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Posted by: Josée~Madalia May 19 2006, 07:59 AM

Do you know any good websites where beginners could learn a certain craft? Tell us about them, and we'll let other crafters know!

Posted by: Overcast Jun 13 2006, 07:35 PM

I thought http://www.knittinghelp.com/knitting/advanced_techniques/ was very useful. It uses video to teach so you can actually see someone doing the stitch rather than follow along with pictures. It helped me greatly when learning how to knit a sock. Please no socks for me, though. I'm a proud elf.

Also, I liked diynetwork.com. They have a show called Knitty Gritty which I rather enjoy. Here's there episode guide here:

http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/episode_archive/0,2019,DIY_18180_445,00.html

There you can click on which show from Getting Started to Cross Colors (The other shows below that haven't aired so they haven't posted the patterns yet) you want to see. It doesn't show the entire show just how to do the stitch, depending on which episode you go in and every episode doesn't have a video clip.

Posted by: mlwl Aug 22 2006, 09:23 AM

I found a great tutorial on book binding http://personal.mem.bellsouth.net/d/r/drv1913/0204.html. I'll let you know how it goes- I'm making a HP themed swap journal this week!

Posted by: Josée~Madalia Aug 22 2006, 09:26 AM

If it goes well Melissa, I think I'll actuatlly consider e-mailing that person to ask her if I can post it on The Leaky Cauldron. It looks really well made and there are infinite possibilities of Harry Potter Books you can make. I can only imagine what it would look like if someone made parchment paper (that's a tutorial that should be up soon on Leaky!) with all the pages, and then bounded a book in Hogwarts style!

Posted by: ofenjen Aug 29 2006, 08:58 AM

I love the book binding idea. I've redone tons of blank books/address books etc. I've been trying to ignore the whole topic because I DO NOT need another project... but I looked at the tutorial and have everything on hand. Guess I have to make a book now!

I like to use crumpled brown paper (lunch bags work well) as book covers... then I paint on top and it gives a nice old effect. I've done black, gold, brown, etc, and it always looks different and "old book" like. My swap partner from the Back to School swap on HPCrafts should receive today or tomorrow then I can post pics of the last two I made that way.

Posted by: ofenjen Oct 23 2006, 01:19 PM

I'm thinking about trying out polymer clay masks for Phoenix Rising. I saw http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/cr_clay/article/0,2025,DIY_13750_5058717,00.html on DIY and it looks like it would be easy to adapt to a very HP-oriented craft. I've never worked with any kind of polymer clay. Any suggestions out there where to find something like the papier mache mask form? Should I start smaller before moving to the masks?

Posted by: lajewelcat Jun 13 2007, 10:43 PM

You see. I'm in a bit of a fix. I would like to make some wizarding robes for the movie and the book opening parties. But, I need help finding a pattern. Any suggestions?

Posted by: ofenjen Jun 13 2007, 11:08 PM

lajewelcat - try http://www.costumebeginner.com/malkins/index.htm for all kinds of fantastic HP costuming info.

If you want to go very simple, you can look for graduation robes and simply add a patch (try whimsicalley.com for patches). Both of my kids have something like that and you've be surprised how many people have asked me where to get them!

There are also some commercially available patterns, though they may be hard to find this time of year. Simplicity has something very close to HP, though I do know the number.

Hope that helps!

Posted by: Aphrodites Lady Jan 5 2008, 07:34 PM

Are they any suggestions for learning cross stitching? I may've asked this in past. I only don't remember since I haven't visited this area in ages. But cross stitching is something I've wanted to learn for a long time. But I don't anything about it. I still sometimes have trouble just threading a needle and knotting it off. But I'm still willing!

Posted by: As_Weasley_as_I_wannabe Jan 5 2008, 11:18 PM

Here's a link to a video that may help you figure it out, Aphrodites Lady!

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/785979/cross_stitch_in_5_minutes/

It's for counted cross-stitch, which is the easiest to start with, IMO. Hope it helps, and be sure to let us know how it goes!!

Posted by: halfakneazle Jan 6 2008, 02:07 AM

About.com has great resources on most major crafts and some more obscure things as well. In fact, it can tell you how to do just about anything under the sun.

Posted by: Josée~Madalia Jan 9 2008, 07:55 AM

Good luck with the learning to cross-stitch! It's definetly a fun craft, though it requires a good eyesight (especially if you go for the highest count aida or evenweave cloth!) and some patience, but it's a relatively easy craft (and for once, one that you can pretty much learn online just by reading stuff)... and finished pieces are always gorgeous!

Keep us updated on your progress!!

Posted by: PolymerClayTutor May 1 2008, 07:25 PM

If you're a beginner and you would like to learn how to make polymer clay beads then a great resource is my http://www.polymerclaytutor.com. I have daily tips and pics that will help avoid the problems most beginners have when working with polymer clay.

I am a big Harry Potter fan and although I only have one picture of some http://www.beadsandbeading.com/blog/luna-lovegood-radish-earrings-love-hate/28 posted right now. I have made a Altered Art 'Secret Compartment Herbology Book' that I will be posting pictures of soon. As well will create many Potter Crafts in the future. (Always open to suggestions!)

Posted by: Azkaban's_Angel Jul 12 2008, 05:56 PM

I found http://www.videojug.com/ to be a useful resource for knitting(Just type knitting into the search box from the homepage). I've only looked at a few basic things on it, such as buying materials and casting-on but I found it great. The videos come with text instructions too so you can examine the theory and practice, the best part being you can replay the video over-and-over-and-over-and-over again if necessary. I've been working mostly from books recently but it was a great start-up.

Posted by: mixymo Jul 29 2009, 02:55 AM

This thread has been asleep, but I thought I'd post a site I absolutely LOVE, and could not do without.

www.knittinghelp.com is amazing. It has clear videos and they're very easy to understand. And they show both English and Continental methods!

Posted by: sairah Sep 13 2009, 10:46 PM

thank you! I desperately want to improve my knitting skills Im sure this will help!