Every facet of the handmade community has a niche, and each niche has its various levels. There is always something new you can learn, some way you can take the craft closer to its raw source. Every step farther away from commercialization you can take is a giant leap forward for the entire handmade movement.

I started out as a knitter using acrylic yarns from big box stores and antique metal knitting needles handed down from my grandmother. (I think every knitter I know starts this way.) From big box acrylic I moved slightly closer to the raw stuff by jumping to natural fibers from specialized yarn shops. I began frequenting a local yarn shop, bought hand turned rosewood needles and gave away all my commercial acrylic.

After a while I started creating my own patterns or heavily modifying existing patterns. Then I started experimenting with hand dying and ultimately gave hand spinning a try. Now my only next logical step is to buy a sheep and start shearing, cleaning and processing the wool myself. (Somehow I’m certain my boyfriend and our home owners association would not like that idea.)

You see my point though right? Every craft has steps closer to the raw void from which it springs. If you are a seamstress you can create your own patterns, learn to weave your own fabric, maybe even take to creating your own buttons. Jewelers can make clay or hand blown glass beads.

Whatever your given craft field is, you can learn more about it and experience it on a much deeper level by delving farther into the process that creates what you create from. Take a peal through the ‘supplies’ section on ArtFire and see what you find. There is everything from the actual finished supplies, to the supplies for the supplies! The handmade movement is layered, I urge you to dig deeper and find a new level to explore.

(top picture courtesey of Silver Sun Alpacas, second photo courtesey of Inklings and Imprints)