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Don’t panic! Recent Today guest editor Prue Leith, and diver and enthusiastic crafter (he has his own knitting Instagram feed) Tom Daley have a basket of tips and ideas for us.

Hang on to the little things!

In this disposable culture, it’s so easy to simply throw something away if it appears to have no purpose. But Prue Leith encourages us to hold on to such ephemera, especially if it brings us joy. “If you have something that’s no longer in use, like one earring or a little bit of fabric that you think is perfect, or some tiny picture, just collect these little objects. Then one day you’ll make a wonderful collage of family photographs or you can make a museum of curiosities, all behind a picture frame, of little things you just like the look of.”

The beauty of crafting, the beauty of things that are handmade, is the fact that it鈥檚 not going to look perfect.

Olympic diver and knitting enthusiast Tom Daley

Don’t worry about perfection

Social media has been the instigator and encourager of many craft projects. But it can also lead to the raising of expectations, especially when you see some perfectly constructed piece online. But Tom Daley discourages this. “Don’t worry about it looking perfect. You might want it to look like you bought it from a shop, but the beauty of crafting, the beauty of things that are handmade, is the fact that it’s not going to look perfect. Because you’ve spent so much time and effort trying to do something, and you’ve enjoyed that process of making.”

Reach out

With so much crafting information floating around the internet, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed or unsure of where to start. But one great resource is the people around you. “The reason I started knitting in the first place was that lots of people around me, like my grandparents, used to knit,” says Tom. “Some of my diving teammates from other countries have been knitting as well. So finding something that other people do, so you can have conversations with them, can help you feel like you’re part of a community”.

“On social media, whatever craft you choose, there’s so much help and information. The crochet and knitting community on Instagram is so supportive and people are really willing to help guide you on your crafting journey,” Tom says.

Let your surroundings inspire you

Prue Leith's chandelier

Crafting can be a great way to adjust and improve the everyday items around you without having to spend money on new things. Prue Leith is pleased with a chandelier she transformed using her imagination and creative skills (see photo). “It’s a modern chandelier, not an expensive one. But it’s rather pompous and grand. And I thought, this is ridiculous, so I festooned it with extra necklaces, because I have hundreds and hundreds of necklaces and antique tea cups. And it looks absolutely fantastic.”

Don’t run before you can walk

One danger, when starting a new craft, is getting confused by the process and terminology and then abandoning it in frustration. Rather than diving into instructional books on the subject, try a video tutorial instead, as seeing someone tackling these projects is easier to follow than reading about them. “That’s how I learnt to knit and crochet, Tom told Prue. “It gives you that visual help to see that you’re doing it right. And then once you know how to do the basics then you can go into the written patterns and it all makes sense. Reading how to knit and reading how to crochet can sound quite confusing.”

You don’t have to start from scratch

It can be daunting for a fledgling crafter to have a ball of wool or a lump of clay and be expected to create something beautiful from it. Prue suggests adapting existing items as a way to start. “You can take a little jug that you think is a nice shape, but it’s a boring colour and you could repaint it completely. Or you could take something like a scallop shell and gild it. A gilded scallop shell is one of the most beautiful things. My bathroom ceiling is wallpapered with this leafy design that I thought was quite boring so I painted apples all over it. Now I lie in the bath with this apple tree above me.”

Be prepared to adapt ideas and designs

The beauty of crafting is energising your imagination and exploring your own ideas to make something unique. As a diver, Tom was quite keen to knit himself a pair of swimming trunks, but he struggled to find anything suitable. “There aren’t many male swimming trunk patterns online, so I had to adapt a bikini bottom pattern. I haven’t quite tested it out from the top board yet and I don’t think I will! There’s something so rewarding, as a maker, to complete a full garment of clothing. The rewards you get from seeing something you’ve spent hours and hours making, it makes you feel really good.”

You can see many of Tom’s creations on his Instagram feed . For more tips and ideas on crafting Crafts Council has many tutorials and initiatives: