I hope you're able to enjoy all the summer fruit that's around at the moment. :-)
Thursday, 19 June 2014
Fruity!
One of the reasons I like this time of year is that every day when I pop out into the garden, there's something to pick. We've been enjoying the first of our broad beans, but what the kids get really excited about is the fruit. Our garden's north facing, so it's a little behind other people's, but finally the strawberries are starting to ripen, and so are the redcurrants.With five hungry people in the house, the strawberries don't last very long once they're picked, but I'm freezing the redcurrants, and once I've got a good sized batch I'll be turning them into jam, or adding them to crumbles.
Wednesday, 18 June 2014
Felting And Space Exploration - Well, There's A Combination...
Last week, I turned over the page of our family calendar to find that at some point in the fairly recent past, I had allocated myself an afternoon at one of my favourite craft suppliers. I had a few other things to do, but I'd written it on the calendar, so it followed that the visit must take place. Of course.
Wingham Wool Work, in Wentworth (how alliterative) near Rotherham, is a fantastic place if you're at all interested in making anything from wool. They stock a huge range of materials and supplies for spinning and felting, as well as some of their own spun yarns for knitting and weaving, and some beautiful yarns made from such things as recycled sari silk. There's always something new and interesting to buy and experiment with. They also run workshops and textile groups, which I'd love to be able to attend but my current schedule prevents me.
Given that it's a bit like letting a child loose in a sweet shop, and I'm mindful that I could spend an awful lot of money there, I just take cash and restrict myself to a set amount. I also try to figure out what exactly I want to make, so I have an idea of what I want to buy. If I go without at least a loose plan in mind, I find myself completely floored by the choice of colours and fibres. Last week, I went looking for bright coloured wool to turn into felt for bunting. And here's the finished bunting, made from the felted wool:
It cost well under ten pounds to make, and it looks really eyecatching in the window.
I had a few scraps left over, so I made this very fetching corsage, too:
This was simply made from a (roughly) triangular piece, which I rolled up and needlefelted into shape at the back.
If you fancy visiting Wingham Wool Work, they're open on Sunday and Monday afternoons. You can order from them online, too. Visit their website for more details: www.winghamwoolwork.co.uk .
Exploring Space
I heard about a really interesting project on the radio yesterday: it's called Galaxy Zoo, and it's an opportunity to help scientists to study the billions of galaxies photographed by deep space telescopes. The project was started in 2007, with astronomers wanting to get people involved in working through the masses of data accumulated by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. Over a million people have since signed up to help classify the different types of galaxies out there in the observable universe, and last night my nine year old and I registered to do it. It's very simple, fascinating and exciting to think that you're contributing to scientific research. Schools can get involved, too. Check out the website if you're interested: www.galaxyzoo.org .
Wingham Wool Work, in Wentworth (how alliterative) near Rotherham, is a fantastic place if you're at all interested in making anything from wool. They stock a huge range of materials and supplies for spinning and felting, as well as some of their own spun yarns for knitting and weaving, and some beautiful yarns made from such things as recycled sari silk. There's always something new and interesting to buy and experiment with. They also run workshops and textile groups, which I'd love to be able to attend but my current schedule prevents me.
Given that it's a bit like letting a child loose in a sweet shop, and I'm mindful that I could spend an awful lot of money there, I just take cash and restrict myself to a set amount. I also try to figure out what exactly I want to make, so I have an idea of what I want to buy. If I go without at least a loose plan in mind, I find myself completely floored by the choice of colours and fibres. Last week, I went looking for bright coloured wool to turn into felt for bunting. And here's the finished bunting, made from the felted wool:
It cost well under ten pounds to make, and it looks really eyecatching in the window.
I had a few scraps left over, so I made this very fetching corsage, too:
This was simply made from a (roughly) triangular piece, which I rolled up and needlefelted into shape at the back.
If you fancy visiting Wingham Wool Work, they're open on Sunday and Monday afternoons. You can order from them online, too. Visit their website for more details: www.winghamwoolwork.co.uk .
Exploring Space
I heard about a really interesting project on the radio yesterday: it's called Galaxy Zoo, and it's an opportunity to help scientists to study the billions of galaxies photographed by deep space telescopes. The project was started in 2007, with astronomers wanting to get people involved in working through the masses of data accumulated by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. Over a million people have since signed up to help classify the different types of galaxies out there in the observable universe, and last night my nine year old and I registered to do it. It's very simple, fascinating and exciting to think that you're contributing to scientific research. Schools can get involved, too. Check out the website if you're interested: www.galaxyzoo.org .
Tuesday, 10 June 2014
The Great Not-Using-Any-Shampoo Experiment
I've had a lot of people asking me about this lately, so I thought I'd share my forays into the world of experimental hair washing with the wider world. Lucky you.
