Craft & Thrift Podcast

According to my substack, my last podcast was released on June 30th, 2025. That was almost 6 months ago, and corresponds almost exactly with when life got busy and stressful with the renovation of my house.Want to know more about my newsletter and podcast plans? Sign up here!I’d always planned to come back to podcasting, I love a good yackety-yack and apparently have no end of thoughts and opinions to share with you all. In the meantime, I’ve learned some light editing skills, so hopefully in this season (I’m calling it a season to make it sound like the 6 month hiatus was due to something glamorous and official, like a writers’ strike, or actor diary conflicts, rather than overwhelm and lack of mental bandwidth) you’ll hear an upturn in quality. Except apparently in this episode, because I realised too late you can’t edit away wind noise. I’ll be buying a microphone for future episodes I think.In this episode I’m chatting about my plans for the newsletter and podcast for the next few months. I’m considering turning on paid subscriptions when I reach 1000 subscribers, which incredibly isn’t that far away now. For paid subscribers, I’m thinking of offering an additional weekly newsletter and a monthly podcast episode. I’ve been banking additional content, as a way to mitigate future periods of overwhelm. I feel strongly that I want paid subscribers to feel they get good value for money and my main concern would be that life gets busy and stressful, and the quality or frequency of my content drops off. Having a source of pre-written newsletter material to draw from, would give me peace of mind to know I could keep up with the frequency without too much stress.12 Week Year by Brian P MorganI hope you enjoy this short and sweet introduction to season 2 of the Craft & Thrift Podcast. Enjoy the ASMR ice noise Rosie and I generate for you at the end, you can see in the photo above how sodden and frozen the ground was on this walk.Speak to you soon! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit craftandthrift.substack.com

Life has been pretty busy recently with DIY projects - filling holes left behind by the electrician, sanding walls ready for decorating, researching & planning a new kitchen and bathroom. I love learning a new skill, so on the whole I’m enjoying renovating the house, but it hasn’t left much bandwidth for actual creative work. I treated myself recently to a Woolly Mammoth Fibre Company Patreon membership, I found myself craving something restful and chill at the end of a long day of DIY. Emma is a natural dye yarn artist from Northern Ireland (apologies to Emma, I stumble over whereabouts in Ireland she was from in this episode!). It’s been the perfect accompaniment to knitting on the sofa in the evening and I’m finally making some headway on some longstanding projects.If you like knitting, sewing, gardening and renovation, then Craft & Thrift is for you!Here are some links and pictures to accompany this episode:My Sophie Shawl for my Mum (assuming the pink isn’t too hot for her!), made using Black Elephant yarnRhubarb & ginger jam - made using this BBC Good Food recipeTrying on a toddler-sized cowl, to make sure it goes over the head. Made using this vintage pattern from EtsyHome made pesto, made with home grown basil. Eaten in front of Woolly Mammoth Fibre Company on YouTubeLearning to fill the holes left behind by the rewireBadger & Daisy are unimpressed with the state of affairs in the house at the momentGrape jelly, made with grapes grown by a family friend. Made using this BBC Good Food recipeI tried to find a photo of my over sized Grandad sweater. You can get an impression in this picture of how this would have been the perfect indoors sweater, but how it was really too big and long to easily wear under coats. I still feel a lot of sadness and shame, that I cut it up and botched it, so I lost this sentimental piece of my Grandad’s wardrobe. It will live on in my Hobbit Robe and I’m planning on knitting Sweater No 18 by My Favourite Things knitwear as a more wearable substitute.Wherever you are in the world, I hope June has treated you well. Happy Solstice and welcome to the second half of the year! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit craftandthrift.substack.com

Andrew took this photo for me, I love how the early evening sunlight catches the chivesIt’s been a little minute since I published a podcast, but join me in my greenhouse to listen to the rain and talk about how the garden is growing. I find it so hard to be a beginner at anything, there’s a lag between the vision in my head and the skills I need to achieve the vision, but I’m trying really hard to just enjoy the process and the journey with my plants. If you like knitting, sewing, thrifting & gardening, then Craft & Thrift is for you!In this episode I talk about my raised beds (inside and outside the greenhouse, plus the mega raised bed from the podcast episode below), my birthday blueberry bushes, starting a stumpery from the remains of a plum tree, and sourcing plants. I bought a selection of plants from a charity plant sale at the local botanical gardens, you can see my selection below. Mental note: write down the names next time, I can’t remember half of what I bought. Everything appears to be thriving though, for which I’m very grateful. I love the marigolds and salvia in particular.One of my favourite places for a snack, a cuppa and a book - in my greenhouseIt’s probably obvious, given I’m talking about the Chelsea Flower Show at one point, that I recorded this several weeks ago! We’ve been so busy with our house renovation that I haven’t had the creative bandwidth to edit and upload this podcast until now. I have been playing around with editing software though, so hopefully you enjoy the changes (mostly editing out an excessive amount of ‘umm’ noises). The audio quality sounds a bit fuzzy in the first few minutes but it’s actually rain in the background. I thought it would be a nice idea to record in the greenhouse in the rain, which makes for some lovely background noises at various points, but also makes it sound like there’s an issue with the audio in the first few minutes. I’m still a beginner at podcasting, as well as gardening…!My winter gourds are flowering!If you listened to the end, thank you as ever for your support of my little corner of the internet. I’ve got several draft posts waiting to be finished and published, so hopefully I’ll be dropping into your inbox sooner rather than later. In the meantime, may your sage flower and your strawberries be plentiful. Mine are getting munched by the slugs, but I don’t overly begrudge them, I’m just happy my strawbs are happy. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit craftandthrift.substack.com

