Wednesday 22 September 2010

My crafty bits

This is what i've accumulated over the past couple of years. It isn't everything from my 'crafty corner' (I don't like calling it that because I don't have a corner of the house where I have all my crafty bits that I can just sit in and make stuff till my bum goes numb. It's randomly placed around my bedroom and I make stuff pretty much anywhere..so no I don't have a crafty corner...and I shan't be calling it that anymore. I've become OCD for real now...see how I babble?!)

Back on topic, these are the things I use the most. I'll post the rest tomorrow maybe :]

Embroidery box

I scored this on ebay about 2 years ago, It came with all the floss inside including the vintage stylee tomato pincushion. I got the sewing thread from john lewis, you get pack of five I think and they're quite inexpensive.

This is my box of wonders lol I keep small misc items such as...

Seed beads!
Love em. twelve different colours at around £1.99 per bag for 100g. You can buy them from ebay also and they're so useful it's unreal. You can use them to totally revamp an item of clothing, make jewelry or use them in an embroidery project etc These big bags will last forever!

Buttons
I keep loads of random buttons. Some I bought from the charity shop (best place to score vintage buttons for dirt cheap AND donate at the same time) the rest I've kept from old clothes that's i've chucked out.

Ribbons
I love ribbons! Random meters here and there, satin, lace, velvet, organza etc You know those ones that come wrapped around primark PJ's? I keep them too haha I don't use them for fiber crafts as they're a bit rough and cheap but they're perfect for card-making or gift wrapping.

YARN!!
You ain't seen nothing yet lol This is me trying to destash and relegating them to the cute wicker hamper my mumzie gave me. The rest is under my bed in a huge zippy bag. The yarns up there are mainly natural fibers, merino, wool, cotton etc I'm trying to make as many baby booties as I can for my little shoppy woppy.
Circs

These intimidated me when I first started out knitting...they looked so complicated lol But I much prefer these to straight knitting needles as they take weight pressure off your arms e.g. you're knitting something big like a afghan of jumper, the further you get with your project, the more pressure you'll feel on your working needle arm because you have to hold the weight all to one side. With circular needles, it's all in the middle so your arms get less tired :]

You can use these to knit in the round and flat, hands down winners of the knitting world.


DPN's (double pointed needles)
I HATE these which explains why I only have them in two sizes. These are for knitting in the round for seamless items e.g sleeves, socks blah blah blah
Having so many needles to work with in one go hurts my brain lol but i'm determined to overcome these little fuckers and become the DPN queen, it would make socks a whole lot easier and less time consuming that using a circular.

Straight needles

nothing special to commentate here lol

My beloved addi clicks! A Valentine's day gift from my mister :D
I'd be lost without these. If you're new to knitting, you MUST eventually get one of these. They're pricey but VERY worth it.
These are circular needles that you can chop and change around. The set comes with 3 cords of different lengths to use based on how big your project is. It also has a little connecter thing so you can join 2 cords together for super big projects like bed throws. It comes with needle tips in different sizes from 3.5mm up until 10mm.
It makes projects so much easier because the yarn just glides across the needles like butter in a hot pan. I haven't used any of my old needles since I've had this, If I lost this or something happened to it i'd be heartbroken haha that's sounds sad

Crochet hooks and gauge checker

I started off learning to crochet before knitting. I never thought i'd be a knitter lol it was all about crochet and as i'd learned that first & I was proud and adamant that I wouldn't betray the hook for the needle crowd...Whilst I love crochet for quick fun projects, The final outcome of a knitted project it more elegant and 'expensive' looking if that makes any sense.

Crochet will never be beaten when it comes to granny squares, doilies and amigurumi...but for clothes etc it has to be knitting. I rarely like the look of crocheted clothing and since i've been knitting i've hardly picked up my hooks. I will be soon though as I need them for some shop items...but yeah...kitting rocks my socks.

I honestly encourage all women to get crafting. It very destressing, relaxing and satisfying. There's no feeling that compares to that of when you've spent a week or a month working on something, adding the final touches and seeing it in all it's glory when it's done lol

I can't wait to be a mum inshallah, I see myself being such a cookie cutter mum haha I really admire mums who get stuck in with their kids when it comes to crafting and being creative, whether it's fiber craft, food craft...anything. Love it. I've babbled for ages lol my neck hurts and I have baby booties to finish off...

3 comments:

Leah said...

wow :)
love the post!
you have some amazing craft skills :)

Leah xoxo
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♥Bunny♥ said...

wow~! I don't do craft so seeing all your stuff makes me jealous! The strings are so pretty! Looks like there are every color there or what not :D So pretty and you're a talented person :D

CarmenSays said...

@leah

aww thanks lovely :] xx

@dolce bunny

haha! Oh how I love the strings...*whispers* I hoard! lol thank you for your compliment :] xx