In Bead knitting, the bead forms part of the stitch itself. In bead knitting, the beads appear on the side of the work facing the knitter as the piece is being knit. Both beaded knitting and bead knitting are beautiful, and as in most aspects of knitting, both have their place. We use both beaded and bead knitting in Swallow Hill Creations, and have tried to chose the technique that will give you the most impact for your effort. Up to now, we have chosen to not use the twisted knit stitch when bead knitting as it adds a level of complexity that is not necessary with the patterns we have produced so far.
Bead crochet puts the bead smack in the middle of the crochet stitch.
It can't slip away or to the back of the work. One advantage to working bead crochet is that the bead sits up straight which makes this method preferable for any geometric patterns you make. An example of bead crochet is our own Gertrude Lawrence. Beaded crochet slides the bead between the crochet stitches, which is preferable if you are attempting a variety of stitches or chains. When crocheting, the beads of the row or round you are working on are away from you.