Book Review: The Beaded Edge 2

The second edition of The Beaded Edge is very similar to the first  (reviewed in a previous post).   On the positive side, the crochet diagrams are very good.  Many new oya patterns are included and if you are an experienced crocheter, you can figure out how to expand the technique to other crochet laces, or create your own.  I think the photos and descriptions of the process have improved; there are more of them with easy to follow captions.  Likewise, there is more detailed information describing sewing your completed oya to a garment.  On the negative side, the book reads as if it were translated from another language (my guess is Japanese) and not much effort was made to clean up some of the clunky sentences.  The organization is similar to the first book, with the description/history of traditional oya and the author's travelogue oddly plopped into the middle of the text.

I'm on the fence about which book I prefer.  If you are a beginner to crochet, I would suggest this book due to improved instructions.  If you are experienced, it won't make a difference.  Its a tie for the type/quality of oya included, although I think those in the second edition show a bit more diversity. 

The designs are all straightforward, being made of chains and single crochet. I've tried most of the oya in both books and I strongly suggest experimenting with different weights of thread, and sizes of beads and steel hooks.  After trying many of the patterns, I've found that my stitches are slightly looser than the author's.  To achieve the tight stitches necessary for these trims, I've had to compensate by using a smaller hook, and sometimes by changing the placement of stitches. This is definitely a technique that does not translate well to larger threads/yarns.  In the two examples shown in the photo, the one on the right is made with 6/o seed beads and perle cotton - pretty much as big as you would want to go for sewing something onto a human garment - materials on the small end for most crocheters.  I use a size 10 steel hook, darn tiny, and the smallest I can comfortably use.  My main interest in this technique is making small, interesting trims for my dolls, but there are only a few that I can use for that purpose.  Even using the finest crochet cotton I have (DMC 8), many of these oya are too large-scale.  For my own clothing, everything is temping.

I think it is interesting that there are virtually zero oya patterns available online.  You can find the occasional photo on Pintrest and there is one pattern on Ravelry, but that's it.  These really are lovely trims and although it takes quite a bit of time to string the beads, the results are worth it.  I recommend this book for all crochet and needlework enthusiasts.