Is there a difference in stability between prestringing and placing a bead? I am thinking about doing a knitted project with beads. I am wondering if there is a difference in stability between prestringing the beads and placing the beads. I would like for the beads to move as little as possible in the finished object. (If it matters, the finished object is likely to be a shawl.)

For the purposes of this question, please assume that the beads in question are large enough in relation to the yarn that both techniques are possible. My smallest crochet hook is a size 5/1.90mm. Purchasing a smaller one is not a problem.


Prestringing = Placing all of the beads onto the yarn and then knitting with it.
Placing a bead = Adding the bead when you knit the stitch.
There are a lot of pros and cons to both methods of placing beads into your knitting, but when looking only at stability there is a difference between prestrung and placed beads. Having used both methods, I find the placed beads stay precisely where you put them whereas the prestrung beads can slip.

When you place a bead you put it on precisely the stitch required. It can't shift anywhere because the two yarns going through it split and go in different directions. When you knit a prestrung bead into your work, it can travel along the yarn. Generally this means if, for example, you place the bead on the vertical leg of a stitch, it could slip up or down to rest on the horizontal bar of the stitch. This sometimes means it slips to the back of the work. The looser the gauge, the more this problem will occur.