Customer Reviews

Bead Crochet Jewelry: Tools, Tips, and 15 Beautiful Projects

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

i bought this book at one of the author's classes (the black and white lariat on the cover) at last year's bead and button show. the class was fabulous, ms. lehman is an excellent teacher.

her teaching ability shines in the book. all the information you need for bead crochet is here, plus some fantastic designs. the technique of tubular bead crochet is thoroughly covered, with suggestions for avoiding repetitive motion problems. if you make the projects in order, you will have mastered tublar bead crochet.

as an instruction manual, this book is much, much better than the interweave press bead crochet book. it assumes a basic knowledge of crochet and some knowledge of beads, but that's all it assumes. instructions are complete and there are photos to help illustrate the instructions. there are even instructions on how to recognize and correct mistakes. and, maybe the best feature of this book, the author explains her way of changing yarn in the middle of a project--which makes stringing mistakes annoyances instead of disasters.

the beads used in the projects are identified as completely as possible (miyuki numbers, for instance), which is helpful if the beader wants to substitute her own color(s) or reproduce the example exactly. finally, there is a convenient resource guide for all the items used in the projects, including lmapwork beads by independent glass artists.

The former reviewer said it all! There's not much I can add except to say that when I was teaching myself to bead crochet several months ago I bought every bead crochet book I could find. They all added to my eventual success, but this book helped the most because of the many details it covers and because the projects are so lovely and inspiring. The hope that I could eventually make any of them kept me going when I despaired of ever getting beyond a starting chain.

I also very much like that the brand, color #, and size of each bead and finding is given. That is a huge help! Also given are resources for the beads and findings.

If you can get just one book, get this one.

Linda Lehman gives her reader a thorough, detailed description of how-to bead crochet, with interesting and detailed tips.

I was particularly impressed by her overview of natural fibres such as cottons and silks, with an analysis of various brands.

Beads and their various brands are likewise discussed and evaluated -- something I find useful, as a generic request for seed beads, for instance, can result in beads of different sizes.

As well, Lehman mentions the use of wrist or arm supports for those earnest crafters who are at risk of repetitive stress injuries. As I say, Lehman is *thorough*!

I give this book a rating of 4 instead of 5, because I am a visual learner, and I would prefer to have had more photographs of the actual process of bead crochet. However, if you already know how to crochet, you should be fine with this book.

The projects are appealing, and they are graduated in levels of difficulty. So you can work your way through the book and learn something new with each project.

All in all, this is a book I would recommend to anyone with a basic knowledge of crochet. With that fundamental knowledge already under your belt, you can learn how to bead crochet from this book.

My mother and I are both hooked (no pun intended, crocheters!) on bead crochet, we trade tips back and forth as we figure out how to create different effects. This book, however, gave us more to work with than any of the half-dozen (or more!) others we've accumulated. So many bead artists create spectacular pieces that are displayed in project books alongside instructions for much simpler versions. The simpler versions are inevitably disappointing when you return to the book and see the grander result, and then we spend frustrating hours (days!) trying to figure a pattern out from just a picture. Lehman's book is entirely different - the projects are increasingly difficult, but in combination present a generous range of ideas and allow you to really see how much you can expand on a simple pattern. She doesn't eliminate the more complex patterns, instead, suggests ways to work up to them by doing smaller-scale, single-pattern projects based on the elements of the more complex and lengthy works. The book really appeals to a broad range of skill levels without limiting those of us who are already comfortable with the basics. One of the other reviews commented that the format used to explain the patterns was not visual enough, I recommend grabbing some colored pencils and a blank chart and drawing it out for yourself if you're having trouble. I've made my own template with an Excel spreadsheet, Judith Bertoglio-Griffin also has some great templates in her books that are numbered so you don't get mixed up.

I like this book. If you are interested in bead crochet ropes, I would recomment it. I especially like the bangle bracelet patterns. However, the first project for beginners is all one color beads. This is almost impossible for beginners. Mark the beginning of a round with a different colored bead, or use a sequence of colors. YOu could also use the beading sequence from the second project with the larger beads from the first project. Also, the author recommends using crochet cotton for the thread. This stuff frays and tangles. To save your sanity, go to a bead store and buy something specifically recommended for beading. There are no diagrams to go with the instructions. I could have used diagrams.

This is a great book with really nice patterns. The book has some good tips and tells things to watch for if you are a beginner. It also tells the best way to fix your mistakes. I am a beginner and I got alot of help from this book

I've looked at several books on bead crochet and even bought some of them but this is by far the best book I have on bead crochet. I've made several of the patterns now and each one has worked out perfectly. Ms. Lehman really knows her subject and how to teach it. Excellent book!

Linda Lehman gives her reader a thorough, detailed description of how-to bead crochet, with interesting and detailed tips.

I was particularly impressed by her overview of natural fibres such as cottons and silks, with an analysis of various brands.

Beads and their various brands are likewise discussed and evaluated -- something I find useful, as a generic request for seed beads, for instance, can result in beads of different sizes.

As well, Lehman mentions the use of wrist or arm supports for those earnest crafters who are at risk of repetitive stress injuries. As I say, Lehman is *thorough*!

I give this book a rating of 4 instead of 5, because I am a visual learner, and I would prefer to have had more photographs of the actual process of bead crochet. However, if you already know how to crochet, you should be fine with this book.

The projects are appealing, and they are graduated in levels of difficulty. So you can work your way through the book and learn something new with each project.

All in all, this is a book I would recommend to anyone with a basic knowledge of crochet. With that fundamental knowledge already under your belt, you can learn how to bead crochet from this book.

I really loved this book. The information was plentiful, but the projects were the highlight. I love intricate bead crochet patterns and these were the first really interesting ones that I've found. I think I probably worked through all of them twice before searching the internet for more bead crochet patterns...and was delighted to find that Linda opened an Etsy shop (WearableArtEmporium) with all new patterns. Good news for all bead crocheters searching for unique patterns.

I loved this book, I felt like I learned so much from it. The tutorials are very easy to follow and will have you making a beaded crochet rope quickly. I am an old crocheter but even I learned a few things about how to do bead crochet. If you are wanting to learn this is an excellent book to learn with.