I'm a big fan of wire crochet jewelry but one can also do the same with yarn. One of the finest yarn and metallic thread jewelry crochet artisans has to be Esther Zadock. The editors at Sixth Spring Books just sent me her new book, Creative Crochet Jewelry for review with a spare copy up for grabs!

Israeli based Esther learned to crochet from when she was a young girl. She grew up to be a beadaholic whose work has been sold worldwide and exhibited in museums.

The most outstanding projects of 30+ in her book are those using high quality Japanese metallic threads. They really look like gold or silver and will not tarnish. What a great alternative to the ever pricey metals!

Many of her projects are or can be done in wire although softer materials like yarn and thread are easier to work with. This is especially true for the more intricate designs. But rest assured, there are beginner projects as well as more advanced ones.


It's a real treat to see an innovator like her share her techniques. There are the usual set of basic crochet stitches in the how-to section at the beginning. However, she also includes new ideas like a roll stitch, crocheting into a metal chain or trimmings and making crocheted bezels for flat backed crystals (or gemstones).


She amazingly uses only one size of crochet hook for all her projects although what size any one of us will use will depend on our individual work tensions and preferences. This flexibility is one of the main reasons why I like crochet jewelry.

The only downside to this delightful book are some of the pictures in the how-to section. Given that she is using a small crochet hook and fine thread, the pictures are hard to see. You'll have to depend more on the accompanying words. Zooming in or a thicker thread and bigger hook would have improved things. Fortunately, the affected pictures cover the most basic stitches which you can get anywhere else.

GIVEAWAY
To win a copy of this book, all you you have to do is make a comment below. Extra entries if you become or are a blog subscriber or follower or also on Facebook Fan page or Twitter. Please say so in the comments. The giveaway ends in a week's time at 6 pm EST Monday, November 1. I will pick a winner randomly and announce the results as soon as possible after. So be sure to come back and check!

Good luck!
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Original Post by THE BEADING GEM
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