Would you love to be a DIY’er (Do-it-yourselfer) but just don’t know, well, how to DIY? That could all change with a few clicks of the mouse. Today, one doesn’t have to have a craft-savvy grandma in order to learn how to make things. There are websites for almost every craft under the sun.
I am forty years old and I have just learned to knit and crochet. It was all quite serendipitous. I was doing research for an article on tattoos and tripped right over a website called Craftster. I started poking around on the site and discovered that the people there were charming, friendly and extremely talented.
The Craftster website was created by Leah Kramer in 2003. There are thousands of members and more ideas than you can imagine. If one of the members can’t tell you exactly how to do something (which is rare), then they will direct you to a website that can. That is precisely what happened for me. I was admiring all the pictures of the members’ knitted and crocheted handiwork, wishing that I possessed that skill. I checked out a link or two that someone posted, one being Knitting-help.com. This website has videos of the stitches necessary to knit. There are close-ups of the knitter’s hands as she slowly knits for the camera and talks us through the stitch. For you left-handed folks out there, don’t worry. She has videos for left-handed knitting as well. I learned enough from Knitting-help.com to make a scarf within a few days.
Craftster.org is a hip website filled with young and old creative souls who love to share what they know. It is an edgy, punky, not-your-grandma’s sort of website. So, if you’ve always loved the idea of crafting but just didn’t know what to do with another “homespun” looking craft, Craftster.org is the place for you. Their motto, “No tea cozies without irony”, sort of sums up what the site is all about. No lambies and bunnies for Craftster people. Skulls and Pop-tab belts are more their style. Still, if you want to make something more traditional, they will be the first to share the little tips that will make it easier for you.
Since finding Craftster, I have learned to make my own jewelry, knit, crochet, decoupage, paint and have returned to cross-stitching. My life is richer because of it. As a writer, I find that doing anything creative adds to my inspiration for writing. Crafting is a wonderful way of spending some down time. For those of you who ask “what is this magical thing you call downtime?”, perhaps it is time that you make some room in your schedules to play with paper and glue, paints and scissors and string. I honestly think that crafting could replace a lot of the less healthy coping strategies we employ.
Oh. Wondering how I found Craftster.org while searching for tattoos? You’ll have to check out the website to figure that one out. Let’s just say that you may see some tattoos you would never have imagined yourself. Well, would you ever think to tattoo a sewing machine on your arm? I didn’t think so.
Check it out and get crafting.
