Customer Reviews

Micro-Macrame: 30 Beaded Designs for Jewelry Using Crystals and Cords

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I first encountered Annika through her blog "Annika's Atelier" right after I started my own blog on micro macrame. She makes all kinds of beautiful things (not just micro macrame). We corresponded a bit back and forth over the next couple of years, checking into each other's blogs upon occasion. I found her to be a delightful and talented woman.

Recently, she contacted me to review her new book. I accepted right away and she sent me an advance copy.

At first glance, I fell in love. What a lovely book with 30 projects in varying degrees of difficulty and a wide variety of projects - from bracelets to ornaments, from victorian to deco - Something for everyone!

Then, this past weekend, I had a chance to delve deeper. You know, try one of the projects to see how the instructions worked out. (And, yes, I could not wait to make one of her designs for my own personal use!)

I made the "Stained Glass Bracelet" without too much trouble.

I had one question which she answered right away and said that anyone buying her book could contact her through her website[...] or her blog [...] and she would be happy to answer any questions.

I really cannot say enough about this book. It has beautiful photos, is well written and would provide anyone (beginner or expert) with plenty of projects and inspiration for quite some time...and isn't that really what it is all about?

Being a latent "flower child" and (sad to admit) macramé junkie from yester-year...I was intrigued to see a book on the latest spin in the ancient art of knot tying. The cover is gorgeous though and sucks you into the 30 projects that have fun intros, enticing names and detailed photos. Yes, the "Stained Glass Bracelet" is as fabulous as it sounds but doesn't look too daunting to construct. Then there's the "Dark Side of the Moon Necklace" which is really made from a couple simple knots but in such an elegant mix with beads that you could find yourself wiping one up in a weekend. Which in fact, is what I did the with the "Baroque Bracelet" (pgs. 84-89) and the "Ojime Necklace" (pgs. 26-29). There are also watchbands that I'm dying to try on some old timepieces I have laying around, and the book has been a terrific resource for finding out how to mount beautiful cabochons and cameos in something other than metal. This puts a new lease on life to those intricate buttons and broken jewelry pieces that need a new setting. I was pleased to find the instructions and photos were easy to follow and I've now added this wonderful knowledge to my repertoire of crafty-handy skills for making great jewelry without breaking the bank.

Which is another thing I liked about this book - all the supplies are listed with directions for not only the individual projects, but how do to the knots and get started on this easy, compact way to continue what used to be a bulky, cumbersome hobby. These jewelry projects are all ones that could be taken "on the go." Believe it! These eye-candy proto-types can ALL be managed ON YOUR LAP with a padded clipboard (directions to make your own for a couple bucks are included in the book) AND without having to bring along rolls of the wire and various paraphernalia that creating wire/bead/crimping type jewelry requires.

These projects let me put a small clipboard and Ziploc bag of stuff into my computer bag with my laptop and do these on the go - because unlike crochet, knitting or wire stringing projects - these can be stopped and put on hold with each knot!!! How's that for being able to create "bling" and fantastic gifts on the fly or with a busy lifestyle?

Way to go Annika deGroot for giving me back my one of my favorite teen hobbies...now if you could just help me find my rose-colored sunglasses, string some beads into my hair and braid it or fit into my old hip-huggers with the WIDE flare legs! ;o)

I just got my copy of this book and am going *WOW* on just about every page - as in WOW, that's gorgeous -- and, WOW, that actually looks pretty do-able!

Only problem is: which project to start first, they're all so appealing. [Update: ah, got one: definitely the *WOW* stained-glass bracelet on page 98, what a knock-out]

Full disclosure: I'm a friend of the author, whose work (and whose fabulous color sense)I've long admired. But I'm giving this book the full five stars because the production values are right up there with the quality and beauty of the designs. Instead of those boring black & white diagrams I see in other books of this type, here you get brilliant color photos showing every step clearly (good for keeping it real and for keeping up my motivation to go to the next step). Every page is a feast for the eyes, not to mention the imagination. A real delight!

What a find - this book outline in clear and entirely capable term how to step though designs that are both interesting and fun. Annika has done a fine job with this book, the proof in in how captivating it has been for my kids.
At first glance these examples look complex and near impossible to do, but the way the instructions are broken down and stepped through, what happens is a whole lot of fun.
What an excellent introduction to fine crafting - very well done!

I ordered this site unseen and was pleasantly surprised. I was anxious to start learning so I looked everywhere for the cords she recommended and couldn't find them in the local stores, so I placed and order online. In the mean time I bought some waxed linen to practice on and I really had trouble with the harder knot, the double half hitch. I couldn't seem to get it right. I was discouraged because I usually succeed at these type of things. When I finally recieved the tuff cord that she recommended, the trouble was over. I was able to make an intermediate bracelet right off the bat. Now I am in the middle of the necklace that features the double half hitch knot. You really should order online the tuff cord nylon cording when you order the book. The projects turned out beautiful. The instructions were very easy to understand and the jewelry that she designs is beautiful. The only drawback is it can be intensive on your back when you sit and knot for a while.

