Reading Challenge 2016

Love nothing better than settling down with a new book? Then you might be interested in joining me for the 2016 Reading Challenge from Goodreads. There's still plenty of time to sign up for the challenge and it would be lovely to see some familiar faces in the forum.

There are two tiers to the challenge: Tier 1, which involves reading 52 books - all 43 from the 'categories' and an additional 9 wildcards; or Tier 2, which involves reading up to 36 books, with at least 32 from the categories. I'm hoping to finish the Tier 1 challenge (and I do feel that my commute should at least be useful for something) but it's nice to know that I can ease off and still complete the Tier 2 challenge if life becomes a little hectic.

I will be making the challenge a little harder for myself though, as I'm hoping to make it through 2016 without buying a single book! It will be very difficult - I love the smell of new books - but with at least two thirds of my 'To Read List' also on my book shelves, I think it's time to scale back on my book buying habit. Hopefully, I'll be able to find enough books to fit the categories for the 2016 Reading Challenge but if not I'm sure I'll be able to borrow the remainder from the local library.

Of course, I'll be tracking my progress in my new Webster's Page's 'Color Crush' (and already have my eye on the new Bibliophile Stamps from Pinkfresh Studios) so that the challenge stays fun.

Already On My To Read List: A Book About/Set By The Sea; A Book Published In The Year You Left School; A Book About/Set In Antarctica.

I'm struggling to think of books for a few of the categories, so can anyone recommend some books that might fit the following: 

A dead author's last book?

A debut novel?

A book about books?

A book with LGBT content, matter or characters?

A book with two authors?

If not, tell me what your favourite book is (or, at least, a current favourite.) I have 9 wildcards, so I might just choose one to read.

I Can Herringbone {Bead, Book & Bounce Reveal}

Bead, Book & Bounce is a regular feature, organised by Operation Tackle That Bead Stash, in an effort to make busy beaders dust off the beautiful beading and jewellery making books that are sitting, unloved and under-utilised on their bookshelves. Members are encouraged to bead, review the book and then 'bounce' around other participants blogs. Hence the name - Bead, Book & Bounce.

Over the past couple of months, members have been beading away, busily making projects from Melissa Grakowsky's 'I Can Herringbone'. Melissa's book is part of a wonderful (and growing) set of books in the 'I Can' Series by Lark Crafts.

Now, although I own a lot of the beading books that we choose for the Bead, Book & Bounce feature, I don't own all of them! So, I had popped this one onto my wishlist, thinking that I would buy it in time to create one of the projects for the big reveal. Only, well, someone bought it! I can only assume that I will find the book nestled amongst the gifts at the bottom of the Christmas Tree come the 25th December! 

Luckily, there were some free projects - Braided Braid and The Athena Necklace - from the book, available to download via the Lark Crafts Website. And luckier still, I am looking forward to finding that gift under the tree!

So, wanting to work on something from the book, but knowing that it might be on it's way, I chose to work on one of the free projects - The Braided Braid. Classified as an 'Experienced Beginner' pattern, the bracelet utilises Two-Ladder Tubular Herringbone to create three, long strips of tubular herringbone which are then braided into a cuff style bracelet. 

Whilst the project is simple enough for an experienced beginner, the free download doesn't include the instructions for Two-Ladder Tubular Herringbone, as these appear earlier on the book. So, if you are completely new to herringbone or tubular herringbone, you might need to purchase the full book (or look up the basic instructions elsewhere.) 

Once the project is underway, I suggest some seriously uplifting music (or your favourite film) for company, as the stitch becomes more than a little tedious - especially by the time you reach the third strip! But, if you're the type of beader who enjoys a repetitive, methodical braid or beaded rope, then maybe this will be your kind of project! 

The instructions though are clear and simple to follow, so even exhausted from all that tubular herringbone, you should find it easy to join the strips together and create the loops which attach them to the clasp. And, I must admit that the result was worth the effort! (Not that you can tell, because the light was terrible while I was taking photographs - and this is the best of the bunch!)

I'm looking forward to trying additional projects from the book over the holiday period (how exciting!) but in the meantime, I'm going to visit Operation Tackle That Bead Stash where I hope the other participants will be sharing their makes. Why not join me? 

Beaded Allure: The Reveal {Bead, Book & Bounce}

Over the past few months, members of Operation Tackle That Bead Stash have been working on projects from Beaded Allure by Kelly Wiese. The book contains twenty-five projects, with detailed step-by-step instructions for ten beadweaving techniques - including bezelling and bead embroidery. 

