To copyright or not to copyright - that is the question...

Having got to the stage where I have begun to adapt crochet and knitting patterns to suit my own needs, my thoughts have naturally turned to thinking about publishing my own patterns.

On sites such as Ravelry there are thousands of patterns available for you to make and adapt for your own personal use.  The issue comes when you are looking to sell your finished products.  There are a whole world of technical and legal issues that arise from this and it's hard to know where to start!

Many crafters will publish their legal standpoint on using their patterns, whether or not you purchased it or downloaded it for free.  But what happens if there is no clear notification?  Do we make assumptions or contact the crafter to ask for their terms?

Some generous souls such as Nevada Mama and her wonderful doughnut pincushion and Josephine Wu and her gorgeous baby owls have clear policies that you can use and sell the finished products as long as credit is given and the pattern itself is not sold.

Having been a keen crafter for years I can completely understand the request not to make profit from someone else's hard work in designing a pattern.  I'm sure nobody wants to go to a Craft Fair and find their products gracing everyone's stalls, but perhaps is it question of degrees?

When considering what I would do, if and when I manage to make my own patterns and either sell or give them away, the first thing I will consider is making my copyright terms clear.  Some often quoted terms include:-

• no selling or reproducing of the pattern itself
• no mass production of goods (or perhaps setting a production limit)
• can be made for personal or gift use but not for profit
• can be sold profitably for charitable uses

But what happens in making a profit from something in a book or magazine?  This site from Creative Income gives some advice - contact the publisher if there is no definitive notification.  One way around this is to buy a magazine like Craftseller where not only are the projects there for you to make a profit from, they even give you a guide to how much to sell them for!

It's a very sticky topic without an easy answer - I don't think my patterns would make someone millions (otherwise I would retire right now!) but I would be interested to hear any opinions and stories about copyright...

Happy crafting.

Lou x

Spring into action!

After a busy week or so with floods and family members having accidents I need a few quiet days at home, especially after a manic week at work...

Finally knuckling down to sorting out my stash and getting subscriptions sorted to several craft, I then got a bit over-excited at the thought of some new projects.  Hence a virtual 'shopping trip' to Wool Warehouse for their gorgeous range of Drop Paris Cotton.  I think I now own enough of this fabulous yarn to open my own shop!

My ideas for this are around Spring - although sadly there is no sign of this yet for us (especially in the South-West of England where I live!) - so I have bought myself the most delicious looking combination of ice-cream colours and soft greys, neutrals and a little pop of colour here and there with some yellow and green.  I am planning some bunting and perhaps some Easter animals with this fabulous yarn.

Having spent the weekend with my amazing Mum, who is so talented and creative with her sewing and patchwork, then a second brainwave came upon me and I hastened to a new favourite online shop, Deramores, to buy some King Cole Magnum Lightweight Chunky.  

This yarn is slightly against my usual rules - I tend to work mainly with natural fibres and this is rather anathema to me at 75% acrylic.  However I have decided that when using for cushion covers, is is practical and easily cleaned and it still has a good wool content.  

Being out and about shopping with Mum this weekend has confirmed to me that animals, birds and the natural world is still a very big focus at the moment, so I will be coming up with more ideas shortly to make the most of this.

Most excitingly, I have booked a place at the Bath Artisan Market in March - I went to check it out in February and it is crammed with wonderful stalls, selling everything from organic handmade soaps and needle-felting kits to delicious chocolate flavoured with violets and roses.

So lots to do, little time and my cat Ella nagging me constantly for either food, cuddles or games.  How will I fit it all in!?

Happy crafting

Lou x   

Top 10 Online Resources for Beginner Crafters

As a relative beginner in knitting and crochet, I've been perusing many online craft resources and thought I'd put together a Top 10 of those that I have found most useful...  Please note most of these sites are UK-based (although not all!)

1. Ravelry - although this is is no particular order I keep coming back to Ravelry as my number one - for the knitter and crotcheter (beginner or otherwise) it has plenty of smart features.  As well as the usual free patterns, it has a brilliant advanced search which allows you to select a project by type, yarn, age, even by type of construction (for me this is great when avoiding knitting in the round at first!).

It also has huge databases of yarns, and can even suggest types of project suitable for that yarn you bought on a whim and have never known what to do with!  There are also forums and groups you can join and link with other knitters/crocheters around the globe.

But my favourite parts as an inveterate list-maker are the projects, stash and queue facilities - keeping a track on your current projects, your ever-growing stash of wonderful fibres and also those projects that you would like to give a try, if only you had the time/talent/patience!

2. Stitch Craft Create - this is a great site with plenty of ideas to keep you going.  Stitch Craft Create has wonderful patterns, inspirational ideas and covers other crafts such as sewing, cake decorating and felting.  There are a fair few free ideas - as a beginner I was very inspired by the free resources that came with registration which I have happily downloaded ready to try out.  Like Ravelry they also have a shop including beautiful fabric by Kaffe Fassett, the ubiquitous Tilda and my personal favourite, Tanya Whelan - see this beautiful paisley fabric on my Pinterest site...

