Stars, flowers, little animals and cuffs that stand off the wrist. How 3D pony bead pieces hold their shape, and which one to try first.
A 3D piece is any kandi that is not flat or a simple ring: a charm you clip on a bag, a little animal, a cuff covered in bumps or spikes. They look complicated, but they are built from the same few moves as everything else. The trick is almost always the same one: passing two ends of cord through the beads from opposite sides, so the cord locks every bead in place.
The smallest 3D-ish piece, and the best one to learn the two-ends weave on. It is seven beads and about 20 cm of cord: a middle bead and six petals around it. You thread both ends of the cord through from opposite directions and pull snug. Five minutes, and you have something to clip onto a zipper or a single.
A ring of 10 beads with five pointy tips sticking out. Cut about 60 cm of cord, since you go around more than once. It is a good second charm because it teaches you to build out from a ring, which is exactly what X-base cuffs do on a bigger scale.
Axolotls, frogs, dragons, cats. These are worked in rows, but instead of stringing straight through, you pass both cord ends through each new row's beads from opposite directions and pull each row snug before moving on. That is what makes the figure hold a shape instead of collapsing into a pile. Legs, ears, horns and tails branch off with a few extra beads.
Start with a small animal with a low bead count. Your first one will be a bit lumpy and that is fine, everybody's is. Finish with a knot, attach a keychain clip and trim.
A spike is the simplest way to make any piece 3D. String a pony bead, then a spike bead, then go back down through the pony bead, skipping the spike. Pull it snug and the spike stands up. Spacing them every two or three beads reads cleanly. A full spiked cuff is one of the boldest things you can wear to a show.
A ring of little flowers, each one six petals around a middle, joined into a cuff. It uses a bit more cord than you would guess, about 30 cm plus 15 cm for each flower, so it is worth measuring. Flower cuffs look delicate and are surprisingly strong.
Rings of little bead pyramids stacked up an X-base, so the whole cuff is bumpy and stands off the wrist. They take a lot of beads and a lot of cord, and you will tie on more cord partway through. Learn the X-base first (it is in kandi stitches explained), then a rotator, then this.
A charm clipped onto a cuff or a single is a very normal thing to own. So is a stack of singles with a little star on one of them. If you are making things to give away at a show, small charms go down very well. More on that in kandi for raves and festivals.
KandiCon has step-by-step build guides for the flower charm, the flat star, flower cuffs, X-base, rotator and 3D layered cuffs, with the bead counts and cord lengths worked out for you, plus tutorials for 3D animals and spikes. Post yours to the feed when it is done, and keep an eye on the contests, because a 3D piece makes a good entry. Makers sometimes go live while they bead, and you can ask questions in the live chat as they go. Some people know us as Kandikon; the spelling is KandiCon.
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More guides: How to make a kandi bracelet · Kandi stitches explained · Pony beads guide · Kandi cuff patterns