As you know from my posts over the past month or so, crocheting is the craft that's getting the most attention in our house. Our 13yo ballerina loves to join me in whatever hobby has captured my fancy, and this fall/winter, it's crocheting! We have created hats, scarves, two purses, and more, but the one thing we haven't created yet is beaded edges and trims. And that's precisely why we must.
Interweave Press has a new book, the Beaded Edge, coming out in the Spring of 2011. I have a review copy of that book and, oh my, I'm so excited to pull out my beads and do something a bit different with my crochet hooks.
the Beaded Edge is not a book full of edgings one can make on guest towels. Instead, the patterns have fashion and a modern sense of style, with ideas for edging a skirt, the back pockets of a pair of jeans, and even ideas for the home.
Since I'm always looking for ways to spark our children to learn about other cultures, I am delighted, and was a bit surprised, to find a section on Turkish Edgings, including even an essay on how the author learned about Turkish oya (decorative edgings).
I know there are countless free patterns online for all sorts of crocheted items, but I haven't seen beaded edges that are as beautiful and varied as in this book. Also, since the book has such beautiful photographs and is so well laid out, it's a great book for sheer inspiration.
Would I Buy It? I would! The only thing I wish for, is that the book had the majority of the designs in the directions section in color, instead of in black and white. Only two designs are printed in color, but it is so much easier to follow the directions when I can see the color of the beads. At $12.21 (the pre-order price at Amazon) I'll let that slide, but I would have been happy to pay more just to have those patterns in color.
I know it's frustrating to hear about a book that's not out yet, but you can preorder the Beaded Edge at Amazon for just $12.21 with a pre-order price guarantee (the book retails for $17.95, paperback).
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