3. Craftsy - there are many quality patterns and projects on Craftsy but also video classes which you can download and learn interactively - it's a little bit Open University!  The thing I love about Craftsy most are the unusual and quirky patterns - check out this knitted acorn - how cute is that?  

4. Folksy - as a Brit alternative to Etsy, Folksy seems to be incredibly popular, particularly with those crafters wanting to buy supplies rather than a finished item.  Slightly cheaper, and perhaps less likely for you to get lost than in the enormity of Etsy, I have been lusting after this print by Sandra Igbodo...

5. Pinterest - this is a recent discovery for me - although I had heard of it I couldn't quite understand the need to 'pin' everything I saw.  Now I have tried it, needless to say, it's pervasive and has permeated every waking moment of my life...  Come and have a look at my Pinterest site - I've only been on it for a month or so and have already nearly 60 pins to my name.  Imagine what would happen if I actually had some free time, I'd never leave the house!

6. Craftsforum.co.uk - although the layout is stuck in the dark ages, Craftsforum.co.uk is full of helpful crafters who are very willing to share their experience and advice with us newbies.  I've found many things answered here when I've been wandering from site to site.  So now it's my go-to place for anything needing a speedy response or feedback from others.

7. Etsy - seems a bit of a no-brainer to avoid Etsy - they quality and vast array of stunning crafts can be very overwhelming, but also motivating and inspiring - check out this gorgeous Siamese cat (as well as the beautiful felted cat cave by kivikis - if my cat Ella had my password she would be ordering several of these to adorn her boudoir.  And who can blame her?

8. Flickr - this one is a difficult choice for me, although I'm not bad at taking photographs, David Bailey has nothing to worry about.  I'm learning bit by bit how to photograph my products to best effect and for this I can attest to the creative encouragement of Flickr (this is my Flickr site).  As you can see I have a long way to go!  

9. Twitter - I must admit I railed against using Twitter for a long time (as I did with CDs, look where that got me!) and have only just really taken up with it.  Now I can see the usefulness and appeal of it, but I still struggle with the whole # hashtag daftness.  I keep seeing this Youtube video of Justin Timberlake and have to stop myself going #crazy. 

Twitter does seem to bring interesting and random folks together and already I have 24 followers (yes I know, how can I calm my excitement!) so if you would like to follow me please feel free...

10. Not on the High Street - so I come to NOTHS as I like to call it (OK, so I'm a lazy typist!) - again a UK based craft and gift emporium - I have bought many lovely items here and their Christmas brochure was to die for.  I find it beautifully laid out and presented and a joy to search and dream in.  This lampshade from Rosie's Vintage Lampshades ticks all my boxes at once.

I'm sure there are many sites I have missed out, I would be interested to hear your opinions...

Happy crafting!

Lou x

The benefits of crafting with others

I have been lucky enough to find a friendly fellow crafter at my first (test) event, sadly I can't link to her website / blog yet as she doesn't yet have one.  But Emma makes lovely rustic/country looking hearts and bunting out of natural textures such as raffia and hessian.

We both attended a Christmas Fair in my home town, which was not particularly craft-orientated, but we admired each other's stalls.  We swapped numbers, bound together by the fact that we both had the same business card design from Vistaprint.  We obviously both have similar and very good taste!

Since then we've done our first Craft Fair together, which is great to have a buddy to watch your stall whilst you peruse the others or take a break.  We have put some time aside for joint crafting sessions which have been great fun and very inspirational for both of us and shared hints and tips of what we have found useful.  Her two dogs and five cats also wanted to be a part of it, at one point I had three animals jockeying for position on my lap, whilst trying to knit, of all things, a pet snuggler!

At home my lovely Ella is a constant companion to my crafting, she has relatively no interest in my sewing, but as soon as the wool or crochet cotton comes out she makes an appearance, usually taking up residence somewhere she is definitely not meant to be!

My Mum has always been an inspiration to me in crafting - we have always enjoyed doing courses together, and making things together for Craft Fairs when I was younger and still living at home.  Now I've decided to start doing Craft Fairs again, she has been happy to share ideas and get together when we can to craft like mad.  Sadly she lives nearly 3 hours away so I don't get to see her as much as I would like!

I always find I'm more productive and less distracted when working alongside someone else, as well as the benefits of their knowledge and perspective on what I'm doing.  A little appreciation when you're doing well and constructive comments when not so well, go a long way.

Do you like working alongside someone else or prefer to work in isolation?  Do you seek feedback as you are going along or at the end?  I would be interested to hear any comments...

Happy crafting!

Lou x

Top 10 Ideas To Boost Your Stall at Craft Fairs

Well, had a busy day on Saturday with the Craft Fair in Frome.  It was quite well attended despite the torrential downpour that was threatening!  Luckily that didn't arrive until I'd packed the car up to go home.

I had lots of interest and some sales but I really need to work on my stall.  It wasn't quite dramatic enough and I think got a little lost.

