Sling beads are a toy for a child and an original accessory for a mother, made of natural hypoallergenic materials. The device is used during feeding the baby, and will also come in handy in situations when you need to entertain the baby, for example, at a doctor's appointment. Special details of the beads contribute to the development of fine motor skills of the child, they can be chewed if the baby is teething. It is not difficult to make sling beads with your own hands. The main thing is to choose the right materials and follow the instructions.
Selection of materials
The choice of materials must be approached responsibly, since the child will be in close contact with all elements of the product. To make a sling bead you will need:
- lace;
- beads;
- yarn;
- hook No. 1 (for tying beads);
- small teething toy;
- squeakers, rings and other items at the mother’s request.
The choice of elements that will be on the sling beads is unlimited. The main thing is that all the parts are securely fastened and safe for the baby.
Beads
Beads for creating sling beads can be of any shape, color and size. It should be taken into account that metal, plastic, beads, small or painted stones, glass beads cannot be used. It is best to choose wooden elements. Due to their environmental friendliness, they are maximally safe for children. Juniper, oak, apple, almond beads are perfect. To add shine, they can be treated with linseed oil. You should not buy painted or varnished parts.
Silicone sling beads have become popular recently. The beads have different shapes and colors, they can be made in the form of animal figures, flowers, hearts, stars. They are made of food-grade silicone, harmless to the child's body. It does not oxidize, does not emit hazardous substances.
To make sling beads with your own hands, you need to take at least 12 large beads. The diameter of the objects can be different, the most convenient is 20 mm. Ten-millimeter beads are suitable for decorating the product.
Lace
For making sling beads, it is better to choose a cotton waxed cord. It is natural, does not contain harmful substances, and practically does not tear. A big plus of the material is the ability to freely move the beads. This allows the baby to play with them, move them, and knock them against each other.
When assembling the product, you cannot use satin ribbon or weak laces - beads will easily break, a child can put elements in his mouth and swallow. Wire is strictly prohibited for the same reasons. In addition, it can injure a child or mother if the product breaks.
Yarn
When choosing yarn, it is necessary to consider that beads tied with thin threads look very beautiful, but require a lot of time to make. The optimal thread thickness is 282 m per 50 g, thicker yarn (225 m per 50 g) allows you to make beads more voluminous, gives the opportunity to adjust the knitting pattern.
Cotton yarn is an ideal option. It is quite durable, hygienic, resistant to alkaline cleaning agents, and pleasant to the touch. Many needlewomen recommend using Iris produced by Yarnart (Türkiye). When choosing skeins, it is better to buy fifty-gram ones.
Necessary tools
When making sling beads, a hook is used. For working with cotton, it is better to choose tool number 1. You can use a plastic clamp. It allows you to quickly tighten and loosen the density of the beads.
To make it easier to string the beads, you will need a needle. It is better to choose a tool with a large eye. You can insert a cord of any thickness into it. Some craftswomen also use a thimble to protect their fingers from injury.
Product options
The basic version includes eleven beads with a diameter of 20 cm for the base, 12 of 8 mm (two of which are attached to the ends of the cord) and one of 14 mm. You can use all the beads of the same size or alternate large with small ones.
It is better to make sling beads for beginners using simple patterns. More experienced needlewomen use complex construction options. For example, they tie all the beads or alternate tied parts with regular ones. Between the beads you can place rings, knitted animal figures, silicone teethers for babies.
Manufacturing algorithm
The master class on creating sling beads with your own hands includes three stages:
- selection of product elements;
- binding of parts;
- assembling a toy.
Binding of parts
The main beads (20 mm) are tied using a single crochet (SC) as follows:
- cast on 4 chain stitches, join the ring with a closed loop;
- knit 6 sc, the next 18 rows knit 2 sc in one loop;
- then the rows are knitted without increases or decreases to the middle of the bead, the resulting cap must be put on the bead, if it turns out to be small, unravel and start knitting with 6 air loops, and then 8 sc;
- knit several rows without decreasing until the width of the bead begins to decrease;
- then you need to make decreases (the amount is identical to the increases indicated above).
Sew the edges of the resulting opening and tighten. Cut the thread, secure it and hide it inside with a needle.
Assembling the product
All connected parts should be placed on a flat surface. Select other decorative elements. Lay them out in the form of beads to determine whether they will look nice in terms of colors and location of the parts. At this stage, you can remove or add beads. Then all the elements are strung on a cord. If necessary, you can make knots between the beads. The last parts should be well secured so that they do not dangle along the entire length of the cord.
When all the parts are strung, you need to align the ends of the sling beads, try the product on yourself. Then decide what length of the cord to leave so that it can be adjusted if necessary. Cut off the excess cord. The ends need to be tied in knots or put special fasteners on them. This will prevent them from fraying or unraveling.
Making play beads with your own hands is not difficult. To do this, you need to stock up on the necessary tools and follow all the stages of creating a toy for a child step by step. It is important to choose only safe materials so that the baby does not get injured or poisoned by harmful substances contained in the product parts when coming into contact with the sling beads.
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