How To Use This Crafty List

Are you looking for ideas for hobbies or further artistic study? Are you hoping to jump down some rabbit holes on the internet? Do you need to motivate friends to try something new with you? This can never be an exhaustive list because I just cannot know every craft there is to pursue in the world. If you’d like to send in some ideas, please feel free to comment over on CaySwann Crafts on FacebookThe BIG Crafty List.

Back Story of this “Crafty Compendium”

In November 2020, a list started to circulate in some social media platforms entitled, “How Crafty Are You?” It was branded from a site called HookedCreations, and while it was a nice jumping off point, it was missing some significant categories of artisan’s work. It also bundled some things under just one label where other crafts were split into multiple options.

I started expanding the list, which was then revised several times by friends simply commenting on the post. And so the idea to create a Big Crafty List was born. I also wanted to do more than just alphabetize the items. I wanted to group them in Categories.

If you want to “score” yourself, like the original meme suggested, feel free to “give yourself one point for each item below” that you’ve tried or done at some time. Drop by my Facebook post and let me know your “score,” if you want!


Fiber Arts

Basket filled with different colored balls of yarn
  • Braiding
    • Fingerloop Braids (finger loop manipulation)
    • Finger weaving / Ceinture Fléchée
    • Hair Braids
    • Kumihimo
    • Kute-Uchi (hand-held loop manipulation)
    • Twining
  • Cordage
    • Lanyards
    • Lucet
    • Rope Making
    • Tubular Edging
  • Crochet
    • Amigurumi (miniature figures)
    • Crochet Blankets
    • Crochet Garments (clothing, slippers)
    • Household Crochet (dish cloths, potholders)
    • Knooking
    • Tunisian Crochet / Afghan Crochet
  • Doll Making
    • Doll Clothing
    • Doll Construction
  • Dyeing
    • Acid Dyes
    • Lichen Dyeing
    • Mushroom Dyeing
    • Natural Dyestuffs
    • Tie Dye techniques
      • Batik
      • Free-style Tie Dye
      • Ikat
      • Shibori
  • Fabric Surface Decorating
    • Fabric Painting
    • Fabric Stamping
  • Felting
    • Needle Felting
    • Wet Felting
  • Hat Making
    • Feather Crafts
  • Knitting
    • Tool / Method
      • Hand Knitting
      • Loom Knitting
      • Machine Knitting
    • Knitting Type
      • Brioche
      • Cables
      • Colorwork
      • Entrelac
      • Fair Isle
      • Lace
  • Knotting Techniques
    • Chinese Knotting
    • Friendship Bracelets
    • Macramé
    • Net Making
    • Passementerie
    • Tatting
  • Lace Making
    • Bobbin Lace
    • Crocheted Lace
    • Drawn / Cut Linen work
    • Knitted Lace
    • Needle Lace
    • Tape Lace
  • Nålbinding (single needle looping)
  • Needlework
    • Assuit – Tulle bi telli
    • Bargello
    • Counted Thread Work (Black work, Assisi, etc.)
    • Cross Stitch
    • Crewel
    • Embroidery
    • Metal Thread Work / Gold Work
    • Needlepoint / Petit Point
    • Punch Stitch
    • Ribbon Embroidery
    • Shisha Mirror Embroidery
    • Smocking
    • Surface Embroidery
    • Tin Embroidery
  • Quilting
    • Piece work
    • Pattern work
    • Crazy quilts
  • Ribbon and Bow Making
  • Rug Making
    • Hand-Tied Rugs
    • Latch Hook
    • Rag Rug Weaving
    • Tapestry Rugs
  • Sericulture
    • Cocoon Processing
    • Making Silk Hankies / Silk Lap
    • Silk Worm Raising
    • Silk Reeling
  • Sewing
    • Appliqué
    • Costume Design
      • Cosplay Construction
      • Historical Costuming
    • Darning
    • Hand Sewing
    • Machine Sewing
    • Pattern Making
    • Puppet Construction
    • Sashiko / Fabric Mending
  • Spinning
    • Spindle spinning (drop spindle, supported, in-hand)
    • Spinning with distaff (in-hand, under arm, tucked into waist, free-standing, wheel attached)
    • Wheel spinning
      • Flyer and bobbin array, treadle spinning, espinners
      • Great Wheels, Quill attachments, Charkha spinning
  • Sprang
  • Weaving
    • Basket Weaving
    • Bead Weaving
    • Fabric Weaving
      • Backstrap Weaving
      • Cardboard Looms
      • Ground Looms
      • Multiple-Harness Looms
      • Rigid Heddle
      • Table-top Looms
      • Warp Weighted Looms
      • Weavette or Pin Looms
    • Narrow Band Weaving
      • Baltic Pickup / Tape Weaving
      • Card- or Tablet-Weaving
      • Inkle Weaving
      • Warp-Faced Complementary Weave
    • Tapestry Weaving
  • Yarn: Other Techniques
    • Pom-Poms
    • Rya Tie
    • Tassel Making
    • Temari / Thread-wrapped hand balls