I cannot say enough good things about Beaded Allure. Though each of the patterns has been given a difficulty rating, the clear and detailed written instructions, accompanied by excellent photographs of each and every step needed to create each project, make each of the patterns incredibly easy to follow and this is a book that is more than suitable for beginners. It should be an essential! 

I haven't had a lot of time to dedicate to beading over the last couple of months so all I have to show is a teeny, tiny pair of earrings - but they are ridiculously romantic! The motifs are an adaptation of the Charming Choker Necklace. Instead of working with 4mm Firepolished Beads and Czech Drops, I had a little rummage around in my bead stash and found some 4mm Round Pearls with matching Pearl Drops. Thankfully, the seed bead count works just as well with a 4mm Round!

I have 'bookmarked' several projects and cannot wait to start on The Cosmic Crystal Necklace as soon as I have gathered all of the components and I am eagerly anticipating Kelly's next book - A Beaded Romance.

Beaded Fantasies: The Reveal {Bead, Book & Bounce}

Over the last two months, members of Operation Tackle That Bead Stash have been working on projects from Sabine Lippert's Beaded Fantasies. The book was published in May 2012 and I vividly remember looking through the copy that arrived at The Bead Shop Liverpool and thinking that every project in the book looked amazing - but a little too complex for someone like me to tackle. I tried to follow just the first few steps of the Granada Brooch and, confidence lacking, gave in with a crushing sense of defeat!

Just a few months later, with new beadweaving techniques conquered and a growing sense of confidence, I bought my own copy of Beaded Fantasies. Inspired by the words in Sabine's Introduction "Failure is always something to learn from. Be brave and confident." I decided that I would be - and I conquered the Granada Brooch that same afternoon. Since then, my 'brooch turned pendant' has become my favourite piece of jewellery. A little symbol of triumph!

One of the best things about the book is that the majority of the projects utilise a fairly standard selection of beads - crystal bicones, firepolished rounds, chatons and rivolis - so if you've been beading for a little while, you may already have the stash you need to tackle one or two of the projects. 

Though I'm still building my own 'reserves', I did have everthing I needed to work on The 'I Can't Dance Earrings'. The pattern uses different sized beads in the base, to create a curve using Right Angle Weave. Embellished with Size 11 and Size 15 seed beads, the pattern works up fairly quickly, but was a little on the heavy side for me to wear as earrings. I turned mine into a chunky, little pendant instead. 

The one, and only issue, that I have with Beaded Fantasies is that the written instructions, at first glance, seem a little daunting. The long length of many paragraphs made each step a little bit harder for me to follow and, glancing away to look at a diagram, I'd often lose my place. In the end, I broke some of the larger paragraphs down by drawing in pencil lines and that simple fix made it much easier for me to read through, and follow, the written instructions.

Inspiring as each design is, it's the last chapter of the book - where Sabine describes her method of designing - that is the real gem, but I'll let you discover that one for yourselves!

The Art & Elegance Of Beadweaving {Bead, Book & Bounce}

Over the past few months, members of Operation Tackle That Bead Stash have been working on projects from The Art & Elegance of Beadweaving by Carol Wilcox Wells. The book seems to be well loved - and there are plenty of beaders in the OTTBS Facebook Group who recommend the book highly - so I was thrilled when I found that a copy was available through my local library. 

However, flicking through for the first time, I realised that the vast majority of the projects were beaded ropes, choker style necklaces or heavily fringed. So, I have to admit that this isn't a book that excited me as a beader, they really aren't my usual style.

I hoped that starting on a simple project would help to change my opinion, but when I started working on the Lace Net Beads I found it difficult to follow the written instructions and,  as halfway through the instructions, beads previously denoted by letters were suddenly being referred to by numbers, I became increasingly frustrated beading what should have been a simple, embellished netting pattern. Considering that netting is one of my favourite bead stitches, I was a little disappointed!

Maybe that first flick through coloured my perceptions, because every time I sat down to work on something from the book I just felt entirely underwhelmed; maybe the dull, gloomy weather influenced my mood; maybe I should have tried a little bit harder; or maybe this just wasn't the right beading book for me!

As much as I would love to have a finished, or even partially completed project, to show you, I didn't pick up The Art & Elegance of Beadweaving again - I don't like the idea of trying to force something that should be fun and creative! So, the book went straight back to the library where it was, I hope, picked up by one of the many beaders who adore the projects within it's pages and love it dearly!

If you fancy finding out what everyone else thought of the book - I have a feeling I'll be in the minority - head over to Operation Tackle That Bead Stash where you'll find links to other reveals and reviews.