Beadweaving beyond the basics by Kassie Shaw book review & 2 bracelets.

Palisades beaded by me from Kassie Shaw's book.

Hello friends & strangers, today I wanted to tell you about one of my favourite beading books, Beadweaving beyond the basics, by Kassie Shaw. You can find a copy here It has lots of variations on right angle weave (RAW) plus other classic such as St Petersburg & Peyote, but the focus is really on RAW. The projects are achievable without taking months or a steep learning curve, but a lot do require 2 hole beads. Not all though, & some can be made with very few materials, such as the shoulder duster & wheely earrings.

My favourite project when i first read the book was the Palisades bracelet, pictured above with my version. Mine is the turquoise one. They require tiny bugles which lucky for me I found at the annual rock swap, 5 tubes of seed beads for $10, which is an amazing bargain in Australia.

Instead of swarovski crystals I used firepolished beads in 2 colours. It's actually my favourite bracelet at the moment.

 This bracelet on the right is another one I want to make, it's called couplet & features 2 hole lentils. I had to order some in, I highly recommend the bead shop I used, I found them on etsy. 

Here are the lentils I plan on making the bracelet out of, now I just have to choose the other colours. I'm thinking silver & soft blue. Sorry the picture is sideways, part of the reason this blog is so neglected is I find photo editing & photography in general a bit of a chore. Sure, I love taking pics but it's so much more pressure when they need to be good. 

I highly recommend Kassie's book, if you've seen her patterns in Beadwork you know they are fresh & modern, her book is even better. It may not be suitable for a super beginner but one with patience could probably manage it. 

I almost forgot to mention, I opened my etsy shop BecMadeCanberra to quite a lukewarm reception. It's here if you'd like to look. I know I know, I need to advertise, promote, & try to kick this black funk that has enveloped my beading recently. I made that turquoise bracelet a while ago. I really don't need to be so honest! I can't help it though, maybe the real reason I neglect this blog is I don't know what I want it to be, what tone I should take. Life is hard, & continues to be hard but at least there is beading, & flowers & cats & maybe hope. Oh enough of my maudlin old self, go buy Kassie's book or get it from the library if you're poor like me. & I'm up to episode 62 of The History of Rome Podcast so I know something about Rome now.