i had to giggle about the bead fringe bit because i spent several hours (no lie) removing the bead fringe from an otherwise gorgeous burnt-out velvet scarf a very dear friend gave me for my birthday. the fringe was lovely but made the scarf nearly unuseable for more practical things like keeping warm. hee hee. it just got in the way. so i unpicked all the sewing and took it off! so, er, i guess that's my vote for keeping the beads off the scarf and in your hands...necklaces are always nice for those!