I have launched a crafting vlog channel: Shiny Crafting on YouTube! !! Crochet may have been my main craft over the last... decade, but now I'm going to be vlogging my hand sewing, embroidery, cross stitch, painting and more. I'll be sharing progress, experiments, and decision making along the way.  I'll be posting every two weeks, roughly, with miscellaneous craft related topics. Three videos are live so far on YouTube, and have been sharing various projects on socials in the last few months. Links to the channel and socials  are on my LinkTree . (10 minute read) Awkward but excited I may do the odd tutorial, but that won't be the focus. I spend a lot of time each week with tutorials for crochet as Shiny Crochet , and while I love that, I'm very excited to have this separate space for a more relaxed and candid format.  Crochet definitely took priority for a long time, but even then I still snuck in other crafts over the years. I would apply it to different things, ...

I have always been drawn in by pretty shawl patterns, particularly with the gorgeous designs being released all the time. I decided to have a go at writing my own which would be light weight and using basic stitches to making it a more mindless task than the more elaborate designs.  The pattern took a lot of time to complete, as I was learning a lot at the same time as writing it. I would focus on it for a few weeks, make some good progress, then put it off a couple months.  This made the shawl sit in an interesting place in my mind as it developed through some strange times, starting to realise I was unwell, moving apartments, the bushfires starting in Australia, my brother getting married. Such a jumble of emotions and stories woven into this pattern. (10 minute read) It was so lovely to then wear to my brother's wedding, even though it was late Spring by then and fires raging all around.  Shawl's first outing This process started around May 2019, at which point I was t...

It's been a really cold winter this year, and our apartment is draughty as they put wooden flooring throughout and little direct sun. When we moved in in Spring, this was fine - preferred in fact. Now we're in a record breaking winter and can't seem to keep rooms warm.  I had started using a doona (duvet) cover as a door snake in our bedroom as there is an inch gap underneath thanks to the flooring change.  Each day I would wake up and think, okay I need to make a snake for that.  And then when I went to bed, I'd think, tomorrow I will make a snake for that.  Finally the stars aligned and I remembered during the day and ransacked my remnants and scrap fabrics.  I had some left over outdoor fabric which I'm hoping will be a bit more durable. I measured the length of the door from jam to jam, roughly 80cm.  Then the width of the door, roughly an inch. Now, why would I need the width of the door, a snake just gets pushed against it right? Right, except I ...

This was a few years ago, but I love showing off our ottoman. We had moved to a new apartment and we needed a new coffee table that felt comfortable to put feet on, and for storing blankets and pillows in. New ottomans can be expensive, so we were looking through second-hand stores for a bargain and something interesting.  I was hoping for something to become a project (my partner, not so much). It took some hunting, but finally we stumbled onto this beauty – for only $15! The way it started.  With just a glance, you know the story of this box . The top has a hinge lid with treated timber inside, no chipboard here! It is very heavy and feels sturdy to rest our feet on. The fabric was an easy way to update the box without being a massive job. The inside hinting at something more.  I was worried about splinters for anything to be stored inside, so a lining would be needed. On inspection, the existing fabric was just stapled in place, obviously done with care. Even at this...