12
Crafts in your area
‘I go to B&Q and Aldi
for cheap craft supplies’
C
hristina Elvin, a
Northampton-based avid
knitter, admits to shopping
in B&Q and Aldi stores for craft
supplies.
Having started to
knit when she
was seven
years old and
then picked
it up again
in 2010,
Christina
says she
mainly used
patterns on the internet.
“It was hard at first, just
learning off the internet, but once I
got the basics and could do the basic
patterns, I started changing patterns I
would find online for free into
something different.”
For example, Christina
would make a baby’s cot out
of yarn that turns into a young
girl’s bag, which is ideal for carrying
her dolls in.
As Christina became more
confident with knitting, she
started to use
different
materials
from
a range of
shops to create the
handles for her
handbags.
“I went into
Hobbycraft and
saw handles for
£4 for a pair,
but found that online on eBay they
were just £1.99.”
For Christina, this was still quite
expensive, so she became inventive.
She made some of
the handles for
her handbags
with B&Q
materials.
“I
brought
plastic
tubing
from
B&Q and
threaded
some yarn
through it to make several
handles for handbags. It was much
cheaper than buying pre-made
handles. I even buy materials from
Aldi to re-use in my crafting.”
Christina has always strongly
believed in recycling. She
recycles old silk pyjamas,
trousers and jackets to
re-use for lining her
handbags and e-reader
covers. She also uses
strips from old t-shirts
(using 3 or 4) and knits them
together to create handbags.
“It’s important to recycle
items of clothing
that you never wear
as a fellow ‘crafter’.
This saves money on
buying materials that
are already
available to you in your
closet.”
The clothes she recycled
were simply items
that she wore years
ago while on holiday
and grew out of.
“The idea is to simply never throw
anything away. You can even recycle
old kitchen rolls in knitting by using
the cardboard tube as a weight at the
bottom of the bag.”
Christina is now retired, which
allows her to spend most of her time
knitting for the health benefits and
doing volunteer work.
“Knitting can help you combat
arthritis and helps keep your mind
active when watching television or
a movie. It’s something I do without
even thinking about.”
For her craft, Christina uses many
materials: lace, wool, polyester,
acrylic, fizz and different kinds of
yarn, including eyelash and scarf. She
saves money on all of these materials
by buying them abroad.
“In the UK, wool is so expensive
that I bought mine abroad from New
Zealand. It is a lot cheaper there.”
Christina’s website shows more
examples of her creative knitting
designs. Check it out at:
www.emofree.biz/Chrissy-Ann/
Why not check
out pages 20 and
21 for a ‘How to...’
article on crafting
on a budget. If this
doesn’t tickle your
fancy, then you can
try pages 30 and 31
with Handicraft’s own
tricks and tips article.