Rainbow Loom Beginners Book Review... Loom Joy or Madness? By Rinny

I was so happy at Christmas when I unwrapped a Rainbow Loom. I had been 'hinting'  at my husband for months after watching video after video on YouTube. I can not recommend rainbow loom's enough for young and old if you like crafting then you will enjoy the endless possibilities it provides. Anyway I have been addicted to it since Christmas and find some of the YouTube videos hard to follow for various reasons either talking to fast, too low or weird camera angles. So when I saw that there was a chance to review this book for free i thought Eeek that's definitely  for me and was so excited.

**Disclaimer - I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review**

Loom Jewelery for Beginners: An Illustrated 

Step By Step Guide By  Melinda Rolf

BLURB: It’s official! Rainbow Loom™ is THE must have, must do activity of the year, and this “Illustrated Beginners Guide” will have you on your way to creating super cool, super fun rubber band jewelry, bracelets, headbands, key chains and other fabulous items with your Rainbow Loom® , Cra-Z-Loom™, or FunLoom™ 

Rubber band jewelry is great fun for camping trips, sleepovers, parties, girls night out, mom and daughter time…..and Moms , did you know that some therapists believe that making loom bracelets and other items can “Improve visual and perceptual skills and help with problem solving, finger dexterity, hand strength, coordination and more”. Source: Occupational Therapist, Jennifer Todd-Barnard . 

This is the ultimate companion for anyone who own a Rainbow Loom™ and who is just starting out. These easy to follow, fully illustrated patterns will have you on your way to creative genius in no time at all. With hundreds of full color photos to show exactly what to do and when to do it so you won’t get lost. 

Get it today so you can dive into this latest craze with confidence and start to create your own style of super cool rubber band jewelry, bracelets and more.

LINKS
Goodreads
Amazon

***Disclaimer - I was given a copy for free by publisher/author for a honest review in return***

I was so excited to try this book and have done so a few times dipping in and out. I also have put off reviewing as I have been so unsure about how to and what I felt about this book. There is 10 projects for you to grab your loom and hook away with. I have to say that I was a bit dubious at first thinking that it was just going to be designs I had already done or seen thanks to YouTube and a rainbow loom group I am a member of. There was some I had seen or done before but also many I had not. (also just to point out that the spelling mistakes of jewellery above are the american spelling and I did not want to correct them to my UK

Each design has written and picture instructions showing the steps. I have to say I did have a few failed attempts and at first I found the written instructions at times a little confusing also a couple of the pictures not as clear or as close (position) as I would have liked. It is a good alternative to YouTube videos if you find them hard to follow. Although I do think as detailed as the written instructions are, I found that I was sometimes left thinking hang on a second I'm sure you are meant to do this first or this was missed. Although often the pictures did cover the pieces I thought were not as explained as well in the written text. Perhaps I did not help as it does say till you get the hang of the design to follow the colours that are used in the book. However, as with YouTube videos I often have to change the colours or I have no inkling to go through with making the bracelet/item. Below are pictures of three items I did make with the book. I could not do the keyring as I did not have the keyring attachment, which is a shame as it is the one I think looked the most interesting to me and had one of the most easy and clearest instructions.

  

The instructions at the end of each design on how to extend the bracelet were excellent clear and easy to follow. I only extended the bracelet that way on one as I personally find it easier to do it a different way just with the hook and bands as I have annoyingly short and stubby fingers and sometimes find it hard to get the bracelet back onto the loom. My daughter did a simple bracelet design from the book and found it a lot easier than following me when I tried to teach her, the instructions provided with loom and even a YouTube video. Overall it is a good book however I did find it hard to do some of the designs due to unclear pictures and some of the written text. The author has put in a lot of hard work and that is clearly seen. In an effort to be fully honest I have to confess I did not manage to do all of the designs as the book just did not work for me when trying to do them. Perhaps I find it easier to follow YouTube videos and the book will work for you. 

I've had to pause for a long while before finishing this review. I just cannot decide what to rate this book part of me says 2.5 but then also a large part of me is saying 3 as it is not a bad book and did do its job I did make some bits and bobs from it.