Chinese Knots For Beaded Jewellery
By Suzen Millodot 

     It is always a treat for a crafter to discover a book that opens up a whole new vista within their chosen field, and if you are a keen maker of bead jewelry, then this book on knotted work ought to be an great source of new techniques. The author, who has lived in China, explains how the traditional craft of knotting to make jewelry and hangings had almost died out, but thanks to a few enthusiasts, a whole new generation of people have been enjoying this fascinating method. All you need is a cork board to work on, some pins, the silken cord sold by bead companies known as "rat tail" and the usual jewelry items, such beads, findings and pliers and you are ready.

     You are, too for the staged photographs are large enough to see easily and wonderfully clear to follow. This isn't a gallery book, either, and everything shown can be made in a series of step-by-step projects than are found in each section to illustrate the use of the knots. I'd tried making ball buttons before and had not found the line drawings in my sewing manual at all easy to follow, so was a bit apprehensive at first. Where this book scores is in the way it doesn't just tell you what to do, but also goes through some of the pitfalls that are bound to happen to novice knotters and how to avoid them. Using a cork board and pins is a wonderful way of making sure that the work turns out well every time.

     It would have been nice to see some more traditional Chinese work, as the author explains that her jewelry is for Western people, and I was left wondering what the Chinese work looks like. Also, I was fascinated by the more complex patterns just made with the cord for insects and fish that would appear to great advantage as fancy additions to clothing or on greetings cards I do hope that Suzen Millodot follows up this excellent book with another on how to do this, but in the meantime there is plenty to keep beaders happy for hours here.

     One bonus about Search Press books is that you can write them for a list of stock lists (although these are generally in the UK) or visit their website at www.searchpress.com and read it from there.