A Little Cottage in the Country

I'm just getting back into making some bits of jewellery for myself as my tools and wire that survived the destruction of my studio had been stored in boxes for some time. Really I left them there as we packaged what we could from the wreckage and it was so painful for me having to throw things out some boxes I just left as I didn't want to face it, and it's been over a year. However I enjoy regular breaks from drawing so did the last boxes and it got my making bug back. These earrings are simple hoops made from copper wire and carnelian stones. Most of my stones come from Jewellery Maker TV, they guarantee authenticity and to be honest on eBay, and even other shops, stones are frequently mis-sold, a lot of carnelian is actually dyed agate for example. They're very transparent about any treatment the stones have had as well. The other thing I like about Jewellery Maker is their ethical sourcing, mining is not only environmentally destructive it also employs poorly...

I would really like to reduce the number of single use plastics in the house, as although we have a recycling bin for plastic and card I'm sceptical of whether it actually gets recycled. The bin lorry for that collection looks strikingly similar to the black bin lorry, that crushes all the waste together. Looking for viable alternatives in your local supermarket, with aisles full of plastic bottles, is not easy though. I've made melt and pour soaps for a little while so thought I'd try a melt and pour shampoo. Its made by Stephensons and I bought a 100g to try it. I know purists will argue melt and pour soaps aren't proper soap making, but I do a ton of crafts already without venturing into cold process soap. Since myself and Him Indoors would be using it I fragranced it with lemon essential oil, added after melting the chunks in a microwave. It's then a matter of pouring it into a mould and leaving to set. I wash my hair each day, as apart from smelling lik...

I know it's random, I'm away with migraine then back with a meerkat but bear with me, I haven't lost the plot just yet. This is for my father in law, every year I have to try and surpass last year's card which is getting tricky! He's absolutely mad on the Compare the Meerkats, I think he has all the toys and the book, so I thought I'd do him a card. Obviously meerkat stamps aren't available (to my knowledge) so this is my drawing in pen and ink, coloured in with pencils. All I'm saying is little bits of art take as much work as big ones and I know this card will be kept with the others. One of the reasons I make cards is because in all honesty most of the ones in shops are awful, particularly for men. It's either an outdated watercolour of a cricket bat or something not very funny. This one took several hours so I only get time to do them for people I care about, but at least I know they're getting something much more personal than if I'd...

I use some of the fleeces from my sheep to spin into yarn, and through a process of trial and error have come up with a preparation process that works for me. I don't like to over complicate things, so try and keep preparation to a minimum. I sort the locks into baskets, making sure I keep all the tips and cut ends aligned, this helps save time later on. I arrange them in layers until the baskets are full. I do three baskets at a time to save on water. I then put two buckets in the bath and fill with hot water, it has to be as hot as you can as that helps the lanolin come out. Have them both the same temperature to avoid felting. One bucket just has a squeeze of ordinary washing up liquid in it. I'm not looking to scour the fleece completely, I just like it clean enough to be able to spin. I try to keep some lanolin in there as I don't see the point of removing it all then having to spray oil back on the help spinning. I submerge a basket in the soapy water for a...

I've started a new cardigan, having just finished one which is blocking at the moment. This is a  Drops pattern  and I'm using Drops Flora to knit it. I tend to buy a years worth of yarns in around November, so I have them ready for projects as I need them. I'm aiming for this to be ready for autumn as it has a nice leaf design. I couldn't get an orange colour in the 4ply so picked this coral one instead, it's not normally the kind of colour I go for but I'm ending up with a succession of cardies in the same hues so thought I'd better have a change!

Okay, I know it's a bit late but the first version of this macramé bracelet was slightly on the small side so I re-made it. It's made with sunstone and moonstone, the shimmer and sparkle didn't really show up on the photos but it's really pretty. The cord is 0.4mm S-Lon. It can be an issue with natural stones finding those with a drill hole big enough for cords, usually the 8mm round have a hole that will just fit your two holding cords through if you stiffen the ends with nail polish. It's a very simple design using larks head and square knots. I love these little bracelets, they look nice stacked and are a quick, relaxing make.