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Small two hole beads are a relatively recent innovation.  They first appeared in late 2011 but it took another year or two before beaders could easily get their hot little hands on them.  You got to wonder why it took so long!   That second hole and rice shape makes new kinds of weaving patterns possible.

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Kalmbach Publishing recently sent me Carolyn Cave's new book, Beautiful Designs with SuperDuos and Twin Beads[Image] for review. This 29 project book does indeed feed the interest bead weavers have for these wonderful beads.

 Twin beads are made from long drawn out glass threads which are then cut up and tumbled whereas superduos are molded glass pieces. The latter is more consistent in size and shape. So while both types can be used in many projects, other designs will require one or the other. The author makes it clear in the materials section of each project if either type is fine or if only superduos or twin beads must be used.
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Beadweavers who love using a wide range of stitches will love this book.  The different stitch types are listed in the Contents page.  Although there are bracelets, earrings and a single ring project, necklace projects dominate the book.

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One simple but delightful design is the Duet bracelet above. The keyboard design will suit music fans!  But it can be adapted to other patterns and designs.
[Image] Snowberry Bracelet 
The Snowberry bracelet is a very pretty rendition of the St. Petersburg chain.

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Two hole beads lend themselves very well to medallion designs. So the Europa earrings as well as the Loretta necklace on the cover are but two examples of a number of medallion projects in the book.

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I also appreciated the ropes section of the book for two reasons. An examples is the Theodora necklace above. Firstly, they can be shortened into bracelets and secondly, beaded pendants can be added if desired.

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The Midnight Sky necklace is one of my favorites from the book because the superduos are unsually orientated on their long sides around the cabochon. This is a bezel project so there is no fabric beneath the cabochon.

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And the Elsie Necklace is a clever zipper wannabee!  It reminds me of the amazing Van Clef and Arpels zipper necklaces. The high end jeweler credits the original idea to the Duchess of Windsor.

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All the designs were attractive and the instructions were easy to follow.  The photographic backgrounds though did not do this designer's work proper justice. They often did not provide sufficient contrast to the pieces except for the cover and content images.

But it is a great book for all levels of beaders to enjoy. The projects are not overly complicated so they will delight those who prefer to finish projects this side of Christmas!

Before You Go:
Book Review - Creative Designs using Shaped Beads Book Review - Metallic Seed Bead Splendor Book Review - Textured Bead Embroidery ______________________________
Original Post by THE BEADING GEM
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