I never thought those long, painful, humiliating hours in the dentist’s chair getting bridge work done would have impact on my knitting.
But… let me show you the best tool for adding beads to lace weight yarn.
Yeah really!
First load the straight end with beads (I’m using 8mm beads on the MD Shawl), then bend the tip about 1/4 of an inch and it’s perfect for picking the stitch up off the needle. Slide your bead over the stitch by pinching the bent end together with the straight end. Then drop the stitch back on your needle. The remainder of the beads won’t slide off because of the big loop on the end.