Knit knacks for knit wits

I read a recent interview with Prince Charles (see footnote) in which he said "There are so many cases of people who have been pushed the wrong way by their parents - who've said 'you've got to do that' - and so they've gone into something else and ended up hating it, but then eventually come back round to doing the one thing they really want to express themselves in, and often it is a craft of one kind or another, whether it is stonemasonry or bricklaying or painting or calligraphy. I've noticed just how much reward it gives people...."
I know a lot of people who are very keen on crafting, from simple things that can be run up in a spare hour to major projects.
In the sure and certain belief that somewhere is a piece of information that can change a person's life, I am sharing a few of the crafts sites I know of and I hope that some of them might inspire a few people.
If you know of some good sites I've missed please tell me about them in the comments at the end of this post.

Knitting

The UK Handknitting Association provides free patterns and links to knitting groups.
Stitchlinks promotes the health benefits of knitting and has some free patterns
If you feel you have no one ot knit anything for, knit for Battersea cats and dogs home or various other charities need blankets or garments. 
Look for local groups that meet to knit and natter, find them in your local library, local free papers or online.

Cookery

Baking has really taken off on the telly. If you've been inspired to have a go try some of these.

• The Great British Bake Off.
• The Hairy Bikers.
• National Baking Week.
• And for the basics, try Delia's site. 

Sewing

Try a sewing class from Libertys.
Then have a go at some projects or join a stitching group. 

Beading

Maybe you would like to add beads to a project or make bead jewellery.

Paper crafts

Quilling is the art of making pictures from curled stands of paper.
But there are lots of other paper projects to choose from.

Woodwork

Woodworking requires a few more resources but can achieve some beautiful results. 

• UK Workshop
• Woodworking
• Woodworkers Institute

Other Traditional Skills

Lots of places offer short courses and longer apprenticeships in traditional skills.
The PSTA offers courses in traditional arts.
The Prince's Foundation has apprenticeships in traditional skills.
Or you could try willow weaving or sustainability skills.

General Craft Info

There are lots of sites dedicated to various crafts, try some of these

• Craftzine
• The Crafts Council
• The Guardian's Craft section
• Start UK - sustainable living including upcycling and recipes
• Cut Out And Keep, lots of craft projects in a variety of media
• Love Maxi's craft and cooking blog
• Craft Juice
• Mini Eco crafts

Selling your work

If you're ready to sell your crafts you might want to try Folksy for selling in the UK.
Or Etsy the US site has a Europe section.
If you prefer face to face sales, try finding a market stall.


N.B. - make sure you're not selling something made from a copyrighted design.

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What craft sites would you recommend?

www.good-housekeeping-magazine.co.uk/ June 2012 pg 39