Knitting, Crochet and Crafts

Bead Crochet for Beginners: How to Crochet the Beaded Chain Stitch

Learn the Beaded Chain Stitch and Find Free Bead Crochet Patterns for Practicing the Stich

If you’re looking for beginner’s bead crochet instructions, the beaded chain stitch is an excellent stitch to start out with. It is one of the easiest bead crochet stitches to learn. It is a useful stitch to know for making just about any type of bead crochet project; crafters enjoy using this basic stitch for making jewelry, beaded bags, beaded Christmas ornaments, and just about any other imaginable type of beadwork project.

Craft Supplies Needed for Crocheting the Beaded Chain Stitch

You’ll need the following craft supplies to successfully crochet the beaded chain stitch:

  • Yarn, crochet thread, embroidery floss, wire or some other material to crochet with.
  • A crochet hook
  • Beads with large enough holes to accommodate your yarn, thread or wire.
  • Scissors or wire cutters
  • A beading needle if you’re stringing your beads onto yarn, thread or embroidery floss; if you’re crocheting with wire, you probably don’t need the beading needle.
  • A tapestry needle for weaving in your loose ends
How to Crochet the Beaded Chain Stitch
How to Crochet the Beaded Chain Stitch
  • Slide a bead right up next to your work so that it is touching the piece in progress.
  • Pull gently at the active loop on your crochet hook and enlarge the loop until it is just slightly shorter than your bead. You don’t want the bead to go through the loop, but you want the loop to be a comfortable length for completing the stitch.
  • Then work your chain stitch. You’ll work it just as you usually would, except that there’s a bead in there; just reach overtop of the bead, grab your yarn and pull the loop through.

That’s it! That’s how you crochet a beaded chain stitch.

A couple of important observations:


The beads usually fall to the back of the work, so you’ll want to take this into consideration when you plan your projects.

Depending on the materials you use, it’s usually best to avoid making every stitch a beaded chain stitch. You’ll typically want to work one or more ordinary chain stitches in between the beaded chains to space the beads out farther.

Crochet Projects That Use the Beaded Chain Stitch

Ready to put what you’ve used to work making a fantastic crochet project? If so, try working any of the following free crochet patterns:

Related Resources:

The Beaded Edge 2: A Bead Crochet Pattern Book Published by Interweave
The Beaded Edge 2: A Bead Crochet Pattern Book Published by Interweave

Posted By: Amy Solovay


This page was last updated on 7-25-2023.