Penguin pony bead pattern

About this design

The penguin has a Black head and back, two White eyes, an Orange beak and a big White belly. Its feet are two groups of Orange beads joined by a single Black bead, so the last row is one unbroken run. It is a good winter or Christmas keychain and only uses three colours.

Bead counts: 64 Opaque black, 41 Opaque white and 8 Opaque orange, 113 pony beads in all.

Lacing it

Lace the beak rows slowly: the orange bead sits in the middle of each row, so the black and white either side must match. 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 13 rows, and you need about 209 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 11.7 cm long with standard pony beads, a good size for a winter keychain or a Christmas gift tag.

Colour plan

Opaque black does the most work, 57% of the 113 beads, followed by Opaque white at 36%. Opaque orange (8) is used only a little: small details worth marking on the chart so you don't miss them. 21% of the grid is left empty.

Working notes

It is laced in 13 rows from the top, and needs about 209 cm of cord. Every row is one unbroken run of beads, centred under the row above, so it laces exactly as charted.