An important part of my life as a crafter is to always keep learning. I want to learn new crafts, new or improved techniques for the crafts I already practice, and the history of these crafts. There are a tremendous variety of sources available for us crafters to learn from, and I enjoy crafty research as much as I love crafting itself. How do we do crafty research? The main things you need to know for any successful research effort are where to find sources, how to evaluate the sources that you find, and how to apply the results to your craft practice.
There are three types of sources: primary, secondary, and tertiary. Primary sources include (but are not limited to) records, diaries, correspondence, original research and writing, and objects. Secondary sources include second-hand accounts that reference primary sources. Tertiary Sources are more general, often a survey of a subject. [i] Regardless of source type, it can sometimes be challenging to find them. Places to find information can be roughly divided into online sources and in-person sources, but there is an overlap between the two in that you can use the internet to find the in-person sources.
