re: What Does That Say? Understanding the Lingo of Seed Bead Patterns

Diane Fitzgerald — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 16:36:01 GMT

Thank you for beginning to address terminology in seed bead instructions. I look forward to the day that seed bead instructions have the same understanding of terms that knitting and crochet instructions do.

Regarding the seed bead terminology I'd like to share a couple thoughts:

Going back to my "Precision Journalism" class, we were urged to use words with the exact meaning intended to reduce misunderstanding.

Following this, I feel there is considerable difference between "string on" and "pick up." I find "string on" rather than "pick up" to be more specific because to a novice, "pick up" could simply mean take a bead between your thumb and forefinger. I use "string on" at the beginning of instructions and in subsequent steps I use "add" because it is shorter.

In the same vein, I use "pass through" to mean pass the thread through once, and I abbreviate it as PT after the first use of the term. For example, directions might read "Add 1 A and pass through (PT) the next B." Following your definition, there would be thread outside the bead within the work. If one is adding a stopper bead the directions should say pass through twice.

Diane Fitzgerald