So I've been scouring the internet for the Top 10 tips on having a stall at a Craft Fair and I thought I would share them with you...

1. Time - make sure arrive early enough to set up your stall.  I had nearly ninety minutes to get mine right, which was very helpful when my banner wouldn't attach to the front of the stall, so despite spending some time trying to rectify this, I still had plenty of time to spare.

2. Height - gain extra height using display cabinets, boxes, I've even seen someone using trellis which worked really well.  Tables are often quite small, especially if you have large amounts of stock, so height can be very useful.

3. Theme - keep your colour scheme within two or three colours, I have mainly used neutrals with a little red or blue, in line with my Blog.

4. Be creative.  This Blog from Craft Show Designs has some really interesting ideas for displaying your crafts and standing out from the crowd.

5. Make everything accessible.  People want to smell, touch, taste and try goods out before buying.  At one Craft Fair I attended recently there were two stalls opposite eachother selling beautifully handcrafted wooden objects.  One was open and friendly, the other had 'DO NOT TOUCH' signs all over the stall.  Needless to say, one was busy another was not!!

6. Props - can be very useful to highlight to customers what your product does and how it may look in their house / life.  It's all down to producing aspirational goods which people need rather than want.

7. Branding - ideally make something in your own craft with your stall / business name.  I'm looking into various options for this including bunting or crocheted letters.

8. Effective lighting can be really useful, especially in darker venues.  Some crafts will really benefit from it (such as jewellery, especially when combined with mirrors).

9. Don't spend a fortune on your display - see what you can find secondhand / in markets or charity shops or as I did, using a bedsheet as a tablecloth, as most of it is covered anyway with my branding and my products!

10. Clear labelling and pricing - people do not feel comfortable asking how much something is.

This Flickr list of groups has some really great ideas.  One discussion which often comes up is to go to some Craft Fairs and see what works and what doesn't on others' stalls, when you are not under pressure to consider your own!

Above all, I think it is important to have fun and be relaxed, so I am going to follow all of this advice and see where it takes me...

Happy crafting!


Lou x

My First Craft Fair...

Am particularly looking forward to this weekend - on Saturday I am taking part in my first Craft Fair. This will be in the very arty town of Frome in Somerset with D&K Crafts - I can't wait!

When I was in my teens, Mum and I used to do Craft Fairs regularly and we really enjoyed them.  Looking back I can remember starting off doing a little bit of cross stitch and dried flower arrangements, which were very popular at the time (showing my age now...)

Then we moved into doing what is now called Victorian Decoupage - my Uncle was a carpenter and made the most fantastic letter racks, bins and boxes for us, but we would also scour any car boot sales for tin or wooden objects which we could prime, paint and apply paper to.  Oh these were happy days!

We never saw anyone else doing this so we expanded into a little bit of gilding and cracking the paints and rubbing in raw umber to give them an aged look.  I recently found some of my Decoupage things and it got me thinking about making something for myself.

I am finding sewing, knitting and crochet to be so relaxing and a great tonic for my down-time after work.  This week I have been mostly creating some new designs, some of which are a bit secret (for now!) but these simple felt hearts will be a welcome addition to my stall.  I was only going to make a few but ended up with nearly a dozen, it was very moreish!!

Thankfully I have had some help in all of this from the naughty paws of my cat Ella, who has decided to take refuge in my fabric bag.  As you can see from the guilty face, she was awaiting a telling-off, but I found it so funny she wasn't quite sure what to do with herself!

I will post an update after Saturday and would be glad to hear any Craft Fair tips - I think that will be my next Top 10 to post over the weekend...

Happy crafting!

Lou x

Making time to craft!

It's always difficult to fit in everything in a busy life, especially when you work full-time.  I am holding out for retirement (OK, so I have at least another 25 years to go), but a girl can dream!

Getting time to craft is always at a premium...  The most difficult thing I find is having time to design and test original designs, so it's always a relief to supplement my own ideas with those of my Mum, who always has spectacular taste and talent.  Just look at these mini origami sewing kits...

But another resource I have found recently is Craftseller Magazine - a variety of crafts, but they are all copyright-free ideas - find them on Craftseller Magazine.

And copyright is a delicate issue, no-one wants their original ideas copied and mass produced, but some of the designers on Ravelry are very generous in sharing their ideas.  But please proceed with caution - you can only do this if it is made clear in their pattern / blog, such as the wonderful Owl designs of Josephine Wu - I can't wait to have a go at these!

So now I've got some projects to start on, I need to find some time to do them.  I also have some of my tried and tested patterns which I am I getting more experienced at and am producing much more quickly than I did previously, such as my 100% cotton flannels.

I find it most enjoyable and inspirational when designing and making things with someone else, so when I have some holiday it's off to see Mum and some intensive crafting...  But crafting is so relaxing and enjoyable, so I try to find as much time as I can.  Thankfully the dark evenings and horrible weather mean I may get some time this weekend.  What will you be working on?

Lou x