Taking comfort in winter crafting
From making candles to knitting, there are good ways to pass cold days
This winter has us hibernating more than usual, and people continue to turn to hobbies not only as a way to pass the time and do something creative, but also as a source of comfort.
The whole process of making and creating is very therapeutic, says Arounna Khounnoraj, who owns Bookhou, an art studio and shop in Toronto selling handmade goods, including maker kits that include tools and materials for creating. “Everyone is hunkered down, so it’s the perfect time to start a new hobby and do something creative,” says Khounnoraj, whose kits and tools for making have been their biggest sellers this past year. “People don’t want to have to go look for all the bits and pieces needed to start a project, they want to buy it all together.”
Online marketplaces such as Etsy have also seen a surge of interest in crafting and DIY items, with a 242 per cent increase in searches on Etsy Canada for DIY kits in the last three months, says Dayna Isom Johnson, Etsy’s trend expert. “People are looking for new ways to relax and recharge, away from technology. Occupying our hands and minds with something new not only acts as a soothing distraction from the outside world, but also provides an outlet for creative expression.”
From weaving to candle-making and arm-knitting, here are some cosy crafts to help you pass the time and feel a little more relaxed, with ready-touse kits you can buy online and have shipped to your front door as well as online tutorials and workshops to help you learn in the comfort of your own home.
Knitting without needles
The best thing about finger and arm-knitting is that you don’t even need tools to get started: just your own two hands, says Anne Weil, author of the book “Knitting Without Needles.”
“To create something beautiful from nothing but a ball of yarn is magical,” Weil says.
To finger-knit, use yarn that is a little thicker, but not too thick as it has to go over and around your fingers; and for arm-knitting, the trick is to use yarn that is thick enough to create full stitches while using your arms as needles, says Weil. Learn either skill online, through howto photo tutorials and videos on Weil’s blog, where she sells patterns and instructions on how to finger-knit or arm-knit blankets, floor poufs, cowls and baskets. Watch how-to videos at We Are Knitters or Wool and the Gang, and shop for yarn at local yarn stores such as KnitO-Matic.
Make candles
You can never have too many candles, so why not make your own? Store-bought candles can be full of chemicals — make your own and you’ll know exactly what’s in them. Soy waxbased kits with cotton wicks from Etsy shop Make This Universe come with fragrance blends and glass jars. “We’ve figured out most of the hard, trial-and-error stuff — such as the percentage of fragrance, proper wick, container size and visual cues of when to pour — so that you can just enjoy the process of making,” says owner Jessye Grundlingh, an industrial designer who combined her love of crafting and design to start her business creating sustainably made modern DIY kits.
Get stitching
Stitching has a meditative quality to it and is accessible because all you need is a needle and thread, says Khounnoraj, author of “Visible Mending, a Modern Guide to Darning, Stitching and Patching the Clothes You Love,” published in spring 2020. While mending is not the same as embroidery, which is purely decorative, the stitching trend is strong, with embroidery, sashiko mending (a Japanese mending technique) and patches with decorative stitching showing up on everything from jeans to pillows.
“Embroidery offers a way to use our hands, create something, and the slow pace can be meditative,” says Alina Fedorowicz who owns Ottawa-based Etsy shop the Hipster Stitcher, and sells embroidery kits and patterns with floral motifs. “Stitch a hoop, stitch your clothes, stitch onto canvas or paper … whatever makes you feel how you want to feel in the moment,” says Laurie Dolhan, a self-proclaimed ocean lover whose modern nautical themed designs are available as a kit or printable embroidery pattern from her Etsy shop Hook, Line & Tinker. However, if meadows and mountains are more your style, check out Victoria, B.C.-based
Etsy shop Creative Journeys Kits, plus videos to teach you how to stitch them. Find beautiful naturally dyed threads for sashiko and embroidery at Botanica Tinctoria.
Weaving
When the pandemic forced Johanna Cordero to temporarily close her Toronto studio where she teaches weaving, she transitioned to teaching virtual workshops and has discovered that online classes have made learning her craft more accessible — allowing people to learn the ancient art of weaving from anywhere. “There’s something magical about weaving. You can get so immersed in it because it’s such a natural thing, and it’s very nurturing,” says Cordero, who studied at NSCAD (Nova Scotia College of Art and Design) in Nova Scotia before returning to Toronto to open her studio four years ago.
To get started, you need a weaving frame. Make one using things you have at home — something as simple as cardboard, a metal clothing hanger, an embroidery hoop, or even sticks found in your yard can be used as a frame, says Cordero.
Start small; her Mini Kit comes with a frame, needle, tapestry comb and yarn at the Loom Studio. You can weave with almost anything, says Cordero. “I’ve done workshops using recycled fabric from old clothing and textiles, and even botanicals.” Find weaving project kits at Blanc Laine, an Etsy shop run by fibre artist Ariane Gatien based in Mont-St-Hilaire, Que.
Make a terrarium
Jenny Sangeun Jee combined her arts background with horticulture therapy to create DIY terrarium kits at Flower Within You, so people can enjoy the experience of creating a miniature succulent or cacti garden. Horticulture therapy has been used to help conditions like depression and addiction, says Jee. “Making my own natural garden, touching soils, feeling nature and creating small art at home has made my day better. I hope everyone can recharge when they take breaks to make their own nature kits and see them in their home. There is no right or wrong way to design them.” Kits come with a pot, succulent, soil, healing stones and crystals, gravel and tools.