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Book review: Bead Metamorphosis

By Lisa Kan 
Interweave/F+W; $25.99 

Either you are a fan of Lisa Kan's beautiful beadwork, or else there is something seriously wrong with you!  Sorry...there is no middle ground.  You may not want to make it or wear it yourself, but you absolutely have to see the artistry and attention to detail that goes into it.  Years ago, I reviewed Lisa's book Bead Romantique, and I know that her fans have been waiting (not so) patiently ever since for a follow-up.  Well, now they have it, and it's a beauty.


What Lisa does in Bead Metamorphosis is to show you how to create precise components which can be altered and combined in many ways.  One of the signature pieces of the book, shown above, is the Encanto Necklace, which allows you to reconfigure it by rearranging the medallions, which also happen to be double-sided.  As you work your way through the book, you'll find components reappearing in different colorways, with different accent beads, and linked together differently.  It makes the mind spin to think of all the possibilities beyond the ones that Lisa shares.

Even though the pieces look complicated, they are all put together using the very most basic beadweaving stitches.  You may find it a bit daunting if you are a beginner at beadweaving, but with proper attention to the clear instructions, and some practice on your technique, most of these pieces should be achievable.  The illustrations that accompany the instructions are also clear and helpful, as you would expect from an Interweave book.

And here is my favorite from the book...very simple, but with lots of possibilities for variety:





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Comments

Eileen said…
Stunning pieces. I can certainly see why you're such a fan of Lisa Fan's work, Cyndi. I see a lot of similarity to your gorgeous pieces.
Cyndi L said…
Thank you, Eileen...I take that as a great compliment! But Lisa has an exquisite precision to her work that I could never hope to match :-)