A little departure from the norm today, as I chat about my current reads-in-progress. I’m trying to prioritise reading, as a way to spend less time on my phone. It’s as simple as taking my book downstairs in the morning, so it’s more to hand throughout the day when I want to sit for 5 minutes. It stops me reaching for my phone on autopilot.If you like sewing, knitting, gardening and other sustainable, handmade content, Craft & Thrift is for you!I’m pretty good these days at not mindlessly scrolling social media, I have a 30 minute timer set for Instagram and very rarely go over it. I just don’t find Instagram anywhere near as inspiring and joyful as I used to, which is naturally limiting how much time I want to spend on it anyway. I have far less motivation to post any more, especially since deciding to focus more on improving my writing. The Bare Minimum Artist’s Way has helped me recognise that I want to be a writer, not a content creator. I’ve definitely conflated the two in my head in the recent past. The problem with using social media to build a following, is you’re learning and practicing a lot of skills and techniques that aren’t necessarily then applicable to your ultimate goal. Of course there are transferrable skills, but there are also a lot of potentially time-wasting rabbit holes to provide distraction. Making reels is not quick! In the end, my aim isn’t to build a huge following on Instagram and then sell them stuff, as is the business model for so many influencers. I would like to earn some kind of living from writing, in whatever form that may take. It’s fun to make and watch reels, don’t get me wrong, I love and appreciate the creativity of others. But posting on social media is ultimately not serving my longer term goal of becoming a better writer, then being paid for that skill.I’ve read that having a large following on social media can help you when it comes time to finding a publisher for your work. It makes sense that having an online presence can help with discoverability. I’m not sure how to square that circle yet to be honest, do I need to maintain some kind of presence on Instagram or is it enough to be posting regularly on Substack? I don’t use Twitter, Facebook, Threads or any other form of social media, so will Instagram really make that much difference? Surely authors are published who have no or minimal presence on social media? These questions feel like I’m getting ahead of myself, you have to walk before you can run after all. The only way to become a better writer is to write, not to create video content.Back to the original topic of this podcast - my current reads. Another way to become a better writer is to read widely, and that’s something I can definitely prioritise right now.* Want by Gillian Anderson* A Court of Thorns and Roses series - currently reading A Court of Frost and Starlight* Persuasion by Jane Austen - reading alongside listening to Pod & PrejudiceI have a lot of thoughts on the fantasy smut genre (if that’s what it’s called) but I need to come back to that topic, once I’ve worked out some more coherent thoughts! In the meantime, enjoy your reading wherever you are. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit craftandthrift.substack.com

I’ve been talking a lot about raised beds recently, and you’ll be pleased to learn I think that period is nearly over! I built my last raised bed, the one in the greenhouse, last week, so now I’m focusing on filling and painting them. I’m sure I’ll mention them again in a future post, since I’ll be proudly showing off their new paint job (Cuprinol Garden Shades in ‘Urban Slate’ is our choice), plus the plants I choose, but in the short term it’s nice to have another big garden project mostly complete.I lifted the uneven slabs in the greenhouse, they made the greenhouse look unkempt. In so doing, I disturbed an ants’ nest, so I gave them time to disperse before I needed into that area to finish screwing the raised bed together. Turns out, if you kneel in a disturbed ants’ nest, even one that looks empty, they will get into your clothes and bite you. Luckily their bites were small and barely noticeable, but I still feel bad for them. And me. They’ve survived though, and taken up residence inside the raised bed, which is currently filled with a base layer of moss and straw. I hope they don’t mind when I fill the remaining couple of inches with compost.This is the blossom from the plum tree I talk about in this episode. It’s quite old I think, and doesn’t have a lot of blossom relative to the size of the tree, but I can still see it’s going to be an issue in the autumn trying to keep the dogs from eating the dropped plums. It’s also slowly bringing down the back fence, so unfortunately, once it’s bloomed we’re going to take it down and replace it with climbing plants instead.My daffodils are so pretty, and I’m very much enjoying bringing cut flowers into the house. I’m meeting a friend tonight and I’m going to take a bunch for her as well. It’s so lovely to be able to give flowers away, I definitely want to grow cut flowers this year and in the future. I’ve got yarrow seedlings in the greenhouse, borage in the raised bed, and cosmos in some of the garden beds, so we’ll see who survives and thrives. I’m also planning to plant marigolds in May.My Jazzy Rose sweet peas are coming along nicely, another week or two and I’ll be planting them out in the garden I think.I planted some nasturtium seeds in the long raised bed alongside the greenhouse, mixed in with leftover last year’s onion sets. The pigeons keep pulling the onions out, which is annoying, so I’ve mulched them with straw to help keep them hidden until they establish themselves. I have visions of the nasturtiums tumbling over the side of the raised bed later in the summer, I hope that comes to fruition!Basil, tomatoes, chillis, parsley and coriander are all doing well in the greenhouse. Once the raised bed in the greenhouse is filled with compost, I’ll be planting these little seedlings out. I’ve got an oregano in the external raised bed that is struggling, so I think I’ll move it into the greenhouse too. I’ll report back on their progress over the coming growing season!Another couple of links from this episode:* East Coast Organics* Vital Seeds* Jazzy Rose Flowers This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit craftandthrift.substack.com

