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Home » Eco Crafting

by Lou 3 Comments

10 Reasons Why I Love Wool Crafts

Or more to the point, 10 Reasons Why I Love Wool.

Working with wool is something I love for many reasons. I thoroughly enjoy using all kinds of natural fibres within my wool crafts of course, and those of you who are familiar with my products will be used to seeing everything from cotton to jute making an appearance. Wool though, particularly British wool, has a very special place in my heart.

I’m still surprised when people ask me what makes me so passionate on the topic as I’d assumed it had been discussed to death over the years by enthusiastic knitters, spinners and felters everywhere. Apparently I was wrong! So let’s take a little look at why and if you’re interested in discovering more, you can follow some of the links I’ll provide as we go along.

The List!

  1. First and foremost, wool is 100% natural.
  2. Wool is completely biodegradable. It’s a sad but common sight to see farmers burying unwanted fleeces in their fields.

    Fleece

                  Raw Wool

  3. Wool forms part of the natural carbon cycle.
  4. Wool is anti microbial and odour resistant. Bear that in mind the next time you ask why anyone would knit a pair of socks!

    Hand Knitted Socks

                   Hand Knitted Wool Socks

  5. Wool improves indoor air quality; making it a great option for rugs, carpets and home furnishings.
  6. Wool is a renewable resource i.e. it can be used repeatedly because it’s replaced naturally.
  7. It’s breathable which is better for clothing and bedding. Synthetic materials tend to make us sweat.
  8. Wool crafts allow me to help secure the future of native sheep breeds. Blacker Yarns, along with many others working in unity, helped to collect, process, spin and dye Boreray wool in recent years. This has successfully upgraded the Boreray breed from critical to vulnerable in the most recent survey by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust. How awesome is that?
  9. Wool helps me to support my local economy. From independent hand dyers and wood carvers to local yarn shops and smallholders, every time I purchase tools and materials for my crafts, I’m putting money into another small business.
  10. Safety! This amazing material is fire resistant and fire retardant. You’ll find it’s often used for toy stuffing, upholstery, carpets and host of other applications.
Blanket Tiles

Start of a crochet blanket in merino wool

I could make more, equally compelling, points but I’m sure you get the gist. We’re incredibly lucky to live in a country that has an abundance of this natural material and if you’d like to know more about wool in general, check out the Campaign for Wool‘s site.

 

Filed Under: A Crafting Life: General Musings, Craft Business Concerns, Craft Materials, Eco Crafting Tagged With: fibre, green living, wool, working with wool

by Lou Leave a Comment

Crafting for Christmas – End of the Year Rapidly Approaches

I have no idea where 2014 has vanished to but we’re only a matter of weeks away from the Festive Season and the buying frenzy which is Christmas Shopping… arghhh! I will hold my hands up and admit that I prefer to buy as much as possible online or at craft fairs and I completely avoid the town centre and retail parks if possible. What’s your preference? Drop me a comment to let me know. It’s something that fascinates me as we have such varying reactions to the entire concept of Christmas and shopping for presents.

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Filed Under: Craft Events, Eco Crafting, Local Scottish Craft, Tumblethumps

by Lou Leave a Comment

Cool Craft Trends: What’s Hot For Your Makes In 2014

So what cool craft trends are set to wow us this coming year? I’m delighted to note that last year’s autumn/winter trend for all things tartan is set to storm on into 2014. Whether it’s home accessories or on the catwalks, plaid is still hot property and I do love me a bit of plaid. You could incorporate this into your own crafting with beautiful accent cushions, trendy phone holders and chic notebook covers. Alternatively, give new life to well used clothes with some tartan applique!

Handmade Tartan Elephant

Tartan Elephant Cushion handcrafted by Tartan Crafts on Folksy (Photography & Design copyright to Tartan Crafts)

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Filed Under: Craft Business Concerns, Eco Crafting, Local Scottish Craft Tagged With: craft trends, upcycled crafts

by Lou Leave a Comment

Recycling Your Plastic Drink Bottles

So today I want to share one of the projects I’ve been playing around with recently. We go through a fair number of plastic drinks bottles in our household and there are several crafty ways to recycle them rather than dumping them in the rubbish bin. Over the years I’ve heard of and read about people making gadgets to measure rainfall, bird feeders, handy little watering cans and even small gift boxes. The ideas are only limited by your own imagination.

