The idea behind this tassel was to make the collar from a "bead" of yarn. What it involved was tying two thread collars, then creating the "bead" with the Cretan stitch. This is not the kind of bead that, once made, can be removed. It's sewn onto the tassel itself. Neat effect!

This is the first time I'd tried the Cretan stitch. I made this tassel twice. The first time the bead was quite lopsided and messy because I didn't have even tension on the two thread collars, and then pulled the Cretan stitch unevenly as it was being formed.

The second tassel (pictured here) is much better. I tied the top and bottom of the collars very tightly, so they stayed in place. The collar is more even (though a little squishy on one side). I also made the bead larger (wider) the second time which allowed the Cretan stitch design to show up well. I'm impressed with the finished result of this tassel.

My tassel is six inches long and made of some left over tapestry wool in several shades of green. The yarn bead is about one inch.

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