Craft Books I Love: How To Make Jewellery With Tatty Devine

I thought I would start a new series where I talk about my favourite crafting books. I'm a self taught crafter, so books have played a big part in learning new skills. Stay tuned for more of my favourite crafting books.

I have been a long time admirer of Tatty Devine for a long time now. If you haven't heard of them, or seen any of their amazing jewellery before (where have you been?), then get yourself over to their online store and prepare to drool over pretty much everything. Unfortunately, I don't own any pieces of their lovely jewellery, largely due to £££, but still, a girl can dream...

So, when I heard about Harriet and Rosie of Tatty Devine writing a craft book, I knew I would have to have it. When I got this book, it was probably my first step into the world of crafting. Sure, I'd tried a little knitting and sewing at school, but I never really stuck at anything. I have to admit that the thought of making jewellery used to ring alarm bells in my head, as I always thought it involved beading. This looked fiddly, and the end results were simply not 'me'. This book started me thinking that crafting could be fashionable, mainly due to all the lovely projects inside (and no beading in sight!).

This book is great for beginners - I found the section at the beginning explaining all the tools and jewellery fittings very helpful, from the basic (pliers, lobster clasps) to the more advanced (drill bits, specialised glue). Even if you're an advanced jewellery maker, you're sure to find some inspiration, whether it's from a necklace made from an old pair of glasses or crisp packet jewellery.

Each project is very easy to follow, with photos for all the steps and simple instructions. There is even a list of stockists included at the very back of the book to make it easy for you to source all that you could need. Although what I particularly love about this book, is that Harriet and Rosie actively encourage you to go out to a car boot sale or a second hand shop and find your own unique items to make jewellery with. Which is great, because you end up with really special and unique results.

I especially like how personal the book is. Throughout the book, there are little anecdotes from the early days of Tatty Devine, the stories behind their iconic pieces of jewellery, and items that have been picked up from some of their adventures. It is very inspiring to hear Harriet and Rosie's story, and it certainly encouraged me to give jewellery making a go. Here I am, a couple of years down the line and still rummaging through second hand shops for crazy items to make jewellery from. And I haven't looked back since.

Bicycle Knitting Chart and Jumper Inspiration

At the moment I have a burning desire to knit a jumper. Yep, I understand that this is the kind of time that normal people start to consider their summer wardrobe, and whether they need any clothes for their holidays. But, there are two things you need to know about me:

1. I am not normal.
2. I am a jumper fiend. 

I have never knit a jumper before, and I have a feeling that it's the kind of project that could take a while to complete. So, perhaps this is actually the best time to start knitting a jumper in order that it is ready for the winter. 

I love a good old motif jumper, and a motif I really want to use is a bicycle one. I don't know how I had this thought - perhaps I was thinking that the Tour de France is coming up soon? It's a big event in our household. After a lazy afternoon spent on Pinterest, I quickly decided that a bicycle jumper was what my heart desired, and I quickly set about making baby steps towards making my first ever jumper. *Gulp!*

I used my knitting chart technique to make this chart, and this one actually didn't require any redrafting. Which was surprising, as I was worried that a bicycle might be a complex shape to translate into a knitting chart. I'm actually very pleased with how bike-like this chart looks! 

On second thoughts, I think it probably was the Tour de France that inspired this chart, as I can't stop thinking about making a jumper which has some kind of nod to the Parisienne. Perhaps some French flag elbow patches? Or a red white and blue colour scheme? Hmmm... This requires some thought. 

These are some of the photos that I think are going to inspire this project. Some of these beauties are worthy of a place in Gyles Brandreth's wardrobe, non? I might try to stay away from that area. 

Sources, clockwise from far left: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Here's hoping I soon get the courage/wool to start knitting the bike jumper of my dreams. I'll (hopefully) be posting the end result here (maybe with a pattern), but don't hold your breath!

Any tips anybody's got for knitting jumpers? What would be your dream jumper? 

Mid-Week Treat: The £1 Eyebrow Pencil

When I think about it, me and my eyebrows have been through a lot. From generally worrying about their bushiness, to the first time I plucked them (ow!), going through an over plucking stage, and letting them grow back out again. I've actually got to a stage where I'm actually comfortable with my eyebrows, which means a lot coming from someone who used to pluck them everyday (I'm not actually joking). Yep, I still have moments where I panic that they are not symmetrical, but I've come a long way with them.

One thing that has definitely helped in my acceptance of my eyebrows, is using an eyebrow pencil. I like my eyebrows to look natural, but using an eyebrow pencil just to enhance the shape of my eyebrows and to fill in any sparse areas means that I rarely have any 'bad eyebrow' days.

Recently, my favourite No7 eyebrow pencil broke - eep! - and I was a little heartbroken. I knew I needed a new one pronto, and in the spirit of being a cheapskate thrifty, I decided I'd give a budget one a chance.

This one cost me the grand total of £1, and it is from the MUA range at Superdrug. I have to admit, it draws on a lot thicker than I was expecting - the first time I used it I felt like K K Slider (geeky reference, sorry) - but now I'm used to it, I can't actually notice much difference from my old No7 one. It even has a brush on one end like my old one! If anything, the colour of the MUA one is better, as the No7 brunette colour was actually quite red, and not brown enough for me personally.

I've heard quite a few people recommending eyebrow shadows, so that might be the next step on my eyebrow adventure.

Any products for eyebrows that you would recommend?

How to: Make a Porcelain Pieces Necklace

It is no secret that I have a love of all things porcelain related. Possibly because it reminds me of drinking tea? I made this porcelain necklace last year, and it became a summer staple for me; I was hardly seen without it. So when I came across even more pieces of random porcelain in the garden, I knew I would be making something similar.

