Paying it forward

I've always loved the world of craft and making things, anything really for myself, my family and my friends. However I always pushed it to the back of my mind, telling myself I wasn't creative enough. I always reminded myself of my past crafting failures, liking knitting. Oh man am I a terrible knitting!! My Mum has always been an awesome knitter, we all wore the most beautiful knitted outfits as babies, then as we grew up we had those fantastic cartoon character jumpers (I'm sure I'm not the only one who had one!), then my baby dolls had all hand knitted outfits. Let's just say she rocked! So when I was a little older I was desperate to learn how to knit. Well lets just say knitting wasn't as keen on me, my scarves were always more of a free style form than the nice neat rectangle I was aiming for. So I threw knitting into the failed basket.
But that didn't quieten that love for craft and handmade items. So I moved on to crocheting. My Nan attempted to teach me several times over the years and it always ended similarly to the knitting, that's to say, not well! But eventually, about 2 years ago, it just clicked! All of a sudden I could crochet, and I felt awesome!
This new found skill pushed me back toward the world of craft & I sat snuggly in my little corner crocheting granny squares & dabbling with very basic scrapbooking. But that didn't satisfy the urge. I wanted more than just granny squares & cards! I wanted to make gifts, treasures, hats, clothes!! So I ventured into the world of online tutorials & patterns. And I was home! I grew, I learnt, I challenged myself and at last I succeeded (well most of the time!). I started with basic patterns for hats & ribbon flowers. Then I tried harder hats, I found patterns to aim for. I started thinking outside the box & creating new things. Boy did it feel good!
I have a friend who was inspired to try and teach herself to crochet after seeing what I was creating. That really made my day, knowing that me, me who 2 years ago would have stared blankly back if asked about the how many ply a skein of wool was, or how to thread a sewing machine, had inspired someone else to learn a new skill. So that got me thinking, where would I be without all those talented & generous people who took the time & effort to create all those videos, tutorials & blogs, which I love so much. The answer...still in my corner crocheting granny squares!!
So I decided that I am going to do my little bit and pay the love forward! Firstly by sharing with you some of my favourite sites, videos & blogs. Some fall into the craft category, others are simply good for a giggle, or for the soul. Secondly I hope to help some other novice crafters out there by sharing some of my patterns, tips & maybe one day some tutorials.

My granny squares