Those who have been following my blog for a few years (love you!) will have heard me talk about the Hobbit Robe. I’ve mentioned it on and off in various newsletters and Instagram posts, but I’m finally on the home straight. The end is in sight and I’m so excited about the first morning I get to wake up, don my wool quilted Hobbit robe and take a turn about my garden (pipe optional).A few links I mention in this episode:* the original inspiration was from Ivy of the Sewlo Artist. You can see some of her dedicated content to the Hobbit robe here and here* Rachel of Minimalist Machinist for the crumb quilting. You can see examples here and here* Beth of Sew DIY has a Substack here: Beth Wood. The Improv Quilting class is here and the Tasi robe pattern is here* Deborah of Dastardly Line, who did the quilting for meI’ve only got ropey mirror selfies in artificial light so far, mostly because I want to save the good pictures for the big reveal! In the short term though, I wanted to give you a sneak peak and an idea of the finished garment. Those internal pockets will be made longer and a neckband is still to be added, plus the obvious side seams, cuffs and bottom hem to finish. But the end is in sight and I’m hopeful that within a month or so, I’ll be able to show the final piece. It feels like a work of wearable art, at the risk of sounding grandiose. Wearable art and personal history. I hope I’ll be wearing it for many years to come. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit craftandthrift.substack.com

I have had the loveliest, most calming and soul-soothing time in my garden this afternoon. The sun shone, the birds sang, and I quietly pottered between the greenhouse and the raised bed. As I write this, I’ve sown parsley, sunflowers, borage, winter squash and sweetpeas. It’s so delightful to have started to sow my own seeds, I’ve been dreaming of this moment for 20 years. I bought my seeds from a company called Vital Seeds, who produce their own seeds in the UK. According to a video I watched on Huw Richard’s YouTube channel, where the owners of Vital Seeds are interviewed about their principles and business, I should be able to collect seed from these plants and grow from them again next year.The sweetpeas are from Jazzy Rose Flowers, which is owned by Lisa Comfort, of Sew Over It fame. I followed a video on her Instagram as to how to germinate the seeds on the windowsill, before planting some today.The sunflowers are the variety ‘Hello’ and came free with my Gardener’s World magazine. My inner child is very excited to see how tall these grow. Fingers crossed they make it over the top of the fence, then I’ll be able to see them as I park my car on the driveway.From Vital Seeds I’ve planted:* Yarrow - Summer Berries* Borage* Winter squash - Desert Spirit Landrace* Parsley - Italian GiantI stole the picture above from the Vital Seeds website, but I really hope I get proper knobbly gourds in a variety of colours! I want to decorate with them in autumn, and then eat them over the winter.Most of the plants will be going into my raised bed, which is 95% finished! You can hear all about the construction in this episode, I’ve just got to paint it now.I’ll be writing or recording an update on the raised bed, about how I sealed it and filled it, plus my plans for what plants to grow. Here’s a spoiler picture though, of some of the plants being introduced to their new home.For now though, thank you for joining me on this episode recorded in my greenhouse! As ever, I very much appreciate you all for reading and listening to my content and I’ll see you again in a few days. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit craftandthrift.substack.com

Nothing grand of note to report in the podcast this week, other than some little updates on ongoing projects. I almost didn’t post a podcast episode, but there’s joy to be found in the little things, especially in these dark days. A few rows of knitting here, an hour spent in the garden there, for me these are the wee bitties that add up to peace, joy, and living a creatively fulfilled life.The Christmas cards are a dead giveaway that this is not a recent photo of the robin on the window feeder!The birds are busy in the garden, collecting nest material and raking through my bird feeders. I’m considering going down to Harbro (the animal feed warehouse) to buy bird seed by the 12kg bag. Am I ready to commit to feeding the birds in that volume? Or am I just deluding myself by repeatedly buying 500g bags of seed from the supermarket?I talk about my current knitting project, the PetiteKnit Barbara Balaclava. You can see my progress above, and my inspo pic from a recent Guardian Fashion Statement email newsletter. Knitting is one of the few areas of craft, where it can be cheaper to make your own, assuming you don’t factor in your time!The reason all the blankets in the house are ‘odiferous’, in the words of my mother-in-lawThe bulbs I planted back in November are flowering and I love seeing them from the windows of the house, even on cold wet days like today. I wanted to spend the day in the garden but it’s been raining sideways intermittently and it’s freezing cold. So instead I made myself a cuppa and settled in for some sewing. The slow cooker is on and gradually filling the house with warming, homely scents of dinner. The radiators are quietly clicking away, and the dogs are snoozing on the sofa after a short, chilly walk in the rain. I rather optimistically hung the laundry out on the line (I’m still so delighted to have a garden to dry washing) and it’s currently hanging damp and bedraggled, waiting for a break in the rain for me to retrieve it for the warmth of the Dry:Soon. But for now, I’m not leaving my cosy nook. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit craftandthrift.substack.com

