Beads!!

A couple of weeks ago (on the 14th of March) I went to the Scottish Bead Fair in Perth.

This was the first time I'd been to anything like this, and it was a bit overwhelming at first. The room wasn't particularly huge, but it was full of beads! There were quite a few exhibitors, and when I walked through the door, it seemed like there was sparkles everywhere!

I went to the bead fair looking for some beads to do some lace knitting with. I want to make the Bandana pattern by Kalinumba (ravelry page), and I've actually had the pattern for ages, but it requires beads. I really don't know anything about beads or beading, so I felt a little uncomfortable buying off the internet. I knew I would end up with the wrong thing, and needing to buy more, then I would have all these beads sitting about. So when I heard about the bead fair, I figured that was the perfect time to go and look at beads in person, to buy something that would work for the pattern.

Like I said, I was totally overwhelmed when I first walked in. Sparkles and bead everywhere! I walked past the first few booths just in a daze. Luckily I'm self-aware enough to realise this though, and managed to stop myself grabbing the first sparkly stuff that I saw and buying it! Bellydance souks (marketplaces) have taught me some lessons at least! :D

So I walked round a few booths, just taking it all in, then I saw some black glass beads that would work for the Bandana pattern. So I bought them (the ones on the string in the pic below), then at the next booth, I saw some that would work even better. So after thinking about it, I bought them too (the ones in the tubes, and loose), to use for the Bandana pattern, and I'll use the other beads for another project, yet to be determined.




Then I walked around the rest of the stalls for about an hour and a half, and bought more beads :D Some of them, I bought just because they were pretty, such as these hematite beads.



I love hematite. It's possibly my favourite stone/crystal/thing. I have no clue what I'll do with these, but for now, I like to just touch and look at them. I like how hematite feels cold to the touch, and so shiny :)

I bought some random charms and pendants. The pendants are going to go on some circular memory wire necklaces in the next couple of days (already ordered them off ebay)



And some random shiny metal things:



I think I might put this one on a bag or something:



This one on a tribal costume item of some sort:



and the heart on a necklace (I don't have a seperate photo of that)

While I was taking photos of all these beads, I took some other photos of other beads I have:




I seem to like black beads :D

Don't worry, I'm not about to take up beading instead of fibre crafts. Beads are pretty and sparkly, and I love all that, but beading itself is far too fiddly for me. I just don't have the patience. I kind of wish I did though, after going to the bead fair and seeing all those fabulous beads. I think knitting requires a whole different sort of patience. Beading requires a whole lot more concentration and stillness to get the fine motor control, I think. Maybe I can just collect beads for the prettiness though ;)

On a side note though, I was thinking if I get so overwhelmed at a bead fair when I'm not so interested in beads, how on earth would I cope at a yarn event, like Stitches or Rhinebeck? I think it's good that I'm on a whole different continent from those events. But I was planning to go to the UK Knit Camp in August... I think I'd better start saving money now.... :D