Category Archives: Crafts

Back in my shed

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I haven’t been inside my little craft shed since before Christmas and in my absence it has managed to fall to pieces.  The roof is leaking and the rain has done damage.  I am very upset, well, more cross with myself and well aware I should’ve checked it more regularly.

So, feeling rather like a neglectful parent, I took all the pictures off the wall and put them to dry, did some tidying up,  proper polished (beeswax and two clothes-type) the nice furniture and then dug out a dehumidifier and my little greenhouse heater, knowing full well they should’ve been in there working all along in my absence.

The dead plants probably don’t help much either.  I even managed to kill the most unkillable plant ever – wood sorrel, now totally dead and growing mould.

Later this afternoon, I decided I would have a stab (see what I did there, geddit?) at making one of my hand-felted sheep out of Shetland wool.

But first I had to finish my Christmas Lego model.  Ta da!

Pepper came too and made the heater her own, as per usual.

Two hours’ later, one finished sheep.  Ready to be sold.  Does my back/arm/leg/neck hurt afterwards?  A bit, but I think I’ve just got to get back on with things otherwise everything else will fall to bits around me.

To Infinity And Beyond…..

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I know that my sheep are living in far-flung places, like Australia, Japan, America, etc but I have one very special sheep who lives on my friend’s desk at NASA, Houston.  How cool is that?  Seriously cool.

Alan McDougal and his wonderful wife, Steph, are excellent friends who visit us in Shetland – they’ve been twice.

Alan works as EHP S&MA Associate Manager for NASA.

“The long version is, get ready for it: extra-vehicular activity and human surface mobility program, safety and mission assurance associate manager. Mostly I run the Safety reviews for our new moon jeep and moon RV.”

But, anyway, Alan and Steph bought many of my felted Shetland sheep to give away as presents from their holidays, keeping one special one for themselves.

© Alan McDougal

And my little sheep goes with Alan to some very exciting locations like….

“The Apollo pad itself’

© Alan McDougal

“This plaque is mounted on the Apollo pad.”

© Alan McDougal

“The picture with the launch tower in the background is also taken at the Apollo 1 site just looking off into the distance where another launch tower is.”

© Alan McDougal

“The one with Orion was at the KSC facility where they assemble Orion. The capsule for Artemis 2 that we’re trying to launch (just rolled the back due to rocket issues) was being assembled just behind the walls there.”

© Alan McDougal

And then there are the important space meetings too because you should have always have a sheep there (it’s probably mandatory) .

© Alan McDougal

So I am very proud of my little NASA sheepie and every time I see another superb photo from Alan of his travels I say quietly to myself “to infinity and beyond”.

(not gonna lie, I’m sure it is all just playing with Lego reallly!)

© Alan McDougal

To the Clickimin Craft Fair 2025

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My Saturday afternoon is usually spent playing flute duets with Mandy so we went to the Clickimin Craft Fair instead, which is another of our annual traditions. We both like a good craft fair, we do.

Although nicely busy, we wandered easily around looking at all stalls.  I did some Christmas shopping, took photographs, saw old friends and generally had a very good time. I had to keep reminding myself I was buying for friends and family and not myself.

I am a bit craft fair’ed out now, read exhausted, so I think I will just leave all these photos here and you can enjoy the craft fair too.

And what I take away from going today, apart from buying Lovely Things, is that the amount of creative talent in Shetland is absolutely outstanding. For such a small place, there is a wealth of innovation and artistry.

Buy local is my Christmas motto (and also I need a cup of tea, please!)

   

A Change of Scenery

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I had a change of scenery today.  No going through photos and making sheep for me.

Obviously, I had to do all my morning chores first.

But, as I had lots to do, I decided to go without breakfast and drove off.  I also didn’t take Pepper. Too much like hard work.

But I did remember my shopping list – ✅ (as well as photographing it in case I lost the original!)

And off I went to Lerwick to meet up with a friend who was having her car windscreen sorted.

We did some Christmas shopping – I know, I know, I am very early but I like to work like this, chipping away in little bits rather than one huge shock to the system.

I can’t say I was in a very festive mood and the shop windows were still in autumn bonfire/Halloween mood.  Great knitted pumpkins, though.

More of my felted sheep were needed at Jamieson’s, so I dropped off a bag and rearranged their field as well.  Apparently there’s a cruise ship in tomorrow so hopefully some of these little chaps will find new homes.

And then my friend and I went to Pete’s Café for lunch.  Yum. It was very good and very welcome. I was hungry by then (no breakfast, remember).

I managed to do all my messages and even bought a few stocking fillers and one Christmas present.

Suddenly a switch flipped in my head and I realised I was suddenly fed up with “city life”, and wanted to get home.

I drove home to take up my usual late afternoon chores – poo pick, hens and ducks to bed, sheep coming home.

I love the thought of going to town and then suddenly I don’t and I want to be at home.

Happy Days

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My blog fight continues.  My Chief Administrator, the ever-helpful-nothing-is-too-much Nick Miners has successfully turned the clock back and I am back to my happy Luddite state of the Classic WordPress set up.  No updates, no more blocks (what even is a block?) and I am in familiar territory. Phew.

But the question was raised – what if I moved from WordPress, which is, for me, becoming increasingly more complicated and unhelpful, to Squarespace or Wix.  It is certainly a thought and one I am now entertaining.

So,as the wind was blowing a hoolie all day, I thought I would spend a part of it productively.

Accompanied by the “Soshul-Medjah” Terrier, we went into my shed armed with my laptop trying to work out if I could use SquareSpace without too much difficulty.  I like to tell myself it was not 3 hours of my life wasted and that I can do this. I might get to love SquareSpace but I am back to those unhelpful blocks again.  My jury is still out on this one. I haven’t investigated Wix yet.

But good news – hopefully due to the time travel, all the email subscriptions are back. Let me know if you are still not receiving the blog using this method and I will alert Nick (and please go and look at his website – gorgeous architectural and interiors photography).

In other good news, Madge seems very happy and settled without her mother, Edna.  I never thought this would happen and had been worrying unnecessarily, as I now realise, that she would live in a state of panic and grief.

But nope, Madge appears calm (for her) and even comes up to take biccies from me.  She is not looking or shouting for her mother, which she has done for the last 5 years if Edna was out of eye-sight.  I am greatly relieved for her.

The others are oblivious to the loss of Edna from their flock, which is good.  When animals grieve, it is always so desperate.

And back into my shed for commissions.  Shout if you want one/two/three/four……