If you follow me over on Notes, you may have seen a spoiler of my raised bed. It’s a bit of a beast, standing at 72cm high (roughly hip height on me), I’ve built it from decking planks and 2x2” timber. The aim is to be able to grow a variety of fruit and veggies, without the dogs charging through my plants or toileting in inappropriate places (Badger took to pooping on the rhubarb for a while there, sigh). I’m also hoping it will protect my back and knees over the coming years. Having spent a large amount of time weeding my gran’s veg beds over the last decade or so, I can attest that traditional height raised beds don’t necessarily protect your back, you still have to bend at an awkward angle to weed and plant.That’s the idea in theory, but I figure if it’s too tall in the long run, I can always remove the top decking board and cut the posts down to size. Tanya from the Lovely Greens (a very inspiring YouTube channel I would highly recommend if you’re into gardening and soap making) recommends sealing the inside of raised beds with silicone sealant, of the type used in vivariums and aquariums. This will apparently lengthen the lifespan of my raised beds significantly, whilst minimising the chemicals and microplastics that can leach into the soil from other methods of wood protection. I’m then planning on sealing the inside of the wood with linseed oil (similar to my compost bin) and the outside with Cuprinol garden shades, in the colour we’ll be picking to match the fence. The linseed oil and external painting have yet to be done, that’s the plan for my next set of days off.You can see from the picture above, taken just after we moved in, the garden hadn’t had much love in the recent past. The previous owner was very into growing veg, but hadn’t been physically capable of it for a while. The area where the raised bed is now, just in front of the greenhouse, was full of half-rotting rhubarb, old herbs growing wild, and bits of netting and plastic. In this photo, we were in the process of lifting all the gravel, hence the black plastic bags, pulling out all the rotten wood, and rescuing as many of the remaining plants before we laid turf.This was taken just after finishing laying the turf, less than a week after we moved in. We were on a bit of a deadline to get the turf down before it became too cold for it to survive. It was a mammoth task, but we managed it! I cleared all the rotten rhubarb leaves, finding some healthy looking rhubarb plants underneath, and moved the surviving herbs into other parts of the garden or into pots, whilst I decided where they would go next.And here we are today. It’s looking a bit chaotic because I’m mid-raised bed build. The pile of greens to the right of the image is chopped up holly tree, which will go into the bottom of the raised bed once I’ve treated the inside with linseed oil. The chopped logs on the patio table will either go into the raised bed or into a pile in a hedgerow in the front garden, to form a habitat for beetles and other insects. I’ve got 2 redcurrant bushes I’m hoping to replant behind the greenhouse, where they’ll get a lot of sunlight, and the remaining 3 pots of rhubarb in the bottom right will be either going to the next door neighbour, or back into the raised bed. It’s definitely a work in progress, but I’m getting there! The next step is to fill the raised bed, I had a metric tonne of topsoil delivered last week and I’m heading out at the weekend to collect horse manure to mix into the topsoil for added organic matter. And then the final, and most joyful step will be planting! This was on my Spring joy list and I’m so excited to almost be able to start.Thank you so much for listening to, and supporting my little podcast corner of the internet. I really appreciate you all for being here, for clicking like or leaving a comment. I hope wherever you are, you’re enjoying the spring weather (or autumn in the southern hemisphere!) and seeing signs of life appearing around you. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit craftandthrift.substack.com

Wearing the repaired sheepskin coat and Morgan jeans!I recorded a podcast last week about a sewing day I had planned with my bestie, who came to visit our new house for the first time last week. It was a lovely to see her, we went for a walk in Glen Affric, did a charity shop trawl and got coffee, and talked about house and garden plans for both of our new homes. We’re both in the renovation phase of life, so it was wonderful to be able to knit, sew, and dream about our future homes and gardens.I had a pile of mending and alterations I wanted to work through, including a sweatshirt needing a patch on the chest, a sheepskin coat needing a hole in the armpit repaired, a pair of jeans needing a new button, a pair of trousers needing taken up, and two half-finished Blackbird Fabrics Bestie bags to complete.I should have made myself a list before I started recording this podcast, because I realise now I forgot to talk about the sheepskin coat repair, which was arguably the most epic of the mends. This coat was gifted to me by my mother-in-law, having been her sister’s, then hers, and now mine. I think it dates from the 1980s, and I wore it a lot when she first gave it to me. It’s warm and thick, with the leather material acting as a wind barrier, as well as keeping out the cold. Sadly, after several winters of wearing it almost non-stop, it developed a large hole in the armpit so I was forced to retire it, lest the hole get bigger over time. A stitch in time and all that.At the time (I think this was early 2020 if I remember correctly), I didn’t feel able to repair this myself, so I took it to a tailor to get an opinion. This was just before lockdown I think, so I never went ahead with the repair, and the coat went into storage for the last 5yrs. Since then I’ve sewn a lot with leather, so felt more confident to affect this repair myself.I started by unpicking the armpit seam, then cut away the damaged piece of leather. I found some leather in my stash that was a decent match for colour (thank you to my parents’ old dining room chairs for the donation) and cut a pair of appropriately sized patches, with the intention to have one on the inside, one on the outside, with the coat material sandwiched in the middle. This would approximately match the weight of the sheepskin and stabilise the edges of the cut leather. I then planned to sew the armpit closed again, this time catching the patch in the seam.I cut the first patches too small, so had to try again with a larger pair. Sewing a neat square around the hole was easy, the tricky part was trying to sew the armpit closed again. I realised part of the seam had been topstitched, so after sewing it closed and realising it looked awful and puckered when worn, I unpicked my stitches and hand sewed the topstitched areas back down. I then machine sewed the underarm and ended up with a repair that, whilst not perfect, is close enough to be invisible to anyone not staring into my armpit.That repair took the majority of my mending time, meaning the rest of the repairs flew by. I talk about the others in the podcast, some are yet to be completed but I finished the machine sewing sections, and will spend some time on the sofa in front of Succession finishing off the hand sewing parts. It’s very satisfying to have most cleared my sewing to do list, so I can focus on some more exciting and joyful projects in the future!Some links from this episode:* My previous Morgan jeans, which got a new button* Bestie bags by Blackbird Fabrics Patterns* Angry Girls Club patch by AnnekeCaramin on Etsy, used to Amyify a sweatshirt passed down to me from Andrew* My Spring joy plans! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit craftandthrift.substack.com

This is a bit of an unstructured ramble (‘twas ever thus) about my upcoming sewing day with my bestie, and my project plans. I was trying to find a photo of my Closet Core Morgans and came across this picture, taken by Andrew, of me photographing - if I recall correctly - a caterpillar. I am however wearing the Morgans!All the links are at the end of this post, but my main aim is to finish off the two Bestie bags I have half-finished, plus take up a pair of trousers I recently thrifted. I forgot to mention this in the episode, but I also have a pile of mending I might try to work through, including sewing a chest patch onto a sweatshirt Andrew just downgraded to me. It’s not a colour I would normally wear but in an attempt to use what I’ve got, rather than over-complicating matters by needing to source Dylon at short notice, I’ve decided to sew a patch onto it and see whether I wear it in it’s current colour. I can always remove the patch and dye it in the future.I talk in this episode about a pair of Closet Core Morgan jeans I thought I had cut out…turns out I actually finished them and completely forgot. I put such faith in my smarts that it chills me to realise I’ve blanked on a whole project, but I finished these last summer when I was living with my in-laws. It was a stressful time for many reasons, so it’s not unsurprising that I’ve forgotten about these jeans. They were put aside because the button came off, so that will be a (hopefully) quick and easy repair.These are the Worker Trousers I talk about in this episode, you can see the zipper sag situation in some of the photos in that post. I’m keen to remake these jeans with a shorter rise, which I think might solve this issue. Or potentially combine the Workers and the Morgans. I don’t think I’ll get to this project during our sewing day, but I’m hoping this day will help me get back into the swing of sewing. Here are the links:* Closet Core Morgan jeans* Modern Sewing Company Worker trousers* Blackbird Fabrics Bestie bagI’ll let you know in a future post or episode how I get on! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit craftandthrift.substack.com

I stumbled across this idea, after reading and listening to Internet People. I recently picked up the Artist’s Way, a book by Julia Cameron about unlocking creative potential, and almost immediately became overwhelmed by the amount of work involved. Internet People are currently running a series on their podcast, where they’re attempting a bare minimum Artist’s Way. Each week they’re discussing a chapter in the book, with the intention to do as much or as little as speaks to them. It’s amazing how two strangers on the internet giving me permission to do the course at my own pace, in my own way, has suddenly rekindled my enthusiasm for the project. I want to learn more about my creativity, and use the exercises as a way of learning more about my writing style, but I was struggling with all-or-nothing thoughts that if I couldn’t do the book the way Julia laid out, then I shouldn’t do it at all. I’m now of the opinion that doing it at 50% capacity is still 50% more than I would be doing otherwise. I’m really looking forward to experimenting with my writing, using the prompts each week as a starting point. I’ll be sharing my thoughts here on the blog and podcast so I’m hoping you’ll enjoy this journey with me!Some links from this episode:* The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron - published in 1992, this book aims to help people harness their creativity through the medium of techniques and exercises designed to assist in gaining artistic self-confidence* Kris Atomic - narrowboat content* Internet People - the originators of the idea of the bare minimum Artist’s Way. A podcast and blog for smart, creative people who are chronically online* World of Books - second hand online book shop This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit craftandthrift.substack.com

