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Auditioning Beads

This afternoon I did a swatch for the Mystical Forest Lace Shawl.

Here’s the unblocked swatch.

Swatch

 

Here’s the blocked swatch. Well, it’s a bit roughly blocked .  . I’m in a huge hurry  . . Vince is waiting on me to go somewhere.

Swatch

These are the beads on the left bottom:

Left Bottom

These are the beads on the top:

Top Beads

And these are the beads on the right bottom.

Right Bottom Beads

What I would like for you to do, if you have a minute, is tell me which beads you like best and why. I love hearing why you make the choices you make and it often gives me insight that I would not otherwise have.

Later today, probably tonight, I’ll come back and tell you which beads I had planned to use and if any of your thoughts caused me to change my mind.

Thanks!  🙂

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Maybe it’s my monitor, but I can’t see much difference between the top and the bottom right. Is the top a little darker? If so, I think the darker is better. It stands out more.

  2. i agree with the previous comment. I couldn’t even see the beads on the left in the first picture. The last three bead pictures are so close to the camera that I think “No one is ever going to be that close to this shawl!” Therefore I vote for the darkest beads, whichever ones those are.

  3. The first photo appears to be the lightest to me. The bottom 2 appear to be a darker metallic. None have ooommmph to me. I’d like something more sparkly as the shawl is such a standout. It will be interesting see what you choose.

  4. I like the first picture. They seem squared off a bit, which I think gives more dimension. I do wonder if they are large enough to make an impact? Hard to tell from these pics. Beautiful yarn and the shawl will be very pretty regardless.

  5. I can’t tell a difference between the top and bottom right, either, bit I agree with using the darkest.

  6. I like the beads on the bottom left. They look more consistent in color. The other two look like they have insects in them.

  7. The first picture (left bottom beads) don’t look as shiny and they are chunkier. I like those the best. I can’t tell the difference between the other two beads, other than they are shinier and more reflective. Is that you taking the picture that’s reflecting in the beads.

  8. I like the center/top beads. There’s more of a contrast between them and the yarn, but not too much. I can’t even see the first set of beads, so why bother?

  9. I like the ones on the bottom left. I could see them in the swatch pic and they look like dew drops to me. Perfect for a mystical forest.

  10. I like the ones in the middle (top). They have enough contrast and will be pretty with this yarn.

  11. The bottom left beads almost disappear (to my eyes). I like the bottom right beads best. If they are too heavy, the top beads seem very similar and also look very nice.

  13. I like the middle picture which I believe are the ‘top’ beads. The make the darker colors in the yarn pop more. Beautiful.

  14. Left bottom shows up the best, most contrast, I like them the best.
    But it depends what you are going for – subtle or noticeable?

  15. My vote is for the darker beads. They give it a “richer” effect and are not taking attention away from the shawl’s lace design.

  16. I like the ones on the left bottom because they seem to be shiny and bright. Makes it look like it is sparkles.

  18. I like the first picture. The other two pictures seem to have some kind of shadow or outline in the beads, but the first one seems clear and sparkles more. I don’t know if they are different sizes, but the first one seems to be a size which matches the project.

  19. None of them really “show” to my eye. Have you considered something like pearls or crystals?

    • No, I don’t want the beads to be a focal point. I want the beads to provide just a hint of shimmer or bling.

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