Kiira's Caster Creations: Spell Counter Beads
Have you ever felt a little overwhelmed keeping track of all your spells? Well, if you have, then this tutorial is just for you.
I must give credit to Lani Greyson, also known as Sir Gwen of Rhiassa, who brought these into use in the Realms! They are not only very practical for spell counting but also a great looking accessory.
Before you begin, you will need supplies; string, beads, and a clasp. You can choose any kinds of beads but I highly recommend Nylon string, due to its strength and ability to hold the beads in place. When choosing beads and the thickness of string, note that the string needs to pass through the bead twice, so the string must be thin enough and the beads must have a big enough opening, but also not too large. As for the clasp, I recommend large jewelry clasps called lobster clasps, due to their resemblance to lobster claws.
Now that we have the supplies, let's begin!
You'll want to start with a very large piece of string, about six times the length of the beads you will be using. Fold the string in half.
Once you have that string, tie a knot close to the top, but leaving enough room at the top to place the beads back through once you are done stringing them.
When making the knot, loop through the hole twice, which will make the knot more secure.
It should look like this once you have the knot.
On one string, add a bead.
Now, take the other string and place it through the opposite side of the bead.
Pulling both strings from the bottom, push the bead up to the top of the strings, toward the knot. Then, place another bead onto one of the strings.
Following the same method as the first bead, lace the opposite string through the other side of the bead. Pull the bead to the top of the strings.
Keep repeating the previous steps until you have the desired amount of beads.
Once you have the correct amount of beads(I've done three here for Combat Raise Dead), pull the bottom bead down about an inch.
Below the last bead, tie a knot.
Loop the string through twice to create a knot that is more likely to hold. Ensure that the bead doesn't move while you are tightening the knot.
Tie the last knot, using the twice through method you previous used. Now that you have your beads done, you can choose to decorate the bottom with another bead, perhaps something heavy, to hold the string down.
Grab the clasp you will be using and string above the first knot through it.
Take the bottom of the strings and place them through the loop on the other side of the lobster clasp.
Pull the bottom strings until the loop is all the way at the top of the beads.
Pull the string tightly. If your clasp breaks or you want a new one, simply pull them off the way you got them onto the clasp.
And there you have it!
Have all the beads starting at the top of the strings. As you use a spell, push that bead down to the bottom. If you make multiple strands, you can attach them all to the same clasp, and adjust them as you learn and unlearn your spells. Not only will you have a convenient way of keeping track of your spells, but you will also look amazing doing it! Enjoy!