Top 10 Craft Books

If you're anything like me, and love to try out new crafts, then no doubt you too will have a steadily growing shelf or pile of crafty books, overflowing with ideas that you're going to get around to trying out, but there just aren't enough hours in the day for all those amazing projects.

Here are my top ten craft books from the selection on my shelves.  They aren't in any particular order.  The images I'm including will link to where you can buy them on Amazon UK, but I'd much prefer you to just get the ISBN number from Amazon and then go and order them in your local independent bookshop or get them second hand on e-bay or Green Metropolis.  I'm not sponsored or in any way gaining from recommending these books, or linking to Amazon, it's all completely my own thoughts and opinions.


1 - Crafty Minx, by Kelly Doust.  This book has a whole range of crafts, mostly upcycling, taking you through the seasons.  It includes baby items, edibles, things for the home and gifts.

2 - Martha Stewarts Encyclopedia of Crafts.  Many, many crafts are covered here with instructions and inspiration for projects including calligraphy, quilling, tin punching and many more.

3 - What Shall We Do Today?  Catherine Woram.  A great source of creative crafting projects for kids including cooking, making wreaths, bird feeders, masks, sewing, planting and modelling.  Loads of fun and some lovely looking projects.

4 - Knitted Wild Animals by Sarah Keen.  I'll be honest, I got this book for Christmas last year and I've not yet knitted any of the animals, but I'm absolutely going to because they look lovely.  There are instructions for knitted crocodiles, snakes, hippos and lots of other animals you might find in the zoo.

5 - Woodland Knits.  This, like number 4, was a Christmas gift last year and I can't wait to start knitting some of the gorgeous and magical woodlandy garments photographed so sumptuously inside.

6 - Growing Up Sew Liberated, by Meg McElwee.  I absolutely LOVE this book.  You can find Meg's blog here, she's awesome.  The projects in this book are gorgeous and the instructions easy to follow.  They include dress-up items, clothing and toys for children.

7 - Homemade, by Ros Badger and Elspeth Thomson.  Some lovely projects including baking, knitting, crochet, sewing, mobiles and many more.

8 - Knitted Toys by Jean Greenhowe.  The book is dated, but the toys really aren't.  I've now made five of the knitted dolls and their clothes, and several of the penguins, and my children have requested several other items from here too.

9 - 365 things to make and do.  More lovely projects for children, including making a set of polymer clay farm animals, pipe cleaner crafts, pressed flowers, glass painting and cooking.  My children are a little young for most of these projects yet, but I can see it being a "go to" book for rainy days in school holidays.

10 - First Crochet by Lesley Stanfield.  Having never crocheted before I bought this book and my first hook two years ago.  Each project is progressive, introducing a new technique.  So you can start at the very beginning with a flower made from chain, and a few projects in you've progressed to double stitches.  I'm still at this stage, but the projects are actually things that I want to make, and so I'm progressing with my crochet skills and making lovely things along the way.

Have fun.  
What books do you have in your crafty book collection?