Hand crafted things.

[Woody girl]

I like to make stuff, and wanted a chunky crochet hook to make a chunky scarf, and blanket.. As there are no suitable shops within 20 miles, and have made a vow not to order on the net unless its absolutely vital, I decided to make one
The crochet is just a practice piece to see whether it needs further refining. It's working perfectly. And best of all it's free, apart from 15 minutes of my time.
I have 3 more part fashoned in different thicknesses, and am looking at making some knitting needles too.
Bushcraft can be far more than lighting fires and setting up a tarp.

 

[Pattree]

Bushcraft can be far more than lighting fires and setting up a tarp.

I would certainly hope so.

A woolly jumper comes well within my list of survival gear!
Well done!

 

[Glow_worm]

Bushcraft can be far more than lighting fires and setting up a tarp.

Spot on, it's a mindset, very often specifically:

I have a need and here are my resources.

The non-bushcraft industrialised mindset would be:

Which product can I buy to do this job?

 

[Tengu]

Thats grand, I cant knit...

...or crochet....

...or nalbind...

I have been sewing up a light summer tunic from some cloth I got here...

https://glenlyontweedmill.com/

Obviously its rather pricey but its good to pop in, they have a reduced table. So I paid £12.50 for one metre which full price would cost about £50.

 

[Pattree]

I wonder how far I have traveled in the wake of my wife after similar deals

Then come to a shuddering halt as she is ambushed by a discounted yarn bin

 

[Woody girl]

I wonder how far I have traveled in the wake of my wife after similar deals

Then come to a shuddering halt as she is ambushed by a discounted yarn bin

Oh I can't pass a yarn shop. If I see one I go all wobbly and start babbling " ooooh look,! oh wow!, I wonder if they have any..xyz?
I think I need another bag!"

 

[Tengu]

I try to avoid getting anything I dont need these days. (And with crafts it helps to grab bargains)

I needed some cloth for a tunic, and also some thick winter trews.

And that piece I did pay full price for.

 

[Woody girl]

Always fancied one of those waxed cotton and wool sit mats, but they are realy expensive,so the last couple of days, odd hours have resulted in a hand sewn one. Mary sent me a bit of waxed cotton a while back, so along with some nice green tweed given to me by another friend after she recovered a foot stool, I made my own.
I've made it quite a bit bigger than the ones I've seen, and also insulated with some wool batting that I hand carded. So now I have a nice insulated natural materials sit mat, to add to my plastic free camp kit. I'll try and take a photo tomorrow. I've only just finished it, and I need daylight to take a decent pic.
Best of all, it's only cost a few hours of my time. If my machine was working it would have taken less than an hour to make.

 

[haptalaon]

Always fancied one of those waxed cotton and wool sit mats, but they are realy expensive,so the last couple of days, odd hours have resulted in a hand sewn one. Mary sent me a bit of waxed cotton a while back, so along with some nice green tweed given to me by another friend after she recovered a foot stool, I made my own.
I've made it quite a bit bigger than the ones I've seen, and also insulated with some wool batting that I hand carded. So now I have a nice insulated natural materials sit mat, to add to my plastic free camp kit. I'll try and take a photo tomorrow. I've only just finished it, and I need daylight to take a decent pic.
Best of all, it's only cost a few hours of my time. If my machine was working it would have taken less than an hour to make.

A nice source for raw wool is companies that send slightly fancy food products. We support hunted meat from the Wild Food and Game company and one of my friends gets his from the dog food he orders.

It's great, you are supposed to compost it but it's a wonderful material for quilts and the like.

 

[Woody girl]

As promised, the photo of the mat, along with my new home made/plastic free brew kit.
Ikea stove, sat on an old sandwich cake tin, tea caddy billy, tinder pouch ( for birch bark), small glass milk bottle, tea bag and sugar sachet tin, hand carved teaspoon and larger spoon for cooking, , enamel mug, and some kindling and waxed cotton fire lighter.

 

[Tengu]

Ive got some of that insulation, left it in Scotland, Im going to make a cloak with it.

(Sit mat is a good idea for my old blanket...)

 

[Woody girl]

This mornings efforts. Not perfect, and I hate the moulds shape, but you have to use what you have.

 

[Pattree]

Beeswax?
You can always refill old tea-lights

 

[Woody girl]

Beeswax?
You can always refill old tea-lights

I know,but I wanted longer burning time. I'd rather have made tapers but I'm recycling wicks as it is, and they were all short lengths, so made the biggest candles that I could from the small selection of moulds I do have. I'm on the hunt for longer wicks and a taper mould.

 

[Woody girl]

A bit of scrap wood that was destined for a friend's firewood pile. I rescued it, as I could see the beauty of the colours. A few weeks of hand sanding at odd moments and borrow of a friends special drill attachment, and here is the result. A rustic table centre piece.

 

[Tengu]

Oh, Yew, that is a good find.

(And they were burning that?)

 

[Woody girl]

Oh, Yew, that is a good find.

(And they were burning that?)

I know, irrespective of burnability, it was just too attractive to let it get destroyed.