Christmas is coming, and we're busy crafting up gifts for family and friends! We'll be bringing you some inspiring round-ups of our favourite projects in the coming weeks, and here's a great one to start with - gifts for men! Read on to see 8 of our favourite makes, including luxurious knits and quick cross stitch... 

Hooray, we've got some fantastic new knitting patterns for you! These gorgeous makes come from the latest issues of Simply Knitting and The Knitter. Read on for more info and links, plus find out how you can share your tips and photos with us!

When we first saw Knitlympics by Carol Meldrum, I knew it was sure to be a winner. Coming from a sports-mad family, the prospect of knitting your own favourite sports star was pretty appealing to me. So now, to celebrate the fast-approaching London 2012, we've got a special treat for you! You can download a free knitting pattern from the book - this Jessica Ennis doll. So get knitting to show your support for team GB! Or you're not based in Britain but love running, why not simply use the pattern to knit up an olympic runner toy? Read on to get the free knitting pattern download....

What kind of craft project can you just not resist? One thing we love about working in the world of making things is how we constantly discover friends who love to make a favourite type of project  again and again. From quilts (my friend Holly) to baby knits (my mum-in-law Maureen) to beautiful mitts & vintage garments (like my friend Mim)... it seems that often we crafters love to make particular projects again and again.

So what's your 'knitting profile'?

We're finding that making small projects - like accessories and bags - are hugely popular when people are searching for us at The Making Spot - so we've got a little inspiration round up for you. With Father's Day coming up, here are a few ideas for DIY bags & cosies for the men in our lives...

We'll be celebrating Father's Day on 17th June! We've rounded up some of our favourite men's gift ideas, including some great freebies, so you can make something special for your dad this weekend...

Looking for ideas to make & give to sports fans in the family? We've rounded up 10 of our favourite craft projects for DIY delights - whatever they're into! We've got knitting patterns, cross stitch patterns & papercraft ideas for everything from racing cars to football, golf or surfing!

Here's a sneak peek at one of my favourite cross stitch projects of this year so far - Star Wars in stitches. I thought it was apt to post up now what with Star Wars fans' celebrating 'May the Fourth' next week!

Wondering what to make for the man in your life? We've rounded up our favourite manly makes to get your creative juices flowing!

This weekend we've got a special 60th birthday in my new extended family - so I've been searching for manly card ideas with a musical theme to suit the birthday 'boy'!

My hubby's dad asked for a guitar for his birthday -  while we couldn't afford the real thing, I could at least papercraft him one! I found a set of music card ideas by Judy Balchin over on The Making Spot. So I adapted  one of Judy's designs using my craft stash to make this retro-style guitar card. 

I took inspiration from my crafty friend Angela Poole & used lots of sticky foam pads to add lots of 3D effect to the layers of this paper-pieced guitar. Finally I added metallic silver pen frets and embroidery thread strings from my cross stitch stash. I secured these invisibly by securing them between two identical card shapes, stuck together with double-sided tape.