What a great little book! No frills, no color pictures, no fluff, just clear, concise information about what you are looking for in a beading book - beads and how to use them! How to use them, well this book counts the ways and even gave me some ideas that I hadn’t thought of. There aren’t any projects in the book, but if you want to try something this little baby will have the technique to do just about anything you can think up.

I’m recommending this book as a sort of primer to my new beading students. It lists the different size beads, threads, needles, when to use what findings plus all the information that previously required a search through several books. This is one of those, "if I can only have one book, I need to have this one" type of book.

The techniques and instructions are clear and concise. The drawings are easy to read and understand. As with all instruction books, sometimes you just have to do what they are telling you to do before you can see what they are saying. Overall, I could understand what they were saying and visualize it without actually threading a needle and beading.

The biggest surprise I had with The Beader’s Companion was that it not only included different beading techniques but it also embroidery, knitting and crochet instructions as well. Since beading seems to be heading in those directions, I was very pleased to see these techniques covered. This book will not teach you to knit or crochet, but how to add beads into your knitted or crocheted pieces. (You will have to buy their "Knitter’s Companion and their "Crocheter’s Companion books for that information!)

This is a wonderful little book, packed with information that will be appropriate to use for years to come. If the other "Companion" books published by Interweave are similar to this one, I will find a place in my library for all of them.

To date, there is no Crocheter’s Companion in print. Tre and I hope to see one published at a future date. The Beader’s Companion is only 5" X 6¾," so it is easy to drop in your bead and fiber tote bag for travel.