Mixing & Spacing

For more variety, try using different smaller beads between the larger ones. They are also useful to use as spacers - to fill those gaps.

Gaps between large beads can be filled using a variety of small ones like simple metal beads, bicones, e-beads and seed beads. 1/4" metal rounds can be found plated, pearl, transparent, opaque etc. Also suitable are faceted acrylic beads and silver-lined rocailles.

Peering at Patterns

My eyesight is quite good but sometimes when the light is dim or I'm tired I find reading patterns quite tricky.

There are a variety of magnifying devices you can buy to enlarge patterns. For example, a magnifying glass or ruler can be attached to the board you use to hold the pattern. The simplest way, if you've got a scanner attached to your PC, is to enlarge it using the photocopying software.