Since moving to Sheffield a decade ago, I'd struggled to make my curly hair look like anything other than a frizzy haystack on top of my head. I don't know what's in South Yorkshire water, but it doesn't like my hair. I spent a fortune on products which got rid of the frizz but left my hair all floppy and limp. I don't spend a whole lot of time in front of the mirror, but I like to go out looking at least halfway decent if at all possible. In the end, I resorted to having my hair cut into the shortest crop I could get away with. The thing about shampoo is that while it does clean hair, it also strips it of its natural moisture. Curly hair tends to be pretty dry anyway, so using shampoo really doesn't help. Adding products to counteract the drying effect is expensive, and I'm not too keen on loading my body up with synthetic substances either.
Last year, I read about going shampoo free and using bicarbonate of soda to wash my hair instead. And goodness me, I have my curls back! I've grown my hair a little longer, and it now holds its style rather than drooping. It doesn't smell (in case you were wondering), and I don't have to wash it every day. People have commented on how good it looks, and then looked at me very oddly when I tell them what I'm using. My hairdresser thinks I'm crazy, but she's been impressed by how healthy my hair looks now. Two of my children have been quite happy to use bicarb as well - this is especially good for my youngest, who has very sensitive skin, and whose eczema flares up far less since we gave up the shampoo. I'm yet to persuade number two child and my (thin-on-top) husband of the benefits, but it's just a matter of time...
It's a pretty straightforward thing to ditch the 'poo, but there are a few things to bear in mind. First, you may need to give your hair a bit of time to get used to the new regime. I had no problems to begin with (like I said, my hair's pretty dry), but others who go shampoo free report greasier hair initially as the scalp's natural oil production settles down - after all, you're not stripping your hair and scalp of everything any more. Secondly, you may need to experiment a bit with quantities of bicarb. I have an old 150ml moisturiser bottle, to which I add about a teaspoon and a half of bicarb. I then fill it up with water and give it a good shake. I use a few squirts of this each time I wash my hair. I have to shake it up each time I use it. Trial and error has taught me that for my hair, this is about the right amount of bicarb to water - I don't know why exactly, but when I add too much, my hair goes very frizzy and even more uncontrollable than usual. Thirdly, you may need to change how you use styling products. Because I've found that my hair doesn't need persuading to behave quite so much since dropping the shampoo, I've needed far less in the way of stuff to tame it. I'm looking into what I can use as an alternative to shop-bought sea salt spray at the moment, but for now a few squirts is all I need to finish things off when my hair's damp. I've read that some folks like to rinse with cider vinegar, which makes hair shiny, but I haven't so far.
That's about all there is to it, really. The only other thing you'll need is a well-rehearsed explanation when people ask you why your hair looks so great.
Since moving to Sheffield a decade ago, I'd struggled to make my curly hair look like anything other than a frizzy haystack on top of my head. I don't know what's in South Yorkshire water, but it doesn't like my hair. I spent a fortune on products which got rid of the frizz but left my hair all floppy and limp. I don't spend a whole lot of time in front of the mirror, but I like to go out looking at least halfway decent if at all possible. In the end, I resorted to having my hair cut into the shortest crop I could get away with. The thing about shampoo is that while it does clean hair, it also strips it of its natural moisture. Curly hair tends to be pretty dry anyway, so using shampoo really doesn't help. Adding products to counteract the drying effect is expensive, and I'm not too keen on loading my body up with synthetic substances either.
Last year, I read about going shampoo free and using bicarbonate of soda to wash my hair instead. And goodness me, I have my curls back! I've grown my hair a little longer, and it now holds its style rather than drooping. It doesn't smell (in case you were wondering), and I don't have to wash it every day. People have commented on how good it looks, and then looked at me very oddly when I tell them what I'm using. My hairdresser thinks I'm crazy, but she's been impressed by how healthy my hair looks now. Two of my children have been quite happy to use bicarb as well - this is especially good for my youngest, who has very sensitive skin, and whose eczema flares up far less since we gave up the shampoo. I'm yet to persuade number two child and my (thin-on-top) husband of the benefits, but it's just a matter of time...
It's a pretty straightforward thing to ditch the 'poo, but there are a few things to bear in mind. First, you may need to give your hair a bit of time to get used to the new regime. I had no problems to begin with (like I said, my hair's pretty dry), but others who go shampoo free report greasier hair initially as the scalp's natural oil production settles down - after all, you're not stripping your hair and scalp of everything any more. Secondly, you may need to experiment a bit with quantities of bicarb. I have an old 150ml moisturiser bottle, to which I add about a teaspoon and a half of bicarb. I then fill it up with water and give it a good shake. I use a few squirts of this each time I wash my hair. I have to shake it up each time I use it. Trial and error has taught me that for my hair, this is about the right amount of bicarb to water - I don't know why exactly, but when I add too much, my hair goes very frizzy and even more uncontrollable than usual. Thirdly, you may need to change how you use styling products. Because I've found that my hair doesn't need persuading to behave quite so much since dropping the shampoo, I've needed far less in the way of stuff to tame it. I'm looking into what I can use as an alternative to shop-bought sea salt spray at the moment, but for now a few squirts is all I need to finish things off when my hair's damp. I've read that some folks like to rinse with cider vinegar, which makes hair shiny, but I haven't so far.
That's about all there is to it, really. The only other thing you'll need is a well-rehearsed explanation when people ask you why your hair looks so great.
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