A topic not much discussed in articles concerning bead craft is what I like to all \”optional equipment.\” As expected, most of the articles on beadwork focus on the beading projects, or the beads themselves and several discussions revolving around patterning, color choosing and so forth, but at least some concentration must be given to the optional items of equipment, as they can make your life easier and enrich your enjoyment of bead craft in general.

The items I\’ve in mind are:

Fishing Line

Magnifying Glasses

Cord Knotter

Bead Tray

I will outline what each of these can do for you as it relates to bead craft below.

Fishing Line – If you\’re all out of silk thread and requiring to crank out a bead craft project, normal fishing line can be subbed in for the good stuff. Or, if you are only making a temporary piece and want to save your silk thread for permanent creations, again, fishing line to the rescue! No bead craft toolkit could be without it!

Magnifying Glasses – This useful item will save you both time (reducing the time spent turning your beadwork into truth), and prevent eyestrain by bringing those very small, little pieces-parts into better focus. What\’s not to like about that! If you only have one piece of optional bead craft equipment, get these!

Cord Knotter – At around 10 usd , this useful little item is the most costly of the \”optional bead craft equipment,\” but well worth the money, specially if you do any work at all with pearls. It helps with knot tying, and aids you get the knots right up against the beads, where you want them to be (this can be a frustrating process when attempting to get it right by hand). It might take a bit to get the hang of using it, but when you do, you\’ll wonder how you and your bead craft projects got along without it!

Bead Tray – Funny how something as simple as a tray can make such a significant difference to your bead craft projects, but it really can! The chief advantage of a bead tray is that it is included with grooves for holding beads and the grooves are of ordinary shapes and sizes! So, while you\’re making a necklace, simply play with your pattern on the bead tray, get it exactly how you want it, and then all of your beads are already laid out in the exact pattern. Just pick \’em up and string!

Again, while none of the items stated here are extremely important, you will probably discover that you enjoy bead craft a good deal more with these time saving devices, and you can pick up the whole set for approximately $25. A small investment certainly for what they can do to improve your bead craft experience, and the ways in which they can assist you execute against your beadwork!