Crafty Things I Love.... Part One

Crafty Things I Love.... Part One

Seeing as it's Valentine's Day I thought I'd share some of the crafty things I love, I've decided that seeing as this post could end up being huge that I'll split it into two... Tools and my go to yarns this week and I'll cover indie yarn dyers and Podcasts/Vlogs next week!

Tools -

Below are some of the tools that I use nearly every single day, they not only make my life easier they also make my finished items look so much better.

Clover Amour Crochet Hooks Set (2mm-6mm)

Before I purchased these hooks I had a cheap ergonomic set... I was a knitter, had never crocheted before and I had no idea if I was going to stick with it, after a couple of months I decided that this set was the way forward and I noticed the difference the second I held them in my hand. They are fantastic quality, feel amazing in your hands thanks to the ergonomic soft touch handle and the metal shaft of the hook is just incredible, I don't know how to explain it but the aluminium is so silky and smooth that you can pull through the loops easily but somehow the yarn doesn't slip!!!! Honestly sometimes I think these hooks are infused with magic ;)

Clover Darning Needles
These needles come in three sizes in this cute little tube to keep them safe, they really are great and I use them to sew the ends in on all my crochet and knitting projects. They glide through and they have decent sized eyes too which is super handy!

Hemline Rainbow Dressmaking Scissors
It's so hard to get a good picture of these scissors because the lighting is absolutely not playing ball today but if you Google them you'll see why I wanted these bad boys in my life... I haven't used them yet because they literally just arrived today but I've read and heard so many good things about them, they are a nice weight and super sharp so I have no doubts about the quality of them whatsoever.

Embroidery Scissors 

They don't need to be anything fancy, mine aren't, although I have got my eye on a few different pairs at the moment ;) the Scheepjes scissors with necklace and holder and the Milward Rainbow Scissors are two of them.

Stitch Markers

Ok so I have a few different types of stitch marker, I have a box of bulb pins, some locking stitch markers from KnitPro, a set of Rose Quartz ones (for knitting) and a few handmade ones on lobster clasps. Stitch markers are fantastic for keeping track of the beginning/end when you're working in the round, for those complex patterns that require a lot of counting just pop a stitch marker in when you need to increase/decrease and the main one for me is to stop crochet unravelling when you put it away.

KnitPro Symfonie Circular Needles

I LOVE these needles! They not only look great they feel great as well, I have a real hatred of stitches slipping and an even bigger hatred of dropped stitches... Don't get me wrong I can deal with both if I must... but dropped stitches due to having inadequate tools is not something I enjoy, it takes all the enjoyment out of a project, somehow these needles are a perfect balance between gripping when you need them too and slipping when you're trying to knit your stitches.

Digital Row Counter
This handy tool is pretty self explanatory, just wrap it around your finger and hit the button for whatever you're counting.

Yarn Brands -

I use quite a few different yarn brands but I have 2 that are my go to....

My take on the 2017 Hygge CAL

Scheepjes

I discovered Scheepjes after buying their 2017 CAL Hygge kit, I was starting my shawl when everyone had already finished theirs but that just meant I got to benefit from all of their knowledge. Working with their yarn really made me realise how different a project can go if you buy a quality yarn, we've all had a project where we really hated with the yarn and I can honestly say I've made a few things with different Scheepjes yarn now and I haven't found a yarn from them that I hate working with yet.

Blanket made using Stylecraft Special DK

Stylecraft

Now this one seems pretty obvious, Stylecraft are loved by many of us and for good reason too. The one I've used the most is the Stylecraft Special DK, I love the range of colours and the fact that it's machine washable and dryable is a huge selling point for me, it's also super soft and snuggly too!