In April I brandished a posy of pretty kirigami flowers from Threadbanger your way. All very lovely but there are those out there for whom pink and pretty just don't hit the spot. You want the dark side of craft and who am I to stand in your way? So for all you shadow-lurkers I have found some kirigami that might be more up your street.
The Anticraft are all about grabbing craft by the throat and shaking it until it's evil side falls out. Their Kikuka Kirigami Flower tutorial throws a mournful black and red shroud on your more cheerful papercraft.
You will learn the 'starburst' technique, and the ways of putting a bone folder and toothpicks to good use, giving it all a nice skeletal feel.
A simple little papercraft tutorial that'll leave you with some pleasingly spiky blooms.
It's gloomy out there despite it being summer. It all feels a little bit Edgar Allan Poe when the sky turns grey and with this in mind I've found a knitting pattern to put a little goth in your decor or a bring a bit of knitted garden indoors with a floaty knitted wreath.
The Knitted Wreath pattern from Cocoknits is made in that wispy beast that is Kidsilk Haze. Stand by for feeling like you're knitting with cobweb as Kidsilk Haze is barely there and can be a little fiddly to knit with. Add a handful of freshwater pearls and you have something quite striking.
When finished the wreath can be draped languidly from a doortop or hung on a wall. A little spooky but really very lovely. Just watch it doesn't get nicked by doom-mongering ravens.
A generation of vampire film fans were saddened by the death of The Lost Boys star Corey Haim this week. Corey was a vampire-battling film icon long before the sparkly skin of Edward Cullen or the Southern fanged twang of Bill Compton came out of the coffin.
It's been pretty tough to hunt down a craft tribute to The Lost Boys. The world of vampire-based craft seems overwhelmed by the more recent undead and their hunters.
I did manage to track down some finely-fanged Lost Boys cookies at long last. Crafting with Cat Hair put together a batch of suitably bloody biscuits in honour of a film that made the words "Death by stereo" a phrase every vampire feared.
So here's to Corey and the hours of silver screen swooning he caused on the Lost Boys generation. You will be missed.
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr! Hire me! Is the type of attitude any sound business person wants to take with them when trying to impress clients.
A monster business card holder will surely impress folks into handing over their hard-earned out of fear alone.
Those clever folks over at Instructables do it again with their free Monster Business Card Holder tutorial. The how to is the growling brainchild of crafty monster maker alittlestranger, a freelance model maker and plush designer (who quite possibly wears some of the coolest t-shirts ever).
Make a monster and start striking some gargantuan business deals. Or just threaten to bite them if they don't go for it.
So everyone is howling at the New Moon as the second film in the Twilight series hits the screens across the mortal world. Whether you're on sparkly Team Vampire or hairy Team Werewolf it's really all about getting a bit of Twilight into your crafty life in any way possible.
So I was amused, and slightly horrified, to find that lonesome Edward stalkers can now cross stitch themselves their fanged fantasy's undead-cool visage to vamp up their own home. Wrap his mush around a throw pillow to lay beside you and read Wuthering Heights while you sleep, stick it to a blow-up doll and introduce him to your parents over a Sunday roast or put it on one of your cats and re-enact scenes from the films by training your cat to stand in poses that suggest sullen and slightly goth while you trip over things and flirt with a werewolf.
Flit through the shadows over to the Guardian site to download the full pattern. If you can't have the real Edward then a cross-stitch Cullen will just have to do.
It's been a while since we've heard from those mysterious yarnstorming Knit the City girls after their nursery rhyme-flavoured Oranges and Lemons Odyssey back when the sun was shining.
Lucky for London the Yarn Corps have been hard at work and have resurfaced from their secret wool-lined bunker this Halloween with a knit/crochet warning of the dangers that lurk under in London's underground system.
The girls were seen yarnstorming the gateway of abandoned Aldwych station as the sun set on All Hallows Eve. They left behind them eyeballs, skeletons, severed troll heads, Death, sinister literary characters and a crocheted nod to the long-lost theatres ghost actress. All of this accompanied by a new twist in graffiti knitting; they're now using LEDs in their woolly work making it extra spooky.
Sneak over to their Knit the City blog to see more on their Gate of Ghouls and wander through their other London yarnstorms.
[image: ©Comstock]
We're just about to sign off for a weekend of spookiness and hi-jinks, so before we go, here's a quick rundown of things you can still do to make your halloween go with a whoop. Once again, crafters everywhere have amazed us with their pumpkin carving, cocktail shaking and cake baking skills, so if you're feeling suitibly inspired, why not:
• Bake a batch of Jack Skellington cupcakes (and ok, now we're really getting into last minute territory we'll forgive you if you buy the pre-made ones)
• Spray paint some pumpkins for an instant 'carved' effect
• Make some pacman ghost biscuits. They're such a simple shape you can't go wrong
• Download a spooky face screensaver and convert your Apple PC into a Mac O' Lantern
• Make an old-school lightbulb witch (that is, if you still have any old-school lightbulbs!)
• Tie ribbons around pumpkins (or mini munchkins). Quick and effective!
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