Handmade Witchcraft

I make stuff!

[handmadewitchcraft]

A Word of Thanks to my Followers

I hope you all had a great Christmas/Yule/Solstice/Holidays.

And I hope you all had some good food and drinks, received and gave some nice gifts and most of all I hope you spent it with people you both like and love. 

I also want to say thank you to the people who have liked my  content, commented on it, DM’d me with inquiries and follow me.   Thank you all!  

As a housewife in my thirties who started doing this as a hobby; it’s thanks to all of you that I have been able to earn some income here and there.  So thank you from the bottom of my heart because aside from the extra few euros here and there,  it’s a really nice feeling knowing that people like what you create and put out.  

Nothing but the best is what I wish for all of you and your loved ones.  

Enjoy the last of the festivities and may your new year be better than this one.

And if you managed to get this far.  What you see in the picture are my decorations for the season:  

Dried orange: which I dried on the (gas) heater, the old fashioned way, it takes just as long as drying it in an oven (6-8 hours on max 50 Celsius) but costs less in energy consumption as the heater is on during winter anyway;    or an (expensive) food drier.  

Cinnamon:  bought in bulk from an arts &  crafts store,  not suited for kitchen use so it’s a lot cheaper but still carries that characteristic aroma around

Climbing Ivy:  from my own garden because it spreads fast if you leave it untamed,  but stays green very long after being cut so I tend to use it a lot (a lot!) in my home decor.  

[handmadewitchcraft]

Handmade: Runebag 2

Already sold but still proud of the result.  

This is a bag for the bone runes (which are also already sold) that I made a while ago.   Proud to say I’ll be shipping them and this bag all across to the other side of the world soon.   Which is a very costly process for the record!  I would love to see the look on the customs officer that needs to check this package for any illegal content or contraband.  

The bag itself is made with 100% real wool, I felt that was fitting for a container  for runes made of ... 100% animal bone.  The white yarn is synthetic and the runic symbol has been “embroidered” on afterwards: I put it in quotation marks because I did it with a crochet needle and not a sewing needle.  I just don’t know the term for it in English,  in fact, I don’t even know the term for it in my own native language (lol).  Even though I know there is one.  

Made in one piece but with visible seams.  Double colored pulling chord with two little handles so that the chord doesn’t slip loose easily.  

The runic symbol is a bind rune for protection.  Something I felt fitting for a protective container.  And honestly that was the hardest part.  

Here’s a picture of the full product: 

Please mind that deliveries outside of Europe are expensive, in the case of Australia (the furthest I can send anything to from here)  is an extra of minimum 40 dollar.  And that’s with the cheapest delivery company I could find which is UPS.  

[handmadewitchcraft]

DYI:  Wind Catcher / -Chime

I actually made two versions of it:  one wall version which makes it more of an ornament I guess, and one that is hanging near my window.  The one above is one I made with the left overs.  

Materials I used: 

- cinnamon sticks (do not buy in the supermarket!  Try to buy in bulk as it’s much, much cheaper and sometimes arts and crafts stores sell them as well)

- raffia rope

- burlap rope

- green twiggy ornament found in an arts and crafts shop

- tea tree wood

First I put the basic structure together, tying the tea tree wood together with burlap.

Try to have branches of equal weight so the weight is pretty much distributed evenly , this will save you trouble if you are going to hang it up later.  

Then pulled the rope through the cinnamon sticks and measured out the rope so they hang off the branches and corners at equal length. 

When that’s done I tied the raffia rope around the burlap rope on the corners:

Then I pulled a string from each corner, knotting them together about 10cm above the corners.  

From that knot I measured out another (seventh) hanging rope and hung a  green ball ornament that fell down the middle of the cinnamon sticks: 

resulting in the finished object.

If you hang it over your heater, it helps spread the cinnamon smell faster, and next to your window, if you open it, it pushes the smell in the house. 

Thank you for your interest! 

[handmadewitchcraft]

Handmade: Baby Witch

This is a baby outfit that I made for a friend once.  

Depending on how fast your bundle of joy is growing, it can be worn by babies from 0 to 10-12 months.    Made in baby friendly, anti itch yarn.   Full yarn, no plastic buttons.  

Double thread in collar and borders for extra sturdiness.  

