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Learning and Inspiration: Top Websites

Hello! Happy spring and welcome back to the blog. Today, we're going to start a new section of posts, looking at different ways of learning how to craft and getting inspiration. This week, I'll particularly focus on websites that I recommend, though I will be excluding social media sites for now as we're going to look at that more closely later on. For now though, here are a few websites that I recommend.

Learning: This Website

In the past, we have posted a few guides, patterns and knitathons on this site. These are great if you like learning from verbal instructions and pictures, though I wouldn't recommend the patterns until you have a basic grasp of knit and crochet stitches (something that we will cover later in this series of posts). Here are some links to different pages on this website that you can use to learn:

• ​Fingerless mitten knitalong - starts here then ends here (at the bottom of the page - scroll down to the post titled "Fingerless Mitten Knit-Along Part Two" then up to "Fingerless Mitten Knit-Along Part Three").
• Fingerless mitten variation - click here, starts at the post titled "A Variation to the Mitten Pattern (Part One)" then ends with the post above it.
• Upcycling and Yarn stars - click here and scroll past the first post.
• Knitted poppies, crochet poppies and Christmas bauble patterns - click here.

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Inspiration: Clothing Shops/Sites

Sometimes, knitted things don't work as well with the rest of my shop-bought clothes in my wardrobe, so I often find that it is good to get inspiration for colours and shapes by looking at non-knitted clothing. By doing this, I can get the styles of popular clothing but I can also add a bit of personality to them and I have more control. For example, here is a photo of a jumper that I made inspired by a non-knitted garment I saw online. Even though I have made mistakes on it, I wear it a lot more than the other jumper I have made as it works really well with other garments I own.

Learning: WikiHow

Personally, I have not used WikiHow to learn a lot of things; however, I have read some of the guides on this website and I recommend it because I find that they are really clear, using a range of photos, drawings and videos to explain. Some of the guides on this site also quiz you throughout, which can be a little cheesy but it very useful as crafters have a language of their own, so it is good to learn what we are talking about! These don't get in the way, so you can still enjoy the website even if you don't want to use this part. The only problem with it is a lot of the terms they use are American (such as "single crochet" which we would call a double crochet, or "binding off" which we would call casting off), so it may be good to find something online that shows the meanings of American and British craft terms before starting!

Inspiration: Ravelry

When it comes to Ravelry, I am not writing from experience as I do not have an account but I know that many crafters love it. With Ravelry, you can find both free and paid patterns and yarn as well as digital tools that allow you to organise the projects that you have on the go. Also, you can socialise with other like-minded crafters by reading and writing reviews of yarns and patterns, connecting via the blog or messaging on the chat section. It's a great way of getting not just inspiration but also motivation to start crafting or organising.

Learning and Inspiration: Attic24

If you want to learn to crochet, Attic24 is a great way to get into it. This website has a range of blog posts and guides, going through both the key, basic skills of crochet and some intricate patterns designed by the author of the site herself. Not only is this website good for learning but it is also great for getting inspiration because she uses many photos and in my opinion, all of them are incredibly colourful and beautiful, making me feel really inspired to craft and be creative!

There we have it - 5 websites or types of site that I recommend using when learning how to craft. Next week, I'll be looking at books and authors that we recommend, but until then, happy crafting!

Caiti