Micro-Macrame: 30 Beaded Designs for Jewelry Using Crystals and Cords by Annika deGroot, was a wonderful surprise.

The book is very user friendly, very well written, with lots of clear, step by step, color pictures and lots of tips and advice, along with names and sources for items used.


Here is an example of her advise.
This is her advise on what to knot on.
Easy to make, easy to use, cheap.

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A Padded Clipboard. (There are pictures of this in her book.)

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Materials:


16 x 14 1/2 inch low loft batting

22 x 23 inch white or unbleached cotton muslin

Letter sized clipboard = 8 1/2 inches wide X 11 inches long

Several long straight pins or safety pins

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Directions:


1) Lay batting over muslin.

2) Fold 3 inches of muslin over one end of the batting and smooth.

3) Flip over and clip under the clip on the clipboard.

4) Flip the clipboard over and fold the fabric and batting, up, over bottom edge.

5) Fold one side of the muslin and batting, over right side of the clipboard.

6) Pin at bottom. * Be sure to secure the sharp tip into batting.*

7) Fold the other side of the muslin and batting, over left side of the clipboard.

8) Pulling tight, pin securely to the folded muslin folded over the right side.

9) Be sure to secure ALL sharp tips in the batting or use safety pins.

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* I found pins were much easier to use.

* If you don't wiggle as you knot, you don't need safety pins.

* I also like to use the clip, as Annika deGroot suggests, to hold the cord ends.

* It's so comfortable, it won't self destruct, and it can be washed or replaced.

* Use different colors of fabric, for good contrast with cords, you are using.

* You can also add more padding, if you like.

* If you add beads, wire, etc. to the cord, the padding is extra helpful.
The beads will sink into the padding, leaving the cords flat to the fabric.

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Again, Annika deGroot's book, Micro-Macrame: 30 Beaded Designs for Jewelry Using Crystals and Cords, is very user friendly, very well written, with lots of clear, step by step, color pictures and lots of tips and advice, along with names and sources for items used.


***** I highly recommend it for beginners. *****


* F.Y.I. - I wanted a more advanced book, but I kept it because it was too good a reference to return.

If you know macrame and don't need a basic reference, skip it.

Why?

Knots Taught = 5, yes, only 5 knots!

Larks Head
Overhand Knot
Half Knot
Flat Knots
Double Half Hitch


The purple, cord bead on the FRONT COVER, is NOT shown in the book.
You are supposed to buy this Chinese Knot bead.
It's simple to make, so why not include it?

***** She is NOT, I repeat, she is NOT a beader.*****

The name of the bead colors used, are not in the normal names that companies that sell them use.
Ex. Size 11 silvered clear seed beads x 1 tube.
These are Silver Lined Clear 11/o seed beads. Then you need gram weight OR number of beads.
1 tube could be anything from a 1 gram tube to a 30 gram tube.
A Silvered bead is a bead that has a silver metallic coating applied to it.

She uses very expensive beads on items that don't need them.
Ex. she uses Swarovski Crystals and Cloisonne Beads on chopsticks.
She also cites using Japanese, Delica seed beads, but the pictures show a much cheaper Italian or Czech glass seed bead.

This is great macrame book despite the lack of beading experience.
I've seen a lot of them and a person new to macrame could make these items without problem, other than maybe getting the wrong beads. ** If you look at the pics and get beads based on that, you'll get the right ones every time. **

I think she is a macrame person who bought her beads at a local craft store, and didn't know that there were other cheaper options and a standard set of color names OR numbers for seed beads.

Her resources section is VERY light, but good. I've used most of the companies referenced, but many of them, are the ones sold at craft stores. Any serious beader will quickly see that, several well known resources for beads are missing from her list.


So **** 4 stars **** she would have a perfect book *IF* she had a beader proof read it, and make the corrections.

Again, I kept it because it was such a good reference.

Lovely, just lovely. Annika steps through the projects making even the most intricate piece look easy. Tons of close-up photos, clear instructions. Easy to adapt the projects for other materials.

This is the best bead micromacrame book I have seen so far. This is for two reasons: First, Annika uses lots of beads in her designs. Other books just throw in a few as accents. Second, the book has lavish color photos throughout, with every step shown visually so you don't have to guess what each step means. I have made two of the projects in the book and was very pleased with the results!

Great and very elegant designs.

For people looking for the instructions for the blue and green choker shown on the cover but not in the book the author has created a PDF that shows in detail how to make this item. [...] This is available at her blog.

The cover is more exciting than the inside information. This is a very good book for beginners, she appears to do nice work and hopefully, she will do a book with more complicated designs. Loved the blue bracelet on the cover(reason I wanted this book), but couldn't find it in the book- the pattern might be part of a necklace design. Instructions cover 1 row of beads around cabs nothing like the blue bracelet. I have Kris Bucanan's books, was expecting more from this book since all the reviews were 5 stars. It has good instructions and photos on how to do various knots and has good step by step pictures with instructions for each project. Would like patterns that use more beads and complicated design.