Wiling The Winter Away

Click click click, clack, clack clack...

There is something very soothing about the sound of knitting needles busily working away and with winter slowly making an appearance now is the time to pull out those patterns and wool and curl up on the couch with a hot cuppa and craft those wintry evenings away.

Of course if knitting's not your thing there are a realm of other crafts that you can do from the toasty warmth of the sofa, from crocheting to sewing to stitching to colouring.  And here at Auckland Libraries we have plenty of books to help get you started.

So get into that wintry mood and get crafting.

For those who avoid the non-fiction

I love to learn new things. Learning crafty things, especially - particularly now, with the new crazes on handmade gifts and items and the amount of craft blogs everywhere. Crafting is cool now, and more than once have I made goals to start 'learning how to _____' - it will probably happen again for this New Years.

I am always looking at the latest craft books, and admiring the handmade quilts on pinterest or being envious of my friend who just recently made her first bar of soap (and not from other soap shavings, like you do in Tech at high school, but with all the fandangled techniques and the big cutty wire thing and lye).

However, though it pains me to admit it, I can't read a non-fiction how-to book to save my life.

Oh, I can read, of course. And I know what the words say. I know what all the words mean, separately, but put together in a string like that, it turns into a jumble of nonsense that makes my head hurt. I have to put the book down and am thus left without a clue how to make a handmade tea cosey.

 
Now, there are ways to get around this, of course. With an abundance of tutorials on almost anything on youtube, there is a video to help get you through whatever you so desire. I bound my very first book (which I made for a friends 21st gift. I was very proud) by watching a very lovely, slow and simple tutorial (this coptic stitch tutorial by Sea Lemon). But even then, sometimes, I just can't stand hearing someone tell me how to do something. I've listened to other tutorials before as well, and half of them just drove me crazy. 

Until I found a perfect little book that was just my speed.

That book was My first crochet book : 35 fun and easy crochet projects for children aged 7+.Using that book, along with my mothers careful instruction and company, I began to crochet. It was amazing - the pictures helped me to understand and it was in such simple language (not that dastardly jargon) that anyone would probably be able to follow the steps. My mind was blown, and before long I had a little bundle of crocheted-something that I was again, very proud of. It's wonky, and missing a few stitches, and overall a general failure as any kind of usable item, but it was my first step into a world of crafts I might actually be able to do.

Since then, some others I've come across include this baking cookbook, and these books about gardening, cooking, embroidery and sewing - so many things I've always wanted to try my hand at but always been put off by intimidating tutorials and books. 

When you have a short attention span like me, I guess it just pays sometimes to be more open-minded about where you get your information from... The important thing is to understand and learn - no matter how you do it or how simple or silly it feels. If one of your New Years Resolutions is to be more crafty or good with your hands, these could help - so get crackin' with these handy dandy kids books (which just happen to be, of course, suitable for actual children as well).