I have added another book to my Beading book collection. It is called Crystal Play and it was written by Anna Elizabeth Draeger. This book contains twenty-five gorgeous bead stitching projects divided into four sections: Beaded Beads, Component Craze, Playful Favourites and Another Dimension.

What I Thought About Crystal Play

What I noticed about this book is that the author really explored the less popular beads such as bugle beads, lentils (the bracelet displayed on the book cover was made using lentil beads) and some two-holed beads. Bicone crystals played a role in pretty much every project and I guess this lent to the name of the book.

The book consisted mainly of bracelet projects however some necklace and earring projects can be found. Each of the pieces had texture and dimension due to the playful use of various bead shapes.

The instructions for each project were clear and well-illustrated and featured popular stitches such as Herringbone Stitch, Right-Angle Weave and Peyote Stitch. At the end of the book, she gave an overview of the basics of the more popular bead stitches. She also includes some instructions for making loops and crimping techniques.

Projects I Tried

I have only tried one of the projects in the book so far: Netted Elegance Bracelet using Netting Stitch and I am looking forward to creating some new pieces and utilizing the beads that sometimes baffle me as to what I should do with them.