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Filed Under: Craft Projects, Eco Crafting, Recycled Crafts Tagged With: craft projects, eco crafting, Recycled crafts, sustainable living

by Lou 4 Comments

Tumblethumps Wool Tumble Dryer Balls

“What are Tumblethumps and what do they have to do with crafting?”

The answer is simple. Tumblethumps are dryer balls which are created using a process of wet felting and needle felting and as you may know, felting is a craft that’s currently growing in popularity. We handcraft every one of our Tumblethumps right here in Scotland using pure Shetland wool.

Whilst dryer balls may not seem to be particularly creative on the face of it, there isn’t actually any reason not to turn such a functional item into a decorative one too. In much the same way that a humble hand towel is often embroidered or cross stitched, making it pleasing to our eyes as well as of practical use, wool dryer balls can have any design felted onto it that your mind can think up. 🙂 And once you have decorated them, they can make lovely, safe, soft toys for kids and pets alike to play with! How’s that for versatile?

Tumblethumps Wool Dryer Balls

Tumblethumps wool dryer balls in white Shetland wool

 

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Eco Crafting, Local Scottish Craft, Tumblethumps Tagged With: eco crafting, green crafting, sustainable living, tumblethumps wool dryer balls, wool dryer balls

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Louise at Thistle Dubh Ewe

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Louise Lockhart
Beautiful tartan on the cutting mat today, and not Beautiful tartan on the cutting mat today, and not just any tartan! Purple tartan! 😁 Pattern matching as best I can. I'll have 5 medium/sock size bags from this fabric, all going well, so a very limited run. #knittersofinstagram #britishknitters #tartanstyle #projectbags #knittingaccessories #etsyuk #sockknittingbag #knittingbags #igknitters
Last of the gnomes for now. They've been so popula Last of the gnomes for now. They've been so popular, thanks for all the orders folks! ☺️ This shawl bag is in a new colourway. A brighter blue on an ice blue background. Super winter-y. ❄️ It will be heading off to its forever home this weekend. Expect more spring appropriate fabrics in the coming weeks as I live in hope of warmer weather. 😁 #knittingbags #projectbag #knittingaccessories #knittersofinstagram #britishknitters #etsyselleruk #shoplocal
Another couple of custom bag orders that flew the Another couple of custom bag orders that flew the coop last weekend. 🥰😊 More gonks heading off to southern climes this weekend. Last posting date has now passed for this year but the Etsy shop will remain open (link in profile) through the holidays 🎄 for orders posting in January. #knittersofinstagram #knittingbags #knittingstorage #projectbag #gonksofinstagram #knittersofig #britishknitters  #shoplocaluk #etsyukseller
Latest custom order that went off to its new home Latest custom order that went off to its new home last week. 😍 A sweater size bag, perfect for those larger cold weather projects. #winterknitting #knittingaccessories #wipbags #projectbag #etsyukseller #smallbusinessuk #sweaterknitting #knittingstorage #gonks
It's a chilly night here in West Lothian, obviousl It's a chilly night here in West Lothian, obviously the perfect time for some therapeutic sock knitting. Especially since there's more sock yarn on the way! 😙 I started this beauty 3 years ago 😳 and have no idea why it's never been finished. The pattern is so easy to follow and I really like the contrasting colour and pattern in the panel below the cuff. Ruth, the designer behind the pattern, did a great job with this one. 👏🥰 I am going to have more actual pairs eventually. 😂 #socktawk #britishknitters #yarnink #womenwhomake #knitlife #socknittersofinstagram #mindfullymade
My lovely friend Lucy is hoping to re-open her LYS My lovely friend Lucy is hoping to re-open her LYS, Purl A Row, after a recent move from Cornwall to Lincolnshire. Under the current circumstances it's proving to be a bit of a struggle, so any and all support would be deeply appreciated. Even if it's just sharing the information with others! 😊
If you're looking for a knitty treat for yourself or even a gift for a knitting friend, do check out the luxury Christmas boxes that Lucy has available. Her Knit Lit box series has proven very popular, so you might also be interested in the new Woodland Box subscription boxes which start in January. 👏😉 All sign up links can be found on the website at the link below! #shoplocal #smallbusinessuk
Posted @withregram • @purl_a_row I'm so pleased to offer you all this luxury Christmas knit box. Numbers are limited and I will not be able to add more once they have sold. 
For all the exciting details follow the link or go to the website and sign up links page.
https://forms.gle/4MqJm7DggG4mTxEF7
#PURLAROW #LYS #WOOLSHOP #YARNSHOP #SUPPORTINGSMALLBUSINESSES #KNITBOX
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