Book Review - The Beaded Edge

Oya is a gorgeous lace making technique from Turkey. The lace is used as an edging for scarves and clothes, and is made in a variety of ways. As far as I have been able to learn, the two main techniques are a crocheted version and a version worked with a needle, like tatting. These gorgeous lace edgings often incorporate beads. I wanted to learn how to create crocheted bead embellished oya as I already know how to crochet, and I have a lot of beads in my studio! I thought this lace might make a great edging for one of my cuffs. I tried to find out more information but google yielded limited results. I did find a book called "The Beaded Edge" which presents basic oya techniques using modern materials and the crocheted techniques. I purchased the book from Amazon, and am really pleased to have added it to my library.

The photographs are a feast for the eyes. There are more than 2 dozen types of edging described with ideas on how to use them in a finished projects. The techniques described are jumping off points in my mind - it would be easy enough to change colors and beads used, and also to use the oya patterns in a variety of ways. This seems to be the book's intent - to show how you can incorporate oya techniques into a variety of finished products - not a set of projects to be followed exactly to the letter.

If you are looking for a book that lays out a project from start to finish, this might not be the book to use. It is more of a reference book with general instructions and gorgeous photos to inspire. Still, I do think the book is well documented and researched and it even includes a history of Oya.

In the meantime, if you are interested in this lace making technique but don't necessarily want to purchase a book, you can read about the history of this technique here for some general information. There is also a wonderful blog called CouchCrochetCrumbs, where the author shows her finished work, which she also sells on etsy. There are not too many tutorials on this blog, but she has links to video tutorials that she has posted on youtube that you might find helpful.