I am (slowly) teaching myself to knit, and of course wanting to combine my love of Faerie with this new passion, I have been on the look out for fantasy-inspired patterns. I am most taken with the Fairy Castles from Tiny Owl Knits. Not only are they adorable, but they are also practical – the roofs lift off and they unroll to store all your knitting needles and crochet hooks.
There are some lovely crocheted baby booties on StudioKnits, from curly toed pixie boots to dainty butterfly adorned slippers for baby fairies. For little flower fairies I also love the Bluebell and Rose dress patterns. And the amazing Knitty archives have two free patterns that caught my eye – Sally the Eco-Fairy, a vintage style doll, and the very Miyasaki-inspired Woodins, complete with tree stump home.
I’d love suggestions for other suitably Faerie-inspired patterns… please leave a comment if you can think of any!

As if I wasn’t busy enough, I now have to add ‘learn to crochet’ to my to-do list, after stumbling across this gorgeous Mighty Oak ‘Scarflette’ pattern, by Fable Handmade Goods. There are so many stunning yarns available these days (take a peek at Colinette for instance…) your scarf of leafy goodness will be as unique as yourself. And just think what else you could add those lovely oak leaves and acorns to…!

Although there are many, many extremely talented wing makers out there it is always nice to have a go at making some yourself. An excellent starting point is Rosemilk’s ‘How to’ page (lots and lots of information here), and for those of you who like visual guides, watch the video above (in which Emilie Autumn makes a pair of wings using the nylon method for HGTV’s ‘Crafter’s Coat to Coast’). If you prefer cellophane wings there is a great tutorial on Jennifer Herbert’s Faery Muse site.
There are endless possibilities when it comes to making your own pair of wings. Have a go using the above construction methods, or experiment with different materials and techniques to form the basic wings. You can decorate your wings any way you want, the only limit is your imagination!
Have fun!

‘Where fine art and needlework come together’ – Mystic Stitch is an American company offering an interesting selection of fantasy cross stitch charts. Choose from classic pre-Raphaelite artists such as Edward Burne-Jones, or contemporary faerie artists like James Browne, Maxine Gadd and Beth Hansen-Buth. Each pattern comes as a spiral bound booklet with full colour cover and guide to threads and care tips.

Fantasy cross stitch seems very popular at the moment, with White Willow Stitching being another company who design and produce charts. Their mix of artists is a little more unusual than some of the others I have seen, with designs based on the art of Amy Edwards, Julien Hatswell (shown above), Nicole Cadet and Maria van Bruggen amongst others. Chose from Faeries, Elves, Mermaids, mythical creatures and more. Each chart pack comes with the pattern printed on heavy card stock, a colour reproduction of the finished piece, a floss key and a page of helpful hints.

Autumn, for me anyway, always seems like the perfect time to get creative. The nights are getting longer and making things nicely whiles away the long, dark evenings. If you are looking for something to do, Heaven and Earth Designs might be the answer. They make counted cross-stitch charts suitable for beginners to the more experienced, with a huge selection of designs based on art from many of the leading fantasy artists working today.

For those of you who like their flower fairies a little more edgy, you might enjoy these paper dolls. Based on more poisonous plant life like Aconite, Wormwood and Hemlock the fairies have a distinctive gothic look. You can play online with flash based dolls or download sheets to print and cut out as with traditional paper dolls. There are also black and white versions available if you want to colour your own, and with 11 different designs available it should keep you entertained for hours!

If yesterday’s post about the Faerie Doors of Ann Arbor has inspired you, do take a peek at author Fiona Broome’s Faerie Magick site for instructions on how to make your own. She used a bought dolls house door as a base and then added twigs, moss, dried flowers, gems and other found objects to create a unique door to install in the home.