Bead pattern maker.

How do I read a peyote word chart?

Each line is one row in the order you bead it, with the colours as counts: "2 A, 1 B" means two beads of colour A, then one of B. The first line covers rows 1 and 2, because you pick those beads up together. From row 3 on you add one bead, skip one and go through the next bead that sticks up, and every row runs the opposite way to the one before.

Which side do I start peyote from?

From whichever side makes your last picked-up bead a low one. When row 3 goes in, the beads you skip drop down and the ones you go through pop up, so the side you finish the pick-up on decides which columns sit low. The tool writes the direction on every row and checks it.

Even count or odd count?

Even count (an even number of columns) turns easily at both edges. With an odd number, every other row ends at the edge with no bead to go through, so you make a turn there. Our 11-column diamonds pattern turns at the left edge after rows 3, 5, 7 and so on. The simplest turn: pick up the last bead, slide the needle under the thread loop between the two edge beads below, and go back through the bead you just added.

How many rows for a bracelet?

Take your wrist, add some room to move, and take off the clasp. For a 16 cm wrist with 1 cm of room and a 2 cm clasp that is 15 cm of beadwork: about 94 loom rows in 11/0 cylinder beads, 75 in 11/0 round beads, or 186 peyote rows in 11/0 cylinder beads (two peyote rows make one bead of height). Put your own wrist under Fit a bracelet and the tool can lengthen or shorten the design to match.

How many beads, and how many grams?

The tool counts every colour. As a guide, 11/0 cylinder beads run about 190 to a gram and 11/0 round beads about 110, so our hearts cuff needs about 2.0 g of cream, 0.7 g of red and 0.4 g of gold. Finishes and makers differ, so buy a little extra.

Why does my chart look stretched?

Because beads aren't square. A 11/0 cylinder bead is about 1.6 mm across and 1.3 mm along its hole, and on a loom or in peyote the hole lies sideways, so each bead is narrower than it is tall. In brick stitch the hole stands up and the bead is wider than tall. Square graph paper squashes a picture; this tool draws every bead at its real shape, so what you see is what the bracelet looks like.

How many warp threads do I need on a loom?

One more than the beads in a row. Our zigzag band is 9 beads wide, so it needs 10 warp threads. Each row is picked up starting from the side your thread comes out.

How does brick stitch hold together?

You start with a ladder of beads side by side, and every bead after that hangs on the thread between two beads of the row below. Rows naturally get one bead shorter, which is how triangle earrings take shape; to keep a row as wide, put two beads on the first bridge, or one extra on the last. Our earring starts from a ladder of 11 beads and works up 9 rows. If a bead you draw has no thread to hang on, the tool marks it.

Can I turn a photo into a bead pattern?

Yes. Choose a photo, say how many beads across and how many colours, and the tool samples the picture at every bead's real position and picks the colours. It all happens in your browser; the photo isn't uploaded. Simple pictures with a few strong colours work best, and you can tidy any bead by hand afterwards.

Can I use Miyuki Delica colour numbers?

Yes. Choose Miyuki Delica 11/0 (DB) under Colours and either match all your colours to the nearest codes at once, type a code like DB-0010 next to a colour, or browse the list by colour family. Photos then come out in Delica colours too. The codes come from Miyuki's public bead directory and the on-screen colours are our own measurement, so check against your real beads. Miyuki and Delica are trademarks of MIYUKI Co., Ltd.; we aren't connected with them. Any other bead? Just type your own name and code.

Can I follow a pattern I bought somewhere else?

Yes, if it has a chart. Choose its PDF or a picture of the chart, drag a box around the beads (not the row numbers) and set how many beads across and up, or let the tool guess from the grid lines. A dot appears in the middle of every bead so you can see it lines up, and each bead's colour is read from its centre, so letters printed on the beads don't get in the way. Then you get the written rows, bead counts and the follow mode for it. The file stays on your device.

Does it do 2-drop and 3-drop?

Yes, for peyote and brick stitch. Each stitch then carries two or three beads side by side; the written rows say "pick up 2 beads, skip 2, go through the next 2", and the width has to be a multiple of the drop. The simulator checks it the same way as single-drop.

How do I add fringe to brick stitch earrings?

In brick stitch, choose Add fringe: pick a shape (V, curve, straight, long at the edges), the shortest and longest strand and the colours, including a different end bead. Every strand hangs from a bead of the bottom row, and each fringe bead is drawn the way it really hangs: the hole runs up and down, so the bead is wider than tall. Paint fringe beads on the chart, erase to shorten a strand, or paint just below one to make it longer.

Can I put a name on a bracelet?

Type it under Add a name or word and choose tall (7 beads) or small (5 beads) letters. Along the bracelet turns the letters so they read left to right when you hold the bracelet out flat; a 9-bead-wide loom band fits the tall letters with a bead to spare on each side. You can repeat the word along the whole length.

Can I use my own bead colours and codes?

Yes. Rename any colour and type the code from your tube or bag next to it. The code then appears on the bead list and the printout.

Is my pattern saved?

In this browser, yes: the tool keeps your last pattern and your place in the follow mode. Copy link puts the whole pattern into a link you can open anywhere. Your pattern isn't stored on our side.