Bead crochet apps for the iphone: it counts for you

Some people love bead crochet, some don't. I'm still undecided and love my single needle beadweaving too much to give it a real go. But, for those of you who are keen bead crocheters or just starting out there is a very simple little app for iphone that might just suit you. It's call Bead Crochet Lite and it's free.

An easy to use app it calculates how many beads you need to string for a specific length of necklace. Just put in the length (cm or inches), how many beads in each round of crochet and bingo it tells you how many to thread. It takes only seconds to download and even fewer to use. Love to hear if any of you who love crotheting have used it and if you think it's helpful.

Also love to hear of any new software that you think is a must for beaders.

Getting serious - insurance for beaders who sell their work or teach classes

It's hard to know what image I can use to bring some life to this week's blog post - insurance! So, I have decided just to use a cheery picture of my Rhombus beaded beads to counter the gloom of what follows.

Prompted by a recent blog post by an Etsy colleague I decided to check out what my home insurance covered now I am selling my beadwork and doing beading classes out and about. It is one of those things I have thought about before but never acted on. As always with insurance I faced the questions of what are the risks if I do nothing. Well, it seems my home insurance won't cover me for the beads that I use to make things to sell or the items I have as stock at home but more importantly when they are on exhibition there is no cover for them. Considering that is happening more and more for me, it got me wondering - to insure or not to insure. Then, the question of public liability insurance raised it's tricky head. If I have someone visit me to buy an item at home and they have an accident - my home insurance doesn't cover me as their visit if money changes hand. It also doesn't cover me if I am teaching (for money) at home or elsewhere. So, after much debate with myself and my bank balance I have decided to take out a small business insurance policy.

I'm curious to know what others do? Are you insured for what you do as a beader? What risks are you prepared to take? Have you found the perfect insurance for you? Love to hear your experiences and thoughts.