My crafts for sale in my tea room

My crafty creations for sale.

I love how my unit looks in the tea room! I really love to craft. I enjoy hearing what people say about my handmade items and luckily so far it has all been positive and kind!

Sewing, knitting and crocheting well and truly is good therapy for me. I can't always sew when I am in pain so if I am struggling it's good to snuggle on the sofa with the wool and hook or needles. It also stops me from falling asleep! Sewing is good as I can make my projects up more quickly than I can with the wool version of crafts. It is more productive though to produce a production line. Depending on what project I am working on I will cut out all my pieces. Then commence on the sewing. I then iron the seams or creases and continue to sew. I find I can produce more finished products in doing so. 

Crochet handmade owls and Christmas

I have been crocheting owls to hang on the Christmas tree. My boyfriend cannot understand how owls can be Christmassy? I think they look rather nice especially with a bit of sparkle to them!

Sparkly hand crochet owl to hang on the Christmas tree.

What do you think? Is anyone doing handmade Christmas? You do not have to  spend a lot of money at Christmas. It's all about being with the ones you love and probably a time to reflect and think ahead. I am looking forward to what handmade treats everybody will be receiving. I am also looking forward to the big roast!

Foraging in the garden

I enjoy it when you have lovingly planted a fruit bush and this is the result! 

I bought 1 bush a few years ago from pound land and every year this one bush spreads! It's new shoots replants itself in the same spot. I have now got quite a few allowing me to fill my dish up. 

These raspberries are going to perfect to make jam, ice cream or just enjoy on their own.

Getting ready for long crispy walks with my slouchy hats

I have been busy knitting and crocheting slouchy hats in between of crocheting Christmas tree decorations. After all I am keep being reminded that Christmas is not that far away. I nipped into Atkinsons in town yesterday after my visit to the hospital. They had a good sale on some of the wool... and what was even better is that it was glittery and a very good make! I have crochet some lovely sparkly Christmas trees and now making some sparkly owls. Once I have made my sparkly owl I will post a photograph

. I do like this time of year. Autumn is my favourite season. I love the smell of bonfires and know that it will not be long that I will be cutting those chestnuts and roasting them. I also love the colours around me with the fallen Autumn leaves. It then dawns on me as the night draws in and the cold crisp air turns that bit colder that it will soon be the dreaded winter. Lets enjoy Autumn  first though....

Don't forget to check out my Etsy shop where I sell my handmade crafting creations. Keep your head warm with one of my slouchy over sized hat! 

Christmas crafting!

I will be hosting some Christmas sewing workshops in November. I am very excited! I will be teaching Christmas stocking and an Advent bunting!
If you are interested please drop me an email on craftingsparrow@gmail.com
Date and place to be confirmed.

 Hi everyone.
I have decided to try and add in a tutorial of my makes!
But deciding which one of these two projects you would like to see? Subscribe by putting your email address in the box above and then sending me a tweet with the hashtag #craftingsparrowcrafts
or like me on facebook and add a comment. Both projects are made using 2 fat quarters of contrasting fabric!

therapeutic wool crafting.

Hi, it has been a while.
My intentions to blog on a weekly basis starts now! I plan to blog about my passion of crafting. Crafting is for everyone at any age. From babies footprints to make pictures or convert into a silver charm to the elderly with the knowledge of dying crafts. I have met a lot of elderly ladies who have talked about tatting and I have even been given a shuttle and fine cotton to work with. I cannot understand the pattern and neither can I find anyone who can show me what to do - a dying craft!

 I was never given an option to craft at school like in the "olden" days where house craft was amongst the subjects girls were taught. In my time at school we did food technology. This consisted of learning how to make coleslaw and cheese sauce. I was one of the lucky lot of kids whose parents taught cooking at home; like I allow my daughter to cook and experiment in the kitchen. After all, just like crafting there is no right or wrong and it takes many attempts to actually get it right! I have never needed to make cheese sauce since leaving school but have done lots of crocheting and sewing! Something I learnt from my mother and subsequently furthered at night school.

Dr Jenny Whitling from University of Sydney reflected on the mind health benefits of yarn crafts. She concluded that people knitted and crochet for various reasons. The common themes were that it was relaxing, calming, soothing and meditative. It helps stress, expressive creativity and facilitates better concentration. It is said that Albert Einstein knitted to calm his mind and clear his thinking!
http://sydney.edu.au/science/outreach/inspiring/news/health-benefits-of-yarn-craft.shtml

Subsequent to Dr Whitling's research, Cardiff University have also concluded that knitting has significant psychological and social benefits. Participants in the survey had a higher cognitive functioning, improved social contact and communications with others. Knitting and yarn craft has been shown to activate areas of the brain that are good for generating a sense of calm and contributed to improved emotional processing and better decision making.

I love to crochet and love that I do not need to carry a lot of items just to make a fantastic product! I also love to teach crocheting to people in my home town in Sheffield. I sell my crocheting items which range from a pair of baby booties to mug cosies.

Some of my knitted items.