Smiley face pony bead pattern

About this design

Two colours, a round shape and a smile: Yellow inside a Black outline, with two tall eyes and a curved mouth. Because every row is symmetrical and the shape grows and shrinks evenly, it is one of the easiest pieces to lace neatly, and it makes a quick party-bag activity for a group of children.

Bead counts: 58 Opaque yellow and 39 Opaque black, 97 pony beads in all.

Lacing it

Thread each row onto one cord end, then take the other end through the same beads the opposite way so the cords cross inside the row. Count the yellow beads either side of the eyes and mouth; they are the same on both sides of every row. Pull both ends after every row so the piece stays straight. The pattern has 11 rows, and you need about 187 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 9.9 cm long with standard pony beads, a good size for a keychain, a zip pull or a party favour.

Colour plan

Opaque yellow does the most work, 60% of the 97 beads, followed by Opaque black at 40%. Every colour is used at least 39 times, so there are no tiny one-off details to hunt for. 20% of the grid is left empty.

Working notes

It is laced in 11 rows from the top, and needs about 187 cm of cord. Every row is one unbroken run of beads, centred under the row above, so it laces exactly as charted.