Handmade Home

A variety of handcrafted goods are available to enjoy around the house. Soaps and soft furnishings are only the beginning. Knitted goods and polymer clay can add to the uniqueness of your surroundings.

Brenda, at knittedfrenzy, offers shawls, coffee cozies, and cowls, in a variety of yarns in her Etsy shop. I was pleased to find a shawl made of soft acrylic yarn. Most of the shawls that I see are made of wool, which is fantastic if you can wear wool. But I cannot. So finding something warm, and not itchy is always a nice surprise for me.

I have been trying to knit myself recently, causing me to have great appreciation for those who actually know what they are doing and are able to produce garments to scale.

The shawl looks small folded up. But actually, it is very nice to drape over the shoulders indoors, or use as a lap throw. It is not undersized at all, but just right. I’m sure I could take it outside. I just don’t. Brenda offers the shawl with and without fringe, in a large variety of colors. I chose fringe-less, which is so much less tempting for children and cats.

I have also recently discovered polymer clay. It isn’t actually clay, but PVC particles that can be molded like clay, then fired at low temperatures. It can be blended to create all kinds of colors, and holds it’s shape. And it can adorn a number of things, like this cute owl keychain, by Rhoda at Blue Butterfly Design.

Rhoda also makes jewelry, hair sticks and hat pins, custom cake toppers and a number of other accessories. I can imagine the fun of receiving the perfect cake topper for a special birthday. And the creativity involved in sculpting just the right piece.