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Deciding to try out a new craft can be intimidating. Maybe you’ve seen people crafting in public and want to learn how but don’t know where to start. Maybe you don’t want to spend a lot of money on craft supplies just to find out you don’t like it. If you’d like to learn something new without spending any money on supplies, one of our craft kits might be perfect for you. Check out a kit at the library or request one online.

All the Arts & Crafts kits include the supplies and tools needed to try out a technique. We have 19 different kits on everything from paper quilling to weaving to crochet. You can use and keep supplies like yarn, roving, thread and printed instructions. Return durable goods like books and tools so the next person can use them.

I don’t have enough space to tell you how great all 19 kits are. I’ll just highlight three of my personal favorites.

Cross-stitch is a great craft to learn if you’ve never done any needlework or embroidery before. You stitch on Aida cloth, which has a grid of evenly spaced holes that make it easy to create consistent stitches.

Cross-stitch patterns are color-coded and easy to follow. They range from designs that take an hour or so to some that take days or weeks to finish. Counting the number of squares of each color the pattern requires, then stitching that many Xs, ensures you get good results every time. It’s not quite instant gratification when you complete a small design, but it’s pretty close. It’s also fun to see the design emerge as you stitch.

Macramé is a type of textile created by using various knotting techniques. If you think it’s an old-fashioned craft that was left behind in the 1970s, you haven’t tried 21st century macramé. The harsh, scratchy materials of the past have been replaced with soft cotton cords that are easy on your hands and are available in a range of colors. You can easily fray the cord and comb it out nicely for feathering effects.

Our kit will help you learn a few basic knots you can use to make two keychains. Once you’ve mastered these knots you can move on to bigger projects like wall hangings, plant hangers and other decorative and useful items. The library has a great selection of books on macramé so be sure to check those out too.

Felt is created by meshing together wool fibers. Needle felting is very popular today but it involves just that, needles. For those of us who are accident-prone wet felting is an easy, painless way to create projects with soft colorful wool roving.

You layer wool roving (unspun wool), moisten it with warm soapy water, and apply friction to mesh the layers together. Our kit provides enough roving to learn the technique by making a small project. You can also make felted fabric into garments, home furnishings, hats, scarves, purses, mittens or slippers.

Whether you’re a new crafter or a seasoned one, it’s always fun to learn something new. Check out the list below to see the full range of arts & crafts kits the library offers. Happy crafting!

Brea Black is the Art Librarian and Book Arts Curator in the Alice C. Sabatini Gallery. Her favorite thing is to share the wonderful world of artists' books with the community. She also leads the Arts & Crafts team and teaches workshops on book making and a variety of other crafty topics.

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