Hello everybuddy! Thanks so much for listening and supporting my little podcast. And thank you so much to everyone who has contributed to my Buy me a Coffee. I got this lovely message recently, “listening to your podcast and reading your blog is like having a nice chat with a good friend”. That’s exactly the vibe I’m going for, I’m so glad it’s coming across! If you fancy contributing, there’s a link at the bottom of this newsletter.In this episode, we’re diving into the concept of Seasonal Joy Lists. This is an activity I was doing fairly regularly, around once a quarter for a couple of years, but it fell by the wayside last year when I moved house. Essentially, you pick a number of activities to do purely for joy (no productivity or to-do list items!) in the next few weeks or months (you pick the time frame) and then you make a concerted effort to make time and space to do them. You might have come across this concept framed as ‘Bucket Lists’ or similar, I prefer ‘joy list’ because it implies less…death, which is a bit of a joy buzzkill tbh. This is another episode inspired by the A Beautiful Mess girls, they talk about it on their podcast here, and have printables on their website here. I’ve never personally used their printables, but they look very pretty and it would be nice to have a physical copy on your fridge or in your office. I personally find writing and sharing my joy list items on my blog is a great way to hold myself accountable. It’s harder to procrastinate something I’ve announced I’ll do on the internet!I like to structure my joy lists around the seasons, partly so I can plan activities around the weather, and partly because a ‘season’ is roughly 12 weeks, which feels a manageable amount of time for planning.Looking back on the blog, my last seasonal joy list update was April of last year, talking about my Winter joy list. I never set a Spring list, because I got wrapped up in the process of selling our flat and moving city. It’s been a real emotional rollercoaster, the last 9-12 months, and I still feel a lot of grief and homesickness for our old lives in Edinburgh. As much as I’m loving our new house, and especially the garden, it takes time to settle into a new place. We were in Edinburgh for around 18 years, so in a way I’m not surprised I still miss it. I thought reviving the seasonal joy lists might be a nice way to make space for activities that have no productivity element, aren’t essential to house renovations or related to work in any way. I’m hoping to use them as a way of exploring my new environment, and making space for trips to places that are a bit more out of the way, or involve a degree of planning. I’m finding it very easy at the moment to spend all my free time stripping wallpaper, or digging my garden, both of which are enjoyable in their own ways, but are also on the productivity spectrum. I haven’t decided yet what I’ll be doing for my Spring list, but I’ll be blogging about it here when I’ve made plans! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit craftandthrift.substack.com

This is a slightly more introspective episode, in which I talk about my life or core values. This was inspired by a podcast episode from A Beautiful Mess, where Emma and Elsie, two sisters who are serial entrepreneurs, talk about their core values. These are the principles or guiding themes by which they live their lives. I thought it was a super interesting thought exercise, that you could examine in as much or little detail as you desire. You can reference these words again and again throughout your life, to make sure decisions you make are in line with the values you hold dear, and thus the life you want to lead.My core life values are:* Creativity - an obvious choice, given my blog and podcast topics! This is a value that I want to nurture and encourage in myself, I find my hobbies and interests a real source of strength and calm, and I’m forever grateful to be a person with many ways to occupy my time.* Curiosity - as I age, I want to stay open minded and curious, open to learning new things. I link this to relevancy, I want to learn about new trends and to understand the younger generations coming behind us, to be able to stay connected to the world as it changes over time.* Kindness - I’m trying to practice kindness to both myself and those around me. I can be quick to judge, which is not a trait I’m particularly proud of, and I’m hard on myself in a way I would never be to another person. Kindness is a trait I would like to encourage and practice more in myself.In this episode I also talk about Kris Atomic, whose YouTube about living on a narrowboat, is very gentle relaxing viewing. Thanks so much for listening! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit craftandthrift.substack.com

