie a secure knot and pass each end of the fishing line back through the first few beads on opposite sides of the loop.

  10. You can now hook your lizard through a keychain, for a funky accessory. Tips + Try using different colour combinations, adding eyes and stripes. + The smaller the bead, the smaller the lizard and vice versa. With large wooden beads from a broken car seat cover and garden twine you could have a komodo dragon on the loose!