Crafty Books for Crafty Goths

Everyone knows goths love craft and DIY, but what happens when you need inspiration or want to learn a new skill? Why, you need gothy crafty books, of course! So here are my handy-dandy reviews of the ookiest, spookiest craft books in my collection.

If you knit, you need to own a copy of Domiknitrix by Jennifer Stafford. If you don't knit, but you want to learn, you need it too. Why? Well, it has probably the best instructional section I've ever seen, with an exhaustive 93 pages of directions, advice and tips all beautifully illustrated with large, clear photos. It's worth tracking down a copy for that alone. As for the projects, there's a mixture of jumpers, vests, coats and accessories that are fine for daily wear and street wear, quirky enough to be suitable for alternative folks but easy to dress down for trendier, more mainstream knitters. But be warned, Domiknitrix's "easy" or "beginner" patterns can be fairly tricky and take some concentration, this is not a book for those wanting very basic patterns. If you're learning, it might be worth buying the book for it's instructions and leaving the projects for a little later. If, on the other hand, you're a competent knitter looking for a real challenge, try your hand at the beautiful but murderous bonus pattern (which you can download for free if you've bought the book) though some experience knitters may be frustrated with the extent of the how-to section.

If you're looking for something simpler to start you off Punk Knits by Share Ross is worth a look. As you might expect from the title, the patterns are inspired by the DIY ethic of punk. Written by someone who clearly knows the scene, and illustrated with fun typography and cheerful pictures of tattooed rock'n'rollers wearing the finished projects, each pattern takes inspiration from a particular band or musician. As for the patterns themselves, there's a mixture of eye-catching ones (like the pixie shrug and a bold anarchy A pillow), to fun and quirky ones (like a giant felted top hat or soft but spiky dog collar choker), to some that are largely unwearable (knitted skirts... hmm). Definitely worth a look for beginners looking to spice up their knitting and full of quirky inspiration, but might be a bit too easy for more experienced knitters.

If you're willing to splash out the cash on some fairly pricey yarns, Pretty in Punk by Alice Benevides and Jaqueline Milles is a selection of 25 jumpers, bags, arm-warmers, scarves and (unfortunately) skirts, inspired by the punk, goth and mod subcultures. It's worth buying for the fantastic mohawk hats alone. The downside is that a lot of the patterns call for fairly good quality yarns to give the right effect, which kind of undermines the cheap and cheerful, DIY ethic of punk to me, but there you go.

If you fancy knitting yourself some new friends, Gothic Knits by Fiona McDonald is a charming collection of gothic and horror-movie-inspired knitted dolls. The patterns themselves are fairly easy to knit up, but you'll need patience and a little concentration to make up the dolls. Some basic embroidery skills will come in handy too. Still, the dolls are very cute; one looks suspiciously like Ollie Wisdom.

Another book that you just need, even if you don't use the patterns, is Anticraft by Renee Rigdon and Zabet Stewart. Based on the blog of the same name, it's a mixture of knitting projects, crochet pieces, with a bit of beading, sewing, cross-stitch and cooking thrown in, all interspersed with comic strips and fun asides. I love the humour of this book. The projects themselves are interesting and inspiring, including a duck tape corset, cross-stitch graffiti, crocheted fishnet gloves and a skirt inspired by the Wheel of the Year. The only downside, for me, is that I really need to learn to crochet.

If you want to try your hand at jewelry making, I recommend checking out Gothic Jewelry by Harriet Smith. Most of the projects are kitsch, deathrock-friendly pieces (ie a brooch that looks like it's bleeding, a necklace that says "Aaaargh!" in dripping B-movie font, and earrings inspired by Sweeny Todd) but there are a few more elegant, classically gothic designs there too (like a gothic cross, a lace corsage and a skull choker). However, what's best about this book is the sheer variety of different techniques it uses. It might get a bit pricey if you're planning on working your way through all of the projects in the books, you'll need a lot of different tools and media, but if you're a beginner it will probably teach you something new. It's one of those books that's more inspired by the subculture than coming from it, but not bad.

If you're looking for something you can use to make dinky, spooky gifts, Creepy Cute Crochet and Super Scary Crochet are both full of adorable amigurumi creatures that look adorable. No idea what the patterns are like, as I say, I haven't really gotten the hang of the craft but every time I stumble across a copy in a book store I wish I could. If you want to learn to cross stitch but want some more... unusual samplers, look no further than the hilarious Subversive Cross Stitch is full of mild looking samplers with ironic, snarky legends that are very very funny. Again, might be a bit too simple for experiences stitchers, but for a lacky like me, it's perfect.

Lastly, and not very gothically, Knits for Nerds is perfect for the geekier of us, full of patterns inspired by Star Wars, Star Trek, Firefly, Doctor Who and Lord of the Rings. Some of the fantasy-based patterns can easily be gothed up with a darker colour scheme and the nerdy goth will be pleased to know there are patterns inspired by the works of Neil Gaiman and Jhonen Vasquez too. There's also a cute little zombie doll and some stripy socks based on Tank Girl. Simple but a lot of fun.