The Pattern Companion: Beading

I got this book from the library before I bought it. I loved it! It is very informative and very thorough. Lots of different techniques! Would have liked to have seen more on wire work but it was great for thread work beading.

This book is great for the pattern minded beader. Instructions are great and pictures help get the message acrost quite well.

There are a few patterns and projects here but this book is more about making yourself more knowledgable and proficient with beadwork. It gives tons of inside information beyond diagrams and threadpaths (e.g. how to actually tie a weaver's knot and make it hold) as well as all the details on tools and materials. It's all about beads, patterns, and a thousand ways to use them.

This book is really good with great illustrations in color on the techniques including netting, peyote, squared needle weaving, tubular right-angle weave, ladder, brick and herringbone stitches, square stitch, loom bead weaving, bead knitting, crochet, tubular beaded crochet, embellishment techniques and knotting. This is followed by good material on the beads and tools . The many projects are also well illustrated with great drawings to help. One caveat though: this book is a compilation from 4 other books which is annoying if you've got them already and if you don't have them, you may not want to buy them either. The four are: Ann Benson, Beading for the first time, Gay Bowles, Beaded cross-stitch treasures, Valerie Campbell-Harding, Beaded tassels, braids and fringes, Gourley, Elizabeth, etc, Art of seed beading and C.W. Wells, Art & elegance of beadweaving. But the price, even without any discount here, is good and this is one of the best books on beading that I've bought so far.