Zokin are traditional Japanese dust rags which are hand stitched from leftover or re-purposed cotton cloth. They stem from a time in Japan when textiles were expensive, precious and scarce. Garments and bed coverings were patched and patched and patched again – becoming Boro textiles – antique examples of which are highly sort after today. …
DetailsIn Norway and Sweden Saffron Buns – or Lussekatter are traditionally baked to celebrate the St Lucia’s or St Lucy’s Day on 13th December. The Scandinavians have appropriated this Italian saint for a festival of lights at this darkest (especially up in Scandinavia) time of year. Processions of girls dress in white with a red…
DetailsLast weekend there was a little Fibre Fest at All Saint’s Church in Castle Cary. It was a chance to take along the sock knitting machine and some socks to sell, plus the spindle wheel to demonstrate. And it was a really sweet and lovely event. There was a real mixed bag of textile…
DetailsMake do & mend is a way of life around here. This jumper, a particular winter favourite, was a classic case. It was hand knitted several years ago and has been through a quite a few winters. It had already been repaired more than once – some darning on the elbows and the cuffs re-worked.…
DetailsTurning flax fibre into linen cloth was this summer’s project. The last post dealt with the spinning – now comes the weaving. Unlike wool, linen has no elasticity or stretch. This makes it unforgiving when it comes to warping on the loom (even without somewhat haphazard and impatient warping methods). Creating and maintaining a firm…
DetailsTurning flax into linen is this summer’s spinning and weaving project. Flax is the fibre that comes from the plant Linum usitatissimum. Once it has been processed and spun (and then woven) it becomes linen. The aim of this project – which could be subtitled ‘Yet more adventures in spinning and weaving.’ is to take…
DetailsBeeswax Wraps are the way to go – it’s time to banish cling film and other single use plastics from your kitchen. There was a bundle of vintage cotton scraps lurking around – just waiting for their time. The prints are lovely, fine cotton lawn, not enough for a large project and the pieces too…
DetailsSwedish Crisp Rolls are delicious. Delicious topped with just about anything. Of course they are available in the shops. But the challenge here was to make them at home. Hunting down a recipe wasn’t so easy, there are plenty for crispbreads (the flat rye kind) but not for these. After a bit of searching they…
DetailsSometimes the weather is just perfect and it’s time for a perfect Dorset walk. Stoke Abbott is one of those tucked away villages, reached down narrow lanes and holloways, hidden in the folds of the hills. It is spoilt for choice when is comes to picture perfect thatched cottages. This is a favourite walk; a…
DetailsSpindle spinning is fascinating, Using a wheel may be much faster when comes to actually producing yarn. But using a spindle is a great way to start. It’s portable. And it’s cheap. It can be so cheap! It’s basically just a stick with a weight attached. This was an exercise in 2 things Make a…
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