I recently went down a YouTube rabbit hole, emerging triumphant from the other end with the confidence to attempt to build a potting bench for my greenhouse. My ‘toxic trait’ as the kids say, is seeing someone do something on the internet, and assuming I can do the same. This time, I was watching Ana White, who lives in Alaska and builds her own furniture. She gives away free plans on her website, and her YouTube channel shows the step-by-step of how to assemble each project. She makes it all seem very achievable, talking as she builds about different methods you can try depending on what tools you own, and contemplating how someone doing a project by themselves might manage versus someone with a second pair of hands. In a YouTube world where DIY channels are often run by old, white, dudes making patronising and mildly misogynistic comments (“the missus is always getting at me for leaving the loo seat up but I’m not sitting down to pee” ), it’s refreshing to find a female-lead channel that is down to earth and to the point. There are no sexist asides about ‘erindoors, and the sound and video quality is generally good (another criticism of the sad dad brigade is their terrible videography skills, poor audio quality and general air of ‘that’ll do’ to their channels. And yet thousands subscribe, I don’t get it).Ana has dozens of plans on her website, I’ve already bookmarked the work bench, garage shelving, and Adirondack chairs. For this project, I wanted to use up scrap and remnant wood I had hanging around in the garage. There were leftovers from the compost bin (be sure to listen to that podcast episode!), pieces from broken furniture (the back board is the headboard of the previous owner’s bed), and flotsam washed up in the garage from our general renovation work. I also hoarded some hardware from our old flat, and made use of it on this bench in the form of hanging rails and hooks.As you can see, I had to Frankenstein some of these pieces together, to get the lengths I needed for the project. It’s sturdy enough for now, but it’ll be interesting to see how it fares over time. Someone on Instagram suggested raising it up off the soil to minimise the risk of the legs rotting, which is a great use for some broken paving slabs I found in the garden.The worried looking bearded man carving was left behind by the previous owners, in the wood store for the fireplace, if you can believe that. No wonder he looks worried. He has a German name inscribed on the back, but so far my googling hasn’t revealed much. Enjoy this photo of my slightly gormless-looking face, attempting to emulate his anxious expression. I hung him on the potting bench and I like that I can see him from the kitchen window. It feels like he’s bringing good garden and DIY vibes, and he reminds me of my Grandad John, who was also a gardening and woodworking enthusiast. I hope he’ll be very happy in my greenhouse.As ever, thank you for listening! I appreciate all your comments, likes, Buy me a Coffees, and DMs. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit craftandthrift.substack.com

I think this is the last of my goal related blog posts and podcasts for now! I know not everyone enjoys discussing goals and aims, it can feel like a stressful time of year with a constant narrative of self-improvement. I love goal setting, but I’m also bad for using previous goals as a stick with which to beat myself, if I don’t manage to achieve everything I set out to accomplish at the start of the year. These goals are more like gentle guidelines, to help keep me focused and on track. I’m easily distracted by what I perceive to be other people’s versions of success, thinking if I emulate their content, I’ll gain the same as them. It’s easy to forget, especially on social media, that what you perceive as overnight success, might actually have been the result of many years of hard work and consistency. If you listened to the end, dear friend, I would love some feedback from you. If you subscribe to a Patreon, Substack, or similar membership platform for a content creator, what encouraged you to do so? What do those creators offer you that tempted you to pay for their content?Equally, if you don’t pay for any subscriptions, what are the barriers preventing you?Thank you for your thoughts and feedback! You can pop them in a comment, or send me a DM. I very much appreciate all your observations, positive or otherwise! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit craftandthrift.substack.com

I love this time of year for goal setting, I’ve already written one blog post about my sewing goals for 2025, and here is the audio form for my knitting plans! This year, I want to try to be more intentional with my knitting, purposefully picking projects based on things I would like to wear or yarn I would like to use, rather than magpie-esque jumping on the newest shiny thing, be it thrifted yarn or the latest pattern release.The Sophie Shawl above, is one of my lingering 2024 projects I want to finish. Wearing it for this picture definitely motivated me to get it done, it’s so soft and warm, and I love the colour.The enormous gifted aran sweater I’m frogging and reknitting, as a gift from my friend Rachel, is below. I should have plenty of yarn for a sweater for myself, plus extra. I’m planning on holding the yarn double with Drops Kidsilk.The experimental glove, made with leftover tapestry yarn from my Heirloom Quilt Cardi, is below. You can see the ridiculously short pinkie finger! Trying it on for this photo reaffirmed my belief that I used the wrong weight of yarn, so I won’t waste any more time or headspace on this project, I’ll likely frog it. I do like the general idea and colours though, they remind me of Minimalist Machinist’s Fool(ish) sweater, made with autumnal coloured scraps. Perhaps I’ll try one of my own some day?The final version of the brown cable knit sweater I talk about in this episode. Annoyingly, looking back on photos, I found one from when I had cropped the length of the body, but not the sleeves, and in retrospect the sleeves were fine full length. I don’t know why past-Amy couldn’t see that, I think I was so far down the rabbit hole with this project that I couldn’t see the wood for the trees. The learning point from revisiting this project, is that sometimes packing something away for a period of ‘time out’, is no bad thing to stop yourself doing something you’ll regret later! Anyway, the end result is a totally wearable sweater, even if it wasn’t what I had originally intended when I set out to knit this project.And here’s the original green cable sweater, from back in 2016 (when I had a lot more hair!). You can see how much longer the sleeves and body length are in the original version.In this episode I mention the following patterns and yarns:* PetiteKnit Holiday slipover/vest* Aran sweater options:* PetiteKnit Moby sweater* PetiteKnit Storm sweater* My Favourite Things Sweater no. 18'* Woolly Mammoth Fibre CompanyI hope you all enjoy this episode, and, as ever, thank you so much for listening! I’ll be back next week with my blog goals for 2025. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit craftandthrift.substack.com

