(almost) always thinking

The theme of home crafts making a comeback keeps popping up at work.  Using newly-acquired but very traditional skills to create unique items for yourself or your home seems to be enjoying a real revival.

I don’t think its just that we’re all feeling the economic pinch or cocooning madly, there does seem to be a real nostalgia around for make do and mend, a sort of retro Fashionable Frugality.

Channel 4’s Kirstie’s Homemade Home helped craftyness go mainstream by being evangelical about using traditional crafts and second hand bargains to achieve a rustic, personal, retro look for your home without spending a fortune. 

Of course, Kirsty had to be taught (or re-taught) skills like knitting and cushion making since until lessons sprung up all over the country in the last few months there can’t have been many 30-somethings around who could proficiently knit-one-pearl-two.

In fact, there’s a new wool shop just opened down the road from the office, with (as you can see above) a prominent ‘learn to knit here’ sign hanging outside.  It’s a very sweet business called Baa Ram Ewe and has a lovely website – plus of course blog, facebook and twitter, as befits the New Traditionalists.