Some Other Options for Hooking Beads

For placing a bead on the yarn loop of a live stitch, you don’t absolutely have to use a crochet hook. Anything that will pull the yarn loop through the hole in you bead can be considered.

If you are a lace knitter (or plan to get into this more seriously in the future), you might  already own a tiny crochet hook that will work with your beads, so then you are all set.

Tip: A tiny crochet hook is also good for tricky maneuvers in lace knitting like multiple stitch decreases and nupps. So don’t just think of your tiny crochet hook as being useful for placing beads.

But if you lack a tiny crochet hook or can’t get one that will work with your beads, don’t let that to keep you from  participating in this month’s KAL for Pretty Awesome Yarn Pouch. Here are some other options.

Wire Hook

Any stiff, thin wire can be fashioned into a hook. Pictured here is 28 gauge craft wire.

hook formed from craft wire

Handling the wire is a bit fiddly and less stable than a crochet hook, but it works ok and might be something you already have on hand. (e.g. think of the wire used in twist ties)

Superfloss

Similarly to how we saw that a collapsing nylon dental floss threader can be used for stringing beads, there is also a dental hygiene product for hooking beads. Superfloss is an Oral-B product that usually can be found anywhere you’d normally get regular dental floss.

What distinguishes Superfloss is

1) a stiffened end that can be used to initially pre-string beads onto the floss

2) a thickish, spongy floss in the middle section that provides some tension so that the beads don’t slide around too easily until you want to use them

3) a long section of regular floss at the other end.

Beads strung onto Superfloss

Tip: To keep the beads from falling off the regular floss end of the Superfloss, tie a loop with a bead stopper like shown towards the bottom of this article I had put together a while back about Transferring Pre-strung Beads.

To get a bead on an individual stitch, scoot a bead toward the stiff end of the Superfloss, then put that end through the loop of a live stitch.

Put the stiff end through the yarn loop

Turn the stiff end back on itself and push it through the hole in the bead.

Insert the stiff end back through the bead hole

Push the bead close to the yarn loop.

Push the bead close to the yarn loop

Hold the doubled end of the superfloss while pulling the yarn loop through the bead. Pull the stiffened end out of the yarn loop either before or after mounting the stitch back on the knitting needle.

Note: Superfloss is categorically called dental floss (not a threader). It is itself a floss, rather than being something with which a separate floss product is threaded. Just want to make that distinction so that you will be on the look-out to get the correct thing if you want to go this route.

Fishing Line

Thin, stiff fishing line can be used similarly to the Superfloss above. Or even a piece of thin string on which you have stiffened the end with some paraffin, beeswax, or glue. Remember to tie a loop with a bead stopper at the other end of the fishing line/string so that beads don’t fall off. With this option you don’t have that thickish area in the middle to keep the extra beads from sliding around like with the Superfloss, but this will work well enough in a pinch.

Do you have other ideas of things you can use for hooking beads?