Flat even-count peyote pattern is probably the easiest of them all. For many of us, it’s the first pattern we learn. Peyote actually is a type of cactus, and the Native Americans that used this hallucinogen in their religious rituals gave the same word for a beading technique (God knows why). There are many variations of peyote, for example odd-count or tubular versions of peyote. But here we talk about flat even-count peyote. If you google that, you’ll find lots of tutorials.
The first bead is a stopper bead. We start working by going around it once or twice. Its purpose is to prevent other beads from falling off and makes it possible to tighten the piece, when you have something to tighten against. Tightness is essential, it’s one of the keys to make it all work.
Stopper bead is now on the left. Add five other beads next to it. I have used Delica beads here, their best feature is that they are evenly shaped. The most common problem with beading is that beads of poor quality aren’t even in shape and size and that makes the piece twist and turn. Beads here are 3 mm beads, so they are big(gish). They are just perfect for practice for several reasons. You don’t need a special needle or thread, if beads are big enough to let ordinary needle and thread through. And of course it’s somewhat easier to handle 3 mm beads than 1,5 mm beads.
Now you have your beads in a row, all six of them. It’s time to turn back and head home. In the process, we start a new row. Take one bead and add it next to the last one and take the needle through the one before the last.
Add one, go through one. Got the picture? At the end of the second line you have added three more beads and gone through other three. Now, here’s a tip: take a bit of beading wire and push it through like this. It helps you to remember where you’re going and to keep your beads in order. A piece of adhesive tape isn’t a bad idea either.
Tighten, tighten, tighten whenever you can, at least at the end of each row. Did I say tighten? Only that way the result looks nice. When I tried this years ago, my first attempts failed, because I failed to understand how important it is to keep it tight. My second mistake was to use round beads, they don’t fall in line nicely like these do, especially when a beginner is asking. Then I learned to tighten. I use another needle and pull against it.
If your thread is too short and you need to finish it and start a new one, Jill Wiseman will help you out.
When you tackle flat even-count peyote, you can use your new skill to make a necklace like this. Here’s a link to tutorial (I thought I had it in English but it’s in Finnish).
