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Lydia Borin is an author, beader, fiber artist and storyteller who has traveled extensively and it shows in her Beadwrangler's Hands On Bead Stringing. How many times have you fallen in love with a necklace but just couldn't afford it and said to yourself, "I could make that if I just knew how!" Well fret no more! Lydia Borin has made it incredibly easy to make your own jewelry with her new book.

Lydia has done it again! I am amazed at how much information she has packed into this 40 page book! Her 'right there at your side' instructions and sense of humor are easy to read and give you a sense of fun and anticipation as your work through the projects. Beadwrangler's Hands On Bead Stringing has instructions for several necklaces strung onto a wonderful new product called Soft Flex^TM wire which resists kinks and is so easy to use that no needle is required for stringing the beads. She includes designs with seed beads interspersed between designer and larger fancy beads that can be worn more than one way. The book starts with a basic Why Knot necklace and also includes instructions for making the multi-stand necklace with peyote attachments for charms and found objects and a cap type clasp; then on to a decorative bead tassel attachment, a belt attachment, peyote beadwork earrings, earrings using spring rings, making a small fiber bead, and much much more.

This book is full of color pictures and close ups which inspire you to make more and more necklaces. Since these necklaces take less than two hours to make, you can work up several of them in an evening. Lydia gives step-by-step instructions and hints to make your bead stringing experience easy and fulfilling. There is no guesswork here, Borin has thought of everything!

The basic Why Knot Necklace is taught and explored in the first project, The Beige Princess. The majority of pieces in the book build on skills learned in this piece. To eliminate the hassle of working with findings, Lydia has developed a special closure using a crimp bead and handmade fiber bead which you can leave plain or embellish. To top it off, she has included the story of the Why Knot necklace which takes us to exotic places and excitement. This book is a must for your beading library.

Reviewed by Barbara L. Grainger, Author of Peyote At Last: A Peyote Primer and Peyote Design Techniques