A blog about creating a homestead with gardening and home crafts.
Today I hand wash some of my hand knitted wool accessories: a pair of wool socks, a pair of fingerless mittens and a merino cowl. I only tend to hand wash accessories and newly knitted wool sweaters as they tend to get really heavy and cumbersome to hand wash so I usually put them on... Continue Reading →
As we recognize our responsibility to consume more responsibly, I reflect on what role one of my favourite crafts, knitting, has in the sustainability conversation. Knitting as Slow Fashion By its nature, knitting is a slow process. For those who indulge, it is a long, enjoyable way to make clothes, accessories and gifts for ourselves... Continue Reading →
Blocking is the penultimate step in garment knitting. (The last step is usually weaving in ends.) Blocking is the act of submerging a knitted garment in water or steaming it, to get the required form of the garment and to "relax" the stitches in order to get the best fit possible. This helps the garment mesh together to construct cohesive fabric. It is like a spa treatment for your hand knits.
Time to read 5 minutes During the pandemic, bartering helped me to grew my local connections, helped me to learn new skills and ultimately, got me into knitting. At the time, we lived in Bristol. I worked from home and I had the time to tend to a lot of plants. I bought, propagated and... Continue Reading →
Time to read 7 minutes 2022 saw many finished objects under my belt, but something strange happened to me from about August. Yes, I continued knitting on wool and mohair garments throughout the sticky summer but once I had banged out a few sweaters and cardigans for myself in the first half of the year,... Continue Reading →
Time to read 4 minutes I have been knitting since 2020 (haven't we all?). As a self taught knitter who spent about 8 months of 2020 trying to self-draught now completely unwearable and/or unflattering garments, I feel 2022 brought with it some improvements. I’ve had some challenges in life recently which incidentally has led me... Continue Reading →
Wearing or gifting a knitted item that I have made myself is good boost to my self esteem. Knowing that your hands have the ability to create something for nothing is proven to boost feelings of well being and is an excellent outlet for creativity. I
All Homesteading 