It is a sad fact that becoming a crafter is often an expensive sort of hobby. It doesn’t seem to matter whether you only do one craft or several, each one has its own expenses, its own lures to part you from your money. It’s often joked about between crafters: there’s one I’ve seen of a “prescription” for crafting, which is in reality a receipt.

Given the supplies involved, I’m not sure it would be cheaper to get them on the NHS. Perhaps in Wales, where I currently live and where prescriptions are free, but I suspect they’d soon cease to be free if they were paying for craft supplies as well as medicine.

To be fair, it’s like any hobby really. There’s always something to buy or replace, for most hobbies. Something to make it better or more enjoyable or something. Because someone else, who also does the hobby, suggests you should have this, that, or the other.

Anyway, all this to say, but it need not be so expensive.

Not if you look in the right places.

Like charity shops.

I know one of our local ones takes crafting things, because I’ve donated such things to them in the past. I’ve never really looked at what crafting things other people have donated, though. Until recently, when I found a simple paint-by-numbers and another candle making kit. I’m also trying to resist a soap making kit, because I have enough crafty hobbies as it is and don’t really need another. Like painting…

Last time I attempted a paint-by-numbers, it was during Lockdown, when I ordered one from Hobbycraft of a tiger in the grass. It was more complicated than I expected a paint-by-numbers to be, with some sections where I could barely read the numbers and other sections where they wanted you to mix two of the paints together. Needless to say, it’s waiting to be finished.

The fox I picked up from the charity shop, on the other hand, is now waiting for a frame, having been finished within a week of nap-times. Simple and straightforward, each section had but one paint-number in it, and there were two paint brushes for different sized sections. I presume the original kit came with a frame, since I also found some hooks and screws, but by the time it reached the charity shop, it had parted company with that. Never mind.

It reminds me a bit of Pat Hutchens’ illustrations for Rosie’s Walk, and while it hasn’t inspired me to finish the tiger, it has made me want to find some such simple paint-by-numbers. I shall keep an eye out in the charity shop.

I haven’t yet attempted the candle-making kit, but this one came with a little book of different candle-projects, so I’m starting a collection of jam-jars and herb-jars for making Christmas presents.