Vest and hat are made in one piece, the only seams are on the back of the hat (where the pointy end falls over so you don’t see it).    And under the arms of the vest as you can see here: 

The flowery ornaments are embroidered on instead of fair-isle knitted (that is mostly to reduce weight and otherwise because I enjoy doing it that way).

This takes me about a week to finish and for babies yarn I need to order the yarn in advance as well.    If requested I can also include some mittens and socks and little scarf so it becomes a five piece set in total.   

Can make it any color(s) you like but unfortunately the price goes up the more colors I  need to purchase in order to make it.  

Handwash only! 

If you put it in the machine, no hotter than 30 Celsius and if your machine has a wool program I really suggest you use that, handwash machine programs will do too.   Never put it in the dryer!   

It WILL shrink if you wash too hot or put it in the machine on a program that is too powerful for the fabric.   If that happens ... unfortunately: it’s ruined.  

Thank you for your interest in my work! 

[handmadewitchcraft]

Handmade: Tarot/Lenormand Bag

Two of the same: but not the same.  

One bag is Lenormand sized as those cards are usually a lot smaller than your average tarot deck.  For reference, the left one is made for a Rider Waite deck.   And yes I know The lenormand box is in bad shape, mostly because it’s old (inherited from my grandmother, may she rest in peace).   

Made with golden colored yarn, but no glitter.   In a decorative pattern so you can kinda see what deck is inside without having to open.   Unfortunately, the tarot bag is already sold and the Lenormand bag I made for myself.     I don’t have any more pictures than this as it’s one of the things I made well over a year ago.   I’m trying to do better with organizing pictures on my hard drive.     The runes on the picture are purely decorative and not meant for use.  

These are very easy to make,  and I finish them the same day I start them so if you want one:  you can have them fast!   Just let me know what color or colors you like (no price difference).  

Made with only a crochet needle,  visible seams.  

[handmadewitchcraft]

Handmade Runes: Bones

Took a while to make but I’m  proud of them.  

They have already been sold and it took me quite a while to gather the materials so if you want runes like these, you have to let me know well in advance as I don’t have the materials at hand. 

The bones have mostly been collected from meals.  I even asked the local butcher to collect them for me, which they found ... a little bit odd.  

How I made them:  

After collecting the bones I had to boil them in salt water for several hours, four to six depending on how much meat was still on them.  This is an extremely smelly business.  Really .. it smells really bad.    I collected the bones in a plastic bag in my freezer until I had enough to start carving them all at the same time.

As they are from meals, there were still brown spots on the bones that are hard to bleach, even after leaving them in the sun for a while (best natural bleach for bones is sunlight).   That helped a little but I still found them messy looking so I chalked them , which created this: 

After they had been dried I carved the runes in them:

Then I painted them in three colors for each aett:  green for Freya (earth) , red for Haegl (warrior) and blue for Tyr (mind).  The order you see on the picture.  After that I varnished them because I didn’t want the paint to deteriorate through use.  

I know this might not be everyone’s cup of tea and I realize this might offend some people’s sensibilities.    That’s not my intention, I do understand that these runes only cater to a specific niche of people and one of those people asked me to make these for them.   So I did!  And I’m still pretty happy with the result! 

Thank you for your interest in my work!  

[handmadewitchcraft]

Enviromancy

It’s a thing!  

And in my opinion it has one singular purpose, to make other people wonder:  who put it there?  Why?   Just a little something you don’t expect to see when you are out in the park, walking the dog, taking a hike or going to the store.  

Little tidbits of mystique and wonder.    The above picture is a picture I took while hiking through one of the forests surrounding my town,  in the middle of the forests there is a picnic table,  you kinda have to know where it is because it’s well hidden.  But if you know it, it’s a shortcut to a local abbey.   

I just found this pile of stones, that are obviously put there with a certain intent.  Not by me.  Just someone who left nothing behind but a few small rocks and pebbles in the form of a little waystone.   

In my opinion it’s put there to bring a little bit of magick in peoples lives.  Not in a grand and bombastic manner but subtle and discretely.  Which is the nature of magick:  it needs no bells and flashing lights, it’s merely rearranging what is already there to affect a change in your environment.  

Below pictures is something I hung up in my own garden: an odal/othala rune, made with four sticks and some rope.  And a pigeon feather.   I chose that rune because it’s in my own garden and a pigeon feather because that bird is often associated with gentleness and love.  

