The words people use, in the order you are likely to meet them.
- Kandi
- Beaded bracelets, cuffs and charms made from pony beads, made to be worn and often traded.
- Single
- One row of beads on a loop of elastic. The starting point and still the most-traded piece.
- Cuff
- A wide band, several rows tall, usually with a picture or words beaded across it.
- Multi-stitch
- The common cuff stitch, known outside the scene as even tubular peyote. Needs an even number of beads in the base row.
- X base
- An alternative cuff base built from crossed beads, giving a more open lattice.
- Peyote
- The flat version of the same idea, worked in even or odd count for a band that lies flat.
- 3D / UFO
- Pieces with shapes standing off them, worked in more than one direction.
- Base row
- The first row of a cuff. Get the count wrong here and nothing after it closes properly.
- Pony bead
- The standard kandi bead: a 9mm by 6mm plastic barrel with a hole around 4mm.
- Perler / fuse beads
- Smaller beads laid on a pegboard and ironed to fuse into flat art. Not for stringing.
- Pegboard
- The pegged plastic board perler beads sit on before ironing.
- Tie-off
- Finishing a bracelet, ideally with a surgeon's knot tucked inside a bead so it does not show.
- PLUR
- Peace, Love, Unity, Respect. The whole idea, explained here.
- PLUR handshake
- The four-move sequence used to pass a bracelet from one wrist to another.
- Trading
- Swapping kandi with someone at a show. Etiquette here.
Common questions
What size beads are kandi beads?
Pony beads, 9mm by 6mm, with a hole around 4mm. That wide hole is what lets
cord pass through several times.
What is the best string for kandi?
Stretchy elastic between 0.7mm and 1mm. Thinner fits more passes through a
bead, thicker holds a knot better. The scene is genuinely split on brands, so
buy a small spool of two and see which you get on with.
Why do my bracelets keep breaking?
Almost always the knot rather than the cord. Use a surgeon's knot, tie a
second one on top, and hide the tails inside a bead.
What is the difference between peyote and multi-stitch?
Multi-stitch is worked in the round into a tube, which is why it becomes a
cuff. Flat peyote is worked back and forth and lies flat.
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