Heart pony bead pattern

About this design

A classic first keychain: a Red heart inside a Black outline, with two White beads for the shine. The dip at the top of a heart would leave a gap in the first row, so a single Transparent clear bead fills it; against a bag or a keyring it all but disappears. The rows then narrow by two beads at a time down to a single black bead at the point.

Bead counts: 47 Opaque red, 24 Opaque black, 2 Opaque white and 1 Transparent clear, 74 pony beads in all.

Lacing it

Fold the cord through the split ring and lace the top row first, with the clear bead in the middle. Each row is one unbroken run: thread it onto one end of the cord, pass the other end back through the same beads from the opposite side, and pull both ends evenly so the row settles under the one above. The pattern has 10 rows, and you need about 157 cm of cord: that allows for both ends passing through every row, a loop at the top and enough to tie off.

Finishing

After the last row, tie the two ends in a tight double knot under the final bead, add a drop of glue if the cord is slippery, and trim the tails. The finished piece is about 6.6 cm wide and 9 cm long with standard pony beads, a good size for a keychain, a zip pull or a Valentine’s gift.

Colour plan

Opaque red does the most work, 64% of the 74 beads, followed by Opaque black at 32%. Opaque white (2) and Transparent clear (1) are used only a little: small details worth marking on the chart so you don't miss them. 33% of the grid is left empty.

Working notes

It is laced in 10 rows from the top, and needs about 157 cm of cord. Every row is one unbroken run of beads, centred under the row above, so it laces exactly as charted.