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Starfsh

Starfish, Copyright by Sabine Lippert 2011

Material: 10 round beads 4mm (RB4) 5 round beads 3mm (RB3) 65 Bicones 4mm (Bic4) 50 Bicones 3mm color A (Bic3A) 10 Bicones 3mm color B (Bic3B) 1g Rocailles size 11 (R11) 1g Rocailles size 15 (R15) Fireline 0,12 Beading needle size 12 The starfsh gets its stability in the last steps. You should not use a high tension before. Work with a normal tension of thread, otherwise you can get problems, when we fll the crossing points in the last steps.

Step 1: Pick up 5RB4 and build a circle. Weave another 2 times through the beads of the circle to fx the thread.

Starfish, Copyright by Sabine Lippert 2011

Step 2: Pick up 4Bic4 and weave another time through the RB4, where the thread extended from. Then stitch forward through the following RB4 in the basic circle.

Step 3: Pick up 3Bic4, stitch through the Bic4 of the previous step and the RB4 where the thread extended from. Stitch forward through the following RB4 in the basic circle.

Starfish, Copyright by Sabine Lippert 2011

Step 4 and 5: Like step 3. At the end of step 5 you not only stitch forward through the following RB4, but also through the Bic4 of the frst loop (step 2).

Step 6: Pick up 2Bic4, stitch through the Bic4 of the previous step, the RB4 of the basic circle and the Bic4 where the thread extended from. We now have a round structure build from 5 rings, at the bottom there is a RB4 and at the top of each ring there are 2Bic4. The thread should extend in between such a pair of Bic4.

Starfish, Copyright by Sabine Lippert 2011

Step 7: We build the top of the starfsh's middle now. At the bottom there is the circle of 5RB4, at the upper edge, there are 10Bic4 in a circle. Each 2 of them are part of one ring. The thread extends from the middle of such a pair. Pick up 1Bic3B, 1RB4, 1Bic3B, stitch through the one before and the one Bic 4 where the thread extended from. Means you stitch through the 2 bicones before the position, where the thread extended from. Then stitch forward through the following 2 Bic4 of the upper edge. The units /rings you are building in this row, are not in the same position like those of the previous row, they are off-center. (See also in the drawing).

Starfish, Copyright by Sabine Lippert 2011

Step 8 to 11: Continue the whole circle. In the following step you pick up 1Bic3B, 1RB4, stitch through the bic3 of the previous step, through the 2Bic4, where the thread extended from and then through the following 2Bic4 of the upper edge. Repeat this for another 2 times. At the end of the second time, you also stitch forward through the Bic3B of the frst unit. Then fnish the last unit by adding the RB4 in the middle. After this weave once through the 5RB4 in the middle.

Starfish, Copyright by Sabine Lippert 2011

Step 12: Now we start building the 5 legs of the starfsh, starting from the 5 rings at the side of the middle part. For a better orientation: The 5 RB4 of the basic row are the backside, the 5RB4 of the previous step are the front. The picture shows such a ring at the outside. The thread should extend from one bead of this circle. Pick up 3Bic4 and weave another time through the bead where the thread extended from. Then stitch forward through the following bead of the circle. Complete the circle in RAW stitch. Therefor you add 2Bic4 in the 2nd, 3rd and the 4th step and only 1Bic4 in the last step that closes the circle.

Starfish, Copyright by Sabine Lippert 2011

Step 13 to 15: The following 3 rows are made in the same technique, with the same bead count, only with the difference, that you use Bic3A in the 13th step, R11 in the 14th step and R15 in the 15th step. At the end of the last row, stitch once through the 5 R15 beads on the end of the leg to fx it. Notice: Don't bead too often to the beads at the top, you need to stitch through them later on again.

Starfish, Copyright by Sabine Lippert 2011

Step 16: In the following step you stitch along the middle line at the front of the leg, back to the center of the fsh. Within doing this, you fll the gaps at the crossing points with beads. The thread extends from a R15, in direction of the center of the fsh. Pick up 1R11, stitch through the following R11 in the line. Pick up 1R11, stitch through the following Bic3. Take 1Bic3B, stitch through the following Bic4, add 1RB3 and stitch through the following Bic3B.

View from the top

View from the side

Build the other 4 legs in the same way.

Starfish, Copyright by Sabine Lippert 2011

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Step 17: After building all the 5 legs, you fll the crossing points along the line in the angle between the legs. This is the left and right of the middle line. Again the thread should extend from a R15, in direction of the center of the starfsh. Add one R15 in the frst gap, stitch through the following R11, add 1R11, stitch through the following Bic3, add 2R11 stitch through the following Bic4. The following gap is the turning point, add 1R11 then stitch along the outline of the following leg heading to the end of the leg. The bead count is the same but in reverse order. Repeat steps at all 5 legs.

Starfish, Copyright by Sabine Lippert 2011

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To mount the starfsh to a necklace, you can either stitch a thin wire-choker through the lattice of the starfsh, or you build a little loop from size 11 beads at the back of the starfsh (see picture).

Happy Beading Yours Sabine Lippert www.Trytobead.com Unauthorized copying and/ or commercial use is prohibited.

Starfish, Copyright by Sabine Lippert 2011