Love Crafts Helped Me Craft Myself Happy

Like everyone else, I’ve been trying to find ways to keep myself amused recently. I’ve taken countless online courses, some of which were certificated so it definitely wasn’t time wasted and I’ve learned a lot – I’ll talk about those in another post. I’ve launched that business I spent so long talking about last year – more on that later. But it hasn’t all been learning and working. I’ve spent some time being creative for fun too! I was recently contacted Love Crafts to ask if I’d like a sample of some of their products. I was gifted two balls of super chunky, high quality merino wool and a pair of knitting needles. As always, when items are gifted, the gifting did not influence my opinion of the service or products and all opinions are written in my own words.

The image of knitting is very mixed up. People are quick to assume it’s a pastime for the old, the uncool and the anti-social, yet they’re always super impressed when they see something that you’ve made. Why is that? Perhaps because it’s being overlooked as a means of self-care. Knitting is my go-to hobby that I always return to at some point. It doesn’t matter how long I’ve been away from it. I will always return because it’s so therapeutic and right now, when there’s so much drama going on in the world, what we really need is a way to wind down and lose ourselves in a craft – and if we get to make something we can actually wear at the same time, all the better!

The first thing I could say about Love Crafts is that it’s a web store that sells crafting supplies and also gives away a lot of free knitting patterns. Who doesn’t love free stuff? There are a lot of patterns you have to pay for too, so if you’re looking for something more complex or you just like the look of a particular pattern, you might have to pay a small amount to unlock it. This is fine for me, because you’re ultimately going to get a handmade garment from that, which you’d pay much more for in a traditional store.

It’s not just knitting that they focus on though. There’s also quilting, cross-stitch, embroidery and crochet too, as well as a kids section and a whole area dedicated to beginners with beginners’ kits on sale and beginners’ patterns with simple, easy to follow instructions to make cute scarfs and hats etc. I’m not really a beginner knitter as I learned when I was seven years old, but I haven’t knitted for a while, so one of the simpler patterns was the best way to get back into it. I tackled the Lia Scarf pattern which is super easy to follow, only works in garter stitch and took me three hours from start to finish to complete.

When my materials arrived, I was really excited because I had never used such chunky wool or thick needles before. I was anxious to see what it would end up like. The items I received were KnitPro Trendz Single Point 30cm Needles which were really thick and easy to handle and two balls of MillaMia Naturally Soft Super Chunky Wool in Lingon Berry. Each ball is 100% merino wool and costs £9.99 to buy, so to make the scarf it would cost you £20 (and three hours of your time). The needles were 10mm sized or US size 15 and they cost £4.

You can see from the picture that the wool arrived in a luxurious, gold, organza bag with drawstring ribbons. I think this is a really nice touch and I liked it a lot. It gives you somewhere to store your project while you’re taking a break, keeps everything together and it looks really pretty. Also, the needles don’t easily break through the organza bag which is really important, especially if you have kids in the house.

The scarf turned out really well, and this is thanks to the quality of the wool. It was second to none and I really liked working with it because it was so soft and chunky. It also gave me the knitting bug again. I would like to try more projects, maybe a beanie hat or a hot water bottle cover. I might even give crochet a go. I never really mastered it but if there are beginners’ patterns and kits then what do I have to lose?

Here I am in the picture below, modelling my super chunky scarf on the warmest day of the year when it was close to 30C, sweating my make-up off. I have to admit, I didn’t keep the scarf on long after this picture was snapped but had the weather been colder, I would obviously have been more keen to keep it on. And sorry about the eejit behind me. That’s my husband and this is his usual whenever I am taking a selfie. Reason number 9848359 why I will never be taken seriously as a social media influencer!

My verdict is 10/10 for Love Crafts. I think the site is easy to follow and there’s tons of value on there. They have plenty of free patterns, a wide range of materials to buy and they’re all reasonably priced. I am 100% going to buy some more wool each month and make a selection of scarves for my family for Christmas this year, as well as some cute stuff for myself. Unfortunately, the beautiful red scarf I made has now been claimed by my nine year old son, so I’ll have to make another to wear when the weather cools down. But on the plus side, if a nine year old thinks it’s cool, then it must be.

If you’d like to try Love Crafts for yourself, their website is simply LoveCrafts.com and from there you can easily navigate your way around and find the beginners’ section or go straight to the products if you already know what you’re doing. If you are a beginner, there are loads of videos on the site that will tutor you and help you on your way to making something you can actually wear!

Here’s a link to my next project here, one of the sweaters. I love a cosy, chunky knit jumper and in a few weeks I’ll hopefully be able to share a picture of how that turned out too! I’ve already bought some wool in butternut and since ditching social media, I’ve managed to knit the whole back panel. If you need any confirmation at all that these positive opinions in this blog post are genuine, just trust the fact that I’ve purchased more wool and needles with my own money. That’s a sure sign that I’m happy and Love Crafts have gained a new happy customer!