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This is Coburn's latest crochet book and the cover has a tube necklace with bead and fiber pieces layered onto it that are very elegant! The layered pieces hang loosely and remind me of luscious brocaded robes from the Orient. Coburn explains in the introduction how her ideas materialized for these luxurious pieces and notes that more fiber shows in these projects and beads are more the enhancement to the fiber rather than the pieces being all beads. Yes! However, Coburn notes that you have the choice of making the stitches all beads if you wish. Variations gives you an idea of what else you can do with the basic patterns.

General Instructions includes A Word About Materials, Bead Types, Fibers, Hooks, Gauge, Making a Test Tube, Stitch Knowledge and Abbreviations. The test tube is a sample piece before making a whole tube necklace. Anatomy of a Tubular Crochet Chart has a diagram and breakout of specific areas of the tube. Managing Beads explains loading beads and the materials used. Quantity of beads to carry on thread and managing beads are covered. Next is Basic Beaded Stitches and a diagram of beads being added to crocheted thread. Next is basic instructions that works for every pattern in the book.

Crocheting an Unbeaded Tube and Crocheting a Beaded Tube are broke down into steps. Joining Tube Ends includes directions, diagrams and Fixing Boo-Boos follows. The Patterns are Lacy Spiral Bracelet, Diamond-Net Band, Netted Tube, Mesh Cuff, Brocade Flat Band and Sleeve Pendant. The Brocade Flat Band and the Sleeve Pendant are the two pieces that can be slid over a tube necklace or other jewelry form. The Lacy Spiral Bracelet has sections of beads and then the spiral area has a line of beads spiraling between fibers. The Diamond-Net Band and the Netted Tube include diagrams with a portion of the pattern to follow. The Mesh Cuff includes small and large beads integrated and would have to be strung on in order. This mesh design has open spacing between the stitches and is very much like netting. The Brocade Flat Band has a raised area of beads against the thread crochet that is flat and offers more texture to the piece. The complete pattern for each area of this band is included in a diagram and then variations are offered. The Sleeve Pendant is shorter than the brocaded piece so they can be layered. The diagram for the pattern is on page 21 and is very large to see all the detail.

Shoppers Guide includes suppliers of beads, fibers and tools. The last page is a Tubular-Crochet Chart that you can use for your own designs.

Tubes II offers new ideas in bead and fiber crochet that are of interest to beading and fiber people. There is plenty of good information, patterns and ideas to keep you busy and also come up with your own designs. You will need to be proficient in crochet using the slip stitch, chain stitch and single crochet before you begin this book. It will help if you first make samples of thread or yarn only until you are comfortable making the tubular shapes before you began adding beads. I already have new ideas from Coburn's book such as the using the basic shape for the Brocade Flat Band and Sleeve Pendant without the bead counted pattern. Instead I will grab up about 3 to 5 colors of seed beads, mix them all, string them and add them intermittently on the Sleeve Pendant. Then I will use two auxiliary threads and string one color of beads on one thread and a second color of beads on the other. I can build rounds for the Brocade Flat Band without beads and then pull up either color as needed to make a pattern as I work. There are always more possibilities from the designs in any book, it is up to you to dream them up. This book is more advanced than Tube I. Beginners should first be very comfortable with crochet using thread only and then use Coburn's Tubes I before starting on Tubes II. See that review in our book archives.