introduction

The word “embellished” denotes a certain unique and very special individual type of creativity given to a garment. Nothing could be truer of the embellishing incorporated into the designs in this book: there are as many takes on the word as there are designers, and their talent and exacting attention to every detail is apparent in the amazing works of art they’ve created.

I initially planned to create a pattern book, but as the designs began to arrive, I realized that technique descriptions, photographs, and charts would be necessary to enable readers to better understand the techniques used, and often created, by each designer. So this book has evolved into a combination of pattern and technique—two books in one!

The techniques used by a number of patterns throughout are described in Basic Techniques. All the other embellishing techniques that are unique to the individual patterns are shown in photographs and have detailed step-by-step instructions with the appropriate patterns.

The yarns in this book are as versatile as the techniques. Simply Soft is an exceptionally great yarn for bead crochet due to its size (light 4-ply), its smoothness (beads slide on well), and its ability to be easily split into two 2-plies for use in traditional and bead embroidery. And the colors are ideal for so many of the projects. Other Caron yarns, such as Bliss and Glimmer, also lend themselves especially well to the techniques employed by the designers.

But one of the things I like most about the designs in this book is how versatile the embellishing applications are. You can take a medallion, an embroidery stitch, a bead motif, or a stitch/embroidery combination and apply them to just about any project, making it a truly couturelike creation.

So have fun, enjoy the adventure, and crochet away!