Kit Review - Haryana Bracelet

We tested this bracelet kit from Spellbound Bead Co that uses nothing more than simple square stitch

Buy yours here

The Haryana Bracelet kit is available in three colourways. Eastern Jewel is based on a design that appeared in Beads & Beyond a few years ago and is a bright and colourful choice. The less bold amongst you might prefer the Black/Gunmetal/Silver option or Autumn which is the kit I am testing here. The kits are all priced at £12.95.

The kit comes with a detailed booklet containing all the instructions, diagrams and a list of materials and tools. A needle and coordinating thread is also included. You'll just need scissors, a bead mat and a touch of glue or clear nail polish to seal any knots.

Before I start a kit from Spellbound, I always read through the instructions and then tip out a small amount of each bead type onto my mat. Don't tip out all the beads as you may forget which one is which. The bags are clearly labelled!

When following a bead pattern like this one, I find it helpful to number the rows. Bear in mind that the instructions are the same whichever colourway you choose. This means that yellow on the pattern grid may not actually correlate to yellow in your pack. I found it helpful here to letter each of the beads. A'G' indicates that the yellow bead is actually green in my design.

You'll complete all the blocks of beadwork first in this design. The number of blocks you need will depend on the size of bracelet you want. The instructions tell you how many blocks to stitch for what length of bracelet, allowing for the beading between the blocks and the clasp. I needed seven blocks in total.

Once you've completed the blocks, you link them together with strands of beads using a long length of beading thread. It pays to condition your thread for this bit as it can be quite a tangle if you aren't careful. I chose to finish the threads on the blocks and trim them before I started this bit as they kept getting in the way. 

All that's left after that is to add a sliding clasp which is simply stitched to the beadwork blocks at each end.

This kit is rated a 6/10 on Spellbound's difficulty scale but I think most beginner beaders could master it. The Delica beads are very small so work in good light and use a magnifying lamp if necessary.