I used exactly the same technique as last time, except that because my pieces of porcelain were smaller this time around, I simply used more of them on one necklace. I like the kind of relaxed, boho vibe of this necklace, and can't wait to wear it with all my summer clothes.

I wouldn't be telling the truth if I said that all of these pieces of porcelain are equal. Let's face it, the one with the blue and white square pattern takes centre stage here, hands down. Keep an eye out for old, cheap second hand porcelain with a nice pattern on, as I think it is these pieces of porcelain that look the best.

As before, I used a strong glue to stick a large jump ring to the back of each piece of porcelain. It's worth using a good glue for this, as porcelain is not a glue friendly zone.

When the glue dried, I used smaller jump rings to attach the porcelain shards to a necklace chain. Play about with the arrangement of your porcelain until you come up with something that you really like.

This is such a simples project, but every time I do it I always love the results. Of course, the same technique could be used to make a bracelet, or simply glue your porcelain to a ring base to make yourself a really unique, eye catching ring. Now all I need to do is make myself a tea cup bangle and my life will be complete.

I'm off to drink tea whilst wearing my new necklace to celebrate. Cheers!

Vintage Crochet and Knitting Patterns: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

I've been having a bit of a sort out lately, what with it being a typical time for a "spring clean". It always takes me so long, because I always just end up reading books and looking at thing I haven't seen in a while. One of the many things I "sorted out" was my collection of crochet and knitting patterns, making me eager to start many new projects! Here are a few of my favourite vintage patterns, some of them lovely, some of them cringe worthy, and others just hilarious. Enjoy!

My obsession with peter pan collars flows over into my crochet pattern haul. Who knows, maybe I was Oliver Cromwell in a past life? No, I can't be, I love Christmas too much. These are just a few of my collar patterns (I have many, many more!). I've actually never made a collar, so seeing these beauties again has given me the push to pick up my hooks again, and get chaining. I've chosen to make the "rose motif" collar, so I'll keep you posted on my progress.

I have a bit of a love for nautical style (hello, Breton stripes), so it's only natural that I love these jumpers. French flag elbow patches? *Swoon*. Unfortunately, the two jumpers on the left are knit up in 4-ply, and I ain't got time fo' dat! Sorry. The ribbed anchor jumper however, is knit in DK, so it might be put on my to-knit list (which is ridiculously long).

This idea is so simple, I don't know why I haven't though of it before. Crochet a lacy motif, and attach it to a plain bag and voila! So chic! I love the 60s styling in this little booklet, it's making me want to cut my hair into a bob.

An orange dress, with purple crochet side panels. Nice. Don't forget the matching headband too! I love me some 70s style clothing, but it's easy to see why people see the 70s as the decade that style forgot. This is just one of many, many bad patterns. Bad bad. But funny-bad, all the same.

A crochet toilet seat cover? I can't even... I have no words for this. It's only after you stop laughing that you realise that it's made in a lovely burnt orange and brown colour scheme too. Nice.

Do you like old knitting and crochet patterns, or do you prefer more orthodox modern patterns?

Toby

As you can probably tell by scrolling through some of my posts here, I am definitely no professional photographer. That said, I still enjoy taking photos, so when my cat was looking rather cute the other day I pulled out my camera. I'm rather surprised at how well these turned out (and that Toby actually stayed awake long enough for me to take his picture). Hope you enjoy x

*Making myself look cute so that you tickle my tummy and then I bite you. Mwah ha ha!*

*Zzz*

*You woke me up for a stupid photo? I am most unimpressed, human*

Weaving With Sticks

I think everybody's tried paper weaving, right? Where you cut slits into one sheet of paper and weave paper strips through the gaps. I think it's actually an essential part of Primary School learning. Well, I'd heard of peg loom weaving before, but as a peg loom can be quite an investment, just to find you don't like weaving (not to mention the space it takes up), I'd never tried real weaving. That is, until now.

I attended a lovely event at my local library recently which focused on heritage crafts i.e. traditional crafts, some of them still in use today, others not so. The wool spinning was fascinating, as was stone carving and henna tattoos. What really caught my attention though, was a lady who was weaving using sticks. After a chat with her, where she explained the technique and the history behind it (it can be traced as far back as the early settlers of America), I came away with a set of weaving sticks.

*Hit Me With Your Weaving Sticks!*

Friends, these are weaving sticks. Essentially, they are pieces of dowling rod with a hole through one end, and the other end is pointed like a knitting needle. I had never heard of them until a few days ago - who knew you could weave on sticks? This is a set of five, but you can use two as a minimum, and work up from there.

If anything, it was just really interesting to try the technique, as it offers great insight into how everyday fabrics are made, if albeit on a much smaller scale.

You start off by building the "bones" of your weaving - threading a warp thread through the holes in the top of your sticks, and knotting them together. These determine the length of your weaving.

Then, you simply start weaving at the other end of your sticks. This is the weft of the weaving (sounding familiar, sewing friends?). The weaving will creep up to the top of the sticks, where it meets with the warp threads.

The weaving works up very quickly - I couldn't believe how easily I'd grasped the basic technique on my first try. I then set about playing with different textures.

This is jersey yarn, which I have made from an old t-shirt. I really like the bulky weave this gave, and it was nice and stretchy too!

My first finished weaving :) Now all I need to do is make several more strips and sew them together to make a rug. My mind is actually in overload thinking of all the possibilities and potential this new technique has.

Hmmmm... I feel some weaving experiments coming up!

Have you ever tried weaving before? Any ideas on what I could use my weaving sticks for?