Visual Arts: 2D and Surface Arts

Watercolor Painted Lines on Cards

  • Calligraphy
    • Brush Calligraphy
    • Pen / Quill Calligraphy
    • Sign-Making
  • Decals (cameo, cricut, CNC)
  • Digital Arts
    • Illustration / Vector
    • InDesign / Typography
    • Photoshop / Raster
  • Drawing
    • Chalk Pastels
    • Charcoal
    • Colored Pencil
    • Digital Illustration
    • Graphite / Pencil
    • Ink
    • Oil Pastels
  • Painting
    • Acrylic
    • Canvas Stretching
    • Gouache
    • Oil
    • Paint-by-Number kits
    • Pigment / Paint / Ink Making
    • Sand Painting / Mandalas
    • Spray Paint
    • Watercolor Painting
  • Photography
    • Digital
    • Film Making
    • Hand-Processing Film
  • Print Making
    • Block Print
    • Collagraph
    • Glass Transfer
    • Intaglio (dry point, etching, solar plate)
    • Lithography (metal or stone)
    • Monoprint / Monotype
    • Relief Printmaking
    • Screen Printing

Visual Arts: 3D and Structural Arts

Polymer Clay on Wooden Dowels
  • Candle Making
  • Ceramics and Pottery
    • Ceramic Beads
    • Glazes and Tile Making
    • Modeling Clay
    • Pit Firing
    • Polymer Clay
    • Raku
    • Thrown Ceramics / Potters’ Wheel
  • Coopering / Barrel Making
  • Cosmetic Items
    • Balms and Lotions
    • Dried Herbs, Pomanders
    • Perfumery
    • Soap Making
  • Fabric Flower Crafts
  • Glass Work
    • Copper Foil
    • Glass Blowing
    • Etched Glass
    • Fusing Glass
    • Lamp Work / Bead Making
    • Leaded or Stained Glass
  • Jewelry Making
    • Beading
    • Casting Jewelry
    • Enameling or Cloisonné
    • Lapidary / Cut or Facetted gem stones
    • Metal Clay
    • Sheet / Soldering
  • Leather Working
    • Cobbling / Shoe Making
    • Belts or Bags
    • Boiled Leather
    • Furrier
    • Leather Gloves
    • Leather Armor
    • Molding Leather
    • Parchment Making / Vellum
    • Saddle Making
    • Tooled / Painted or Dyed Leather
  • Metal Working
    • Casting Metal (Pewter, Bronze)
      • Carved Mold Casting
      • Lost Wax Technique
      • Sand Casting
    • Chain Maille
    • Coin Stamping
    • Forging / Black Smithing
      • Hand Forge
      • Power Tool Forging
    • Gold Smithing / Silver Smithing
    • Machining
    • Welding
    • Wire Wrapping
  • Model Making
    • Architectural / Doll House
    • 3D Model Printing
  • Musical Instrument Making
    • Brass Instruments
    • Percussion Instruments
    • Reed Instruments
    • String Instruments
  • Paper Crafts
    • Book Binding
    • Card Making
    • Cardboard Crafts
    • Cutting / Kirigami
    • Decoupage
    • Embossing
    • Gilding
    • Mixed Media Art
    • Origami / Folding
    • Paper Mache
    • Paper Making
    • Paper Marbling
    • Pop-Up Book Making
    • Quilling
    • Scrap Booking
    • Stamping
  • Resin Pouring
  • Sculpture
    • Ceramic Sculpture
    • Kinetic Sculpture
    • Sand Castles / Sand Sculpture
    • Stone Carving
      • Cameo Carving
  • Surface Decoration
    • Beading (on Fabric or Leather)
    • Bedazzling
    • Diamond Painting
    • Engraving / Chasing
    • Etching
    • Mosaic / Tile work
    • Perler Beads
    • Repoussé / Hammered raised relief
  • Vacuum Molding
  • Wood Working
    • Bow Making / Fletching
    • Burning
    • Cabinetry
    • Carving
    • Furniture Making
    • Inlay
    • Intarsia
    • Lutiering
    • Marquetry
    • Parquetry
    • Turning / Lathe work
    • Whittling
    • Yosegi

Culinary Arts

  • Baking
    • Bread Making
    • Cakes
    • Cookies
    • Pastries
  • Beverage Making
    • Cocktails / Bartending
    • Coffee / Barrista
    • Tea Blending
      • Tea Ceremonies
  • Brewing
    • Beers and Meads
    • Wines and Vinegars
    • Liqueurs
  • Cheese Making
    • Yogurt Making
  • Cooking
    • Grilling / Open Fire
    • Oven Preparation
    • Stovetop Preparation
  • Decorative Food Preparation
    • Chocolatier
    • Spun Sugar Work
    • Vegetable and Fruit Carving
  • Gardening / Farming
    • Bonsai
    • Flower Arrangements
    • Food Production
    • Plant Grafting
    • Topiary
  • Preserving Foods
    • Canning
    • Curing
    • Drying
    • Fermenting
    • Pickling
    • Salting

Artistic (Non-Physical) Creation

But what if you’re not making new things physically but you still want to be artistic? Maybe consider some of these.

Original Composition Arts

  • Author
  • Choreographer
  • Composer
  • Lyricist
  • Playwright
  • Poet

Performance Arts

  • Dance Performance
    • Formal Dance Troupe
    • Historical Dance / Folkloric Dance
    • Local Popular Dance
  • Instrumental Music
    • Ensemble Instrumental Performance
    • Instrumental Soloist
  • Storytelling
    • Improvisation
    • Personal Story Performance
    • Story Reading / Recitation
    • Traditional Storytelling
  • Theatre Arts
    • Dramatic Plays
    • Musical Theatre
    • Street Performance
  • Vocal Music
    • Vocal Soloist
    • Choral Vocal Performance