This beaded boa is very delicate yet because its heart is knitted with the fine Kidsilk haze held double, and it is weighted down with beads, it also feels comfortingly substantial to wear.

It looks like a confection of lace-like (it isn’t lace) kicks and bubbles, but in fact it is a highly constructed accessory with architectural ‘flares’, emphasised with the beads, carefully placed on the edges of each insert.

That said, the knitting of this is easy and fast. I rate it as easy to intermediate. With a degree of focus I reckon you could knock off one of these in a long weekend, assuming you had plenty of old films to watch or books to listen to and someone lovely to bring you lunch. Otherwise, or in the real world, as I call it, I think seven evenings of application would do it.

It measures about 130 X 20 cm, but could easily be sized up and my pattern, as ever, gives you all the repeat details to help you do this.

You will need:

4 balls of Rowan Kidsilk Haze (in 2 contrasting shades, 2 balls in each)
approx 600 beads, size 6 a long 5mm
circular needle (this is just to accommodate the number of stitches, the boa is knitted flat)

Skills used

conventional cast-on/cast-off
knitting and purling
picking up and knitting
placing beads – this is (unusually) done from the wrong side in this design but it is very easy and fully explained
simple and quick mini-picot cast-off, fully explained