It’s something anyone can do and that’s why I like it.  

[handmadewitchcraft]

DIY: Door Wreaths

Instead of making a different one for different occasions I have opted for a more permanent fixture.  

I crocheted a circle pattern (pick whichever you like best, you can easily find them online or in crochet magazines).   Then I measured out the diameter and found (fresh!) birch branches as they are very flexible and don’t break easily.  I twisted them into a circle, tied the ends up and then covered the whole construction in juta/burlap rope.  The sort you find in garden shops.  

Then attached the crocheted circle to the twig circle.  And voila:  a semi-permanent wreath like fixture:

So every season I come up with something different to decorate it with.  Obviously, I went for holly as “tis the season” after all. 

A good choice is always a plant with protective properties.  

[handmadewitchcraft]

Handmade: Wand Carrier

A very specific request I had gotten once:  a carrier for a wand.  

But I guess you can also use it to bring knitting needles or a flute?  

It’s made in the same manner as the rune holder and with the same colors as I actually made the rune bag with the left overs from this project.  

100% wool yarn, three colors: white, beige and brown (although the beige and white are a bit hard to distinguish on the picture, sorry about that).

One seam.  and a long chord so you can wear it over your shoulder.  The button is a crocheted pompon/button so the whole object is made with yarn.  

Crocheted in a a “shell” motif.

This was a lot of fun to make as that was the only request for a wand carrier I had ever gotten.  So it was a bit experimental for me too.  

Unfortunately this is the only pictures I still have of it as I made this over a year ago.  

[handmadewitchcraft]

Handmage:  Rune Bag

Hello!  

I sometimes get a request to make a bag for runes or tarot cards, they are easy and quick to make so I usually finish those within a couple of days.   The runes on the picture are purely decorative (they are painted on with acrylic paint...).  

But the bag itself is made with 100% wool, while I’m not ideologically opposed to using synthetic yarn I find that there is energy to real wool that is impossible to replace with synthetics.   Yet it goes without saying that synthetics are much cheaper so it all depends on what you want vs what you can afford in the end.  

The whole project is made with a single crochet needle, no  sewing needles to stitch up the sides.  There is a visible seem on both sides as I made it in two parts:

There are no loose ends anywhere and the whole bag feel very sturdy so it can definitely carry the weight of stone runes.   

The pulling chord is finished off with two ornamental curtain knots.  

Made with three different colors:  white, black and light beige.  

[handmadewitchcraft]

DIY:  Pomander

It’s that time of year again when I like my house smelling of spiced wine, apple cake,  oranges and cinnamon.  

To help it along a bit I’ve made a pomander with an orange although you can definitely also use a lemon,  I keep those for summer as they help keep mosquitoes and flies away.  

Before I press the clove in,  I puncture the skin with a tooth pick as it this significantly simplifies the whole project.  I found that the cloves easily break if you don’t puncture a little tooth pick sized hole first.   

I often just cover the whole orange so it dries out evenly and quicker, and that way it lasts a lot longer too.  If you put them near your heater, it helps spread the scent quicker.  

[handmadewitchcraft]

Handmade Runes: Maple wood

Nothing gives me greater pleasure nor greater frustration than the process of creating something with your bare hands.  

A handmade set of Northumbria runes,  so bare in mind these are not the elder futhark runes, they are a more “modern” set of runes that have some extra ones that you don’t find in the elder futhark.  

Here’s a full view of the set: 

Every single rune has been handcarved from maple wood.  As that is the only tree in my garden that needed tending last year.  

The wood has been thoroughly dried for several months.  Some have a slight difference in length although there is no difference in weight or feel to them when shuffling them in the bag.  This has been tested by other people than me.   On the back they have a flat carved surface so they don’t automatically fall face down.   I have tested every single rune extensively until the drop rate was 50/50 face down or face up.  

All of them have been carved with nothing more than a swiss pocket knife and a wet stone.   Here’s a picture of all the tools I used, all three of them!

The crochet needle, admittedly, I only used that to make the holding bag for them.  Which is made out of burlap, a 100% organic fiber.  

The symbols are painted with black water proof paint.  

All the runes are roughly the size of a finger:

Thank you for making it this far!