Hand crafting at home

Hand crafting is a great way to relieve stress and to spend some time creating unique and beautiful art pieces. The result usually looks amazing and all the relatives and friends end up catching the same crafting bug. Be it crocheting, felting, beading or yarn hand spunning it will all make you happy and feel a real artists and craftsman.

We all have spare supplies of buttons, glass and plastic beads, yarn and threads in our homes. They are stuck somewhere in the basement or deep inside our closets.
I encourage you to go and find them! You will be amazed by all the treasures you find in your house!

When I was small I loved to sort my mom's buttons she inherited from her granny. They were so shiny and colorful, of different shapes and sizes! I loved the glass buttons the most. In the sun the light would go through them and make everything around shine! Look for a few glass beads and buttons in your house! You might find some vintage pieces that are priceless!

After you dig out all the treasures it's time to start crafting. Every person is different. Some like the feel and touch of yarn and fiber and, thus, enjoy knitting, crocheting and yarn spinning. Some like vivid and bright colors of beads and are eager to spend hours beading and wire wrapping. It's actually fun to try everything possible craft and technique as you never know what you fall in love with at the end.
The result of hand crafting will always be unique and rewarding. It's such a joy to end up with a beautiful necklace or a cool hand knitted scarf.

I beg you not to waste your spare time at home! An hour or two of crocheting and beading will make you feel better! I promise!:)
I was myself inspired by an example of Ira Rott who has recently made her first hand spun yarn. It's an exciting process you should definitely try! It’s next on my personal list of home crafting techniques.

Warm and cozy hand knitted items from Socksandmittens

Winter is approaching and we are all looking for soft and cozy knitted items to keep us warm during this cold and harsh season. I recently came across a wonderful shop on Etsy called Socksandmittens that offers accessories for men and women: wool gloves, socks, wrist warmers, hats, etc. Every piece is hand knitted and unique.
It's a mother daughter team that is constantly working on improving its designs!

Q: How did you start knitting?
Many many years ago a young girl named Valentyna saw a knitted garment on a girl in a street of a small town in Ukraine. She got so interested in how to make one that started knitting herself. Since that day Valentyna continues improving her knitting skills. She cannot let go of her favorite needles and yarns. Valentyna is my mother and I remember her knitting my whole life. She is never alone and never bored because we run our Etsy shop together and she is very passionate about her favorite thing, knitting!

My mom has been knitting for me all my life. Later she started knitting for my son and now, when she is retired, she finally can do this full time. That's how we came up with an idea of an on-line store. We opened our online shop on Etsy in 2009. It's been a success so far!

Her knitted garments are amazing. My mom's inspiration comes from nature with its bright colors. She creates items thinking about people's real needs and preferences. When we create a new design we are always trying to picture a person who will wear it. Is he or she spending most of their time at the office, by a computer desk? Does he or she love outdoors? Is he or she a hunter, a fisherman or stay at home Mom? There are so many different ideas! We make our best to turn all these ideas into beautiful, warm and cozy hand knitted items.

Q: What yarns does your mom use in her knitting?
She loves to work with wool but we are also thinking of people who might be allergic to it, so we are making some of our items from vegan and other natural yarns. I have to say, these other yarns have improved so much in recent years! They are soft and come in a huge assortment of colors and are really easy to take care of!

If you would like to see my mother work please visit our shop on Etsy or follow my blog to receive updates.
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