Super Bangles

Shaped beads have been popular in the beading community for a few years now, with manufacturers coming out with new shapes and configurations frequently.  As a result (and, I'm sure, the result of advertising pressure) various beading magazines have increasingly focused on these beads, much to my dismay.  My beading budget is currently quite small, and I prefer projects that are more generic in the beads they call for, so that I can work out of my stash.

But I couldn't resist two beaded bangles made with the two-holed beads known as Superduos and Twins.  One tube in each of three colors was enough to make both bangles, with plenty left over:

The top bangle is from the "Super Spiral Set" pattern by Michelle McEnroe, from Bead & Button's February 2014 issue.  The instructions say it only works with Superduos, not Twin beads, but I am skeptical of that.  It's got a nice heft and drape to it, and I love it.

The bottom bangle is from the "Lasso Loops" pattern by Teresa Sullivan, in the Beadwork April/May 2013 issue.  I twisted the rope once before sewing the ends together, the better to see all three colors; otherwise the pretty strawberry red, my favorite, would have been on the inside. The instructions explain the section where one steps up every round will develop a slight curve, the better to form the inside of the bangle, but I didn't think about that when planning the colors.  Also, Sullivan writes that the pattern works with either nymo or fireline beading thread, but I found the nymo to result in way too floppy a tube (I was also afraid it might not stand up to wear and tear as well).  This pattern called for Twin beads, but the Superduos worked just fine.