Every crafter learns their craft from somewhere, either at a young age or, if you’re like me, learning as an adult. I started over the Christmas period 2009 when, in a rare turn of events, I found myself with some down time. I started with the absolute basics – a pair of mini knitting needles (designed for children!), a children’s knitting book, a very gaudy ball of wool and a lot of determination.
I then took my needles and ball of wool everywhere, asking any likely looking individual if he or she would be able to help. Even at the hairdressers, I accosted an older lady and she showed me the art of picking up a dropped stitch – but her hands went oh-so-fast that I was grateful for her help, but still none the wiser!
Living a long way from my mum makes it tricky for me to ask her when I need help. Dropped knitting stitches are more visual than a phone call! So, I resorted to the internet for help with learning new skills. The cable stitch demo video and I got on like a house on fire – it was constant stop/start/freeze frame and repeat for many hours! YouTube is great place to hang out.
I then looked further afield for some like minded people. This was when I came across the international online knitting community that is a one stop shop for help and all knitting-related chat. www.knittinghelp.com – is the place and the name really does say it all. If you’re a knitter, do drop by to say ‘hello’ on the forum – it’s a really friendly and supportive place.
Do you have an online community where you chat about your own craft? If so, do get in touch with your craft and the website link. It’d be great to start a list of all these treasure sites so that there’s a personally recommended resource that crafters can use. Send me your thoughts.
