Peyote stitch: Tubular peyote

Tubular peyote stitch follows the same stitching pattern as flat peyote, but instead of sewing back and forth, you work in rounds.

Step 1: Pick up an even number of beads to equal the desired circumference. Tie them into a ring with a square knot (Photo A), leaving some slack between the beads, and sew through the first bead after the knot (Figure 1, a–b). These beads will shift to form rounds 1 and 2 as round 3 is added.

Step 2: Put the ring over a form if desired. To begin round 3, pick up a bead, skip the next bead from step 1, and sew through the following bead (b–c and Photo B). Repeat this stitch to complete the round (c–d), and “step up” by sewing through the first up-bead added in this round (d–e and Photo C). Stepping up positions your thread to begin the next round.

In odd-count tubular peyote, you don’t need to step up; the beads will automatically form a continuous spiral.

Step 1: Pick up an odd number of beads, tie them into a ring with a square knot, and sew through the first bead again (Figure 2, a–b). These beads will shift to form rounds 1 and 2 as round 3 is added.

Step 2: Work round 3 in tubular peyote stitch until you sew through the bead prior to the first bead in the ring (b–c). Pick up a bead, and sew through the next up-bead (c–d).

Step 3: For subsequent rounds, continue working in tubular peyote, always sewing through the next up-bead.

It’s easy to make striped patterns in tubular peyote!

• To begin a tube with spiral stripes, alternate pairs of beads in each of two colors in the original ring. For subsequent rounds, pick up a bead of the opposite color as the bead directly below it for each stitch in the round.
• For vertical stripes, begin with a ring of beads that alternates color with every other bead. For subsequent rounds, pick up a bead of the same color as the bead directly below it for each stitch in the round.
• For horizontal stripes, start with a ring of beads in a single color. Work two or more rounds in the same color depending on the desired width of the stripe, and then switch to a second color for the next two or more rounds. Alternate colors for the desired length.
• Combine these techniques to create a tube of all three stripes!