Back in 2020, at the height of lockdown, I completed the Love to Sew Podcast ‘Create your Dream Wardrobe’ booklet. It was an illuminating process, that happened to fall at the same time as Me Made May. Andrew helped me document my outfits during that period, and through that process, I realised a lot of my wardrobe wasn’t serving me. Taking some time to really think deeply about my sartorial values, culling the items that weren’t ‘me’ any more (or never had been!), and fully developing a sense of style, was invaluable time well spent. My style words I chose for myself were ‘androgynous’, ‘practical’, and ‘stylish’, and nearly 5yrs later I feel those words still work for me. The colour palate I chose for myself at the time (navy blue, forest green, white, brown, and burgundy) are still my preferred palate. I try to ensure everything I buy, thrift or make fits these values and colours. It’s all a journey, with no defined endpoint, so I have no doubt my style will continue to evolve and change, as I evolve and change as a person. Through this process, I allowed myself to acknowledge that I enjoy clothes, style, and fashion. I’ve read Vogue since I was in my early 20s, I follow a plethora of style influencers, I read books about personal style, and listen to podcasts about fashion. Yet I had never acknowledged to myself that enjoyment, it always felt ‘frivolous’, like I should be thinking and caring about ‘more important’ things.Anyway, I hope you enjoy this episode! I would love to know if you have style values, and how you came about them, so drop me a line in the comments.The links:* Love to Sew Podcast* Create your Dream Wardrobe* Zoe Edwards of So Zo Blog and creator of Me Made May* Check your Thread Podcast* A Beautiful Mess This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit craftandthrift.substack.com

This episode is a slight departure from my normal content, but still in the realms of handicrafts, in the sense of building things with your hands. I was lucky to grow up with a DIY Dad, an experience I didn’t value at the time, trailing bored behind my parents in Wickes on a Saturday afternoon. I spent many dull teenage hours, handing tools to my Dad as he crawled under floorboards, or holding the end of planks of wood as he sawed away in the perpetually freezing garage. At the time I couldn’t wait to be released from my familial duties, but now I look back on that those memories with fondness, and realise the value of the confidence and skills it equipped me with for my adult life.I have been looking forward to my garden era for around 20 years now, and I’m so delighted to be finally here. One of my biggest sources of excitement is…wait for it…to be finally able to compost. That’s right, yer girl’s a dork.The concept of composting is so perfectly true to my environmental values. To be able to take literal waste, and recycle it into something useful, all whilst saving money on buying your own compost, is just so amazing. Homemade compost helps support the soil, and all the amazing organisms that live within that medium, which in turn helps support your fruits and veggies. It’s a win all round.I knew I didn’t want a traditional plastic compost bin, and Andrew requested a bin that looks aesthetically pleasing. I figured this would be a good opportunity to flex my limited DIY expertise, and learn some new skills in the process. Armed with my new mitre saw, and power drill, I have set to work. The above photo is my progress so far, I’ve still got the front and lid to build, then the whole thing gets painted with linseed oil. I’m really happy with how it looks so far, it’s a combination of 2 x 2” wood for the uprights, and shiplap for the sides. It’s going to look quite smart I think.If you’re interested in this sterling content, listen on! I also have a mild rant about sexism at the gym, and in similar male-dominated spaces, like the timber yard or DIY store.I bought the plans for this compost bin from Easy Plans Woodwork on Etsy This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit craftandthrift.substack.com

Thanks so much to everyone who listened and commented on my last podcast episode, I really appreciate all your support!This episode is slightly longer, talking about my current main two knitting works in progress. The associated blog post is going to morph into a ‘show notes’ structure, because Substack auto-publishes the podcast to Spotify, and the blog post I wrote last time looked a bit odd over on Spotify. My Sunday blog posts will stay the same though!View down the River Ness on my walk, whilst recording this episodeHere are the links for the patterns and blogs I discuss in this episode:* Heirloom Quilt Cardigan by Katryn Seeburger* Sophie Shawl by PetiteKnit* Louise Tilbrook* Bestie bag from Blackbird Fabrics* Drops Kidsilk from Knitted Home* Drops Alpaca from Knitted Home* Nutiden yarnMy previous blog posts about the Heirloom Quilt Cardigan are here:And my previous blog post about the Sophie Scarf is here:In this podcast episode, I mention stopping to take a photo and you can see the view down the Ness above. Below is a fallen tree trunk that someone in the past has created into a snake or monster, writhing it’s way out of the river. It’s a jolly, if slightly concerned, looking beast. It gives me the impression of having appeared from the watery depths to tell you there’s spinach in your teeth.Here’s a photo of the vintage Japanese yarn, held double with the Drops Kidsilk mohair. Writing and talking about this project has got me excited to finally finish it!I hope you enjoy this episode, as ever I’m keen to hear your thoughts on this new format for Craft & Thrift, so feel free to leave me a comment! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit craftandthrift.substack.com