These City Days

Needle felting has to be one of the most satisfying crafts out there, I mean who wouldn't want to release some pent up frustration by stabbing a needle into some wool and ending up with something pretty. It's a craft I am fairly new to though, so I have gone through all the thoughts on where to start, what is worth buying when I'm not sure if I will like the craft and want to do lots of it etc. So I thought I'd do some blogs on my experiences so far, a few things I have since invested in and would recommend, and some other bits that will help out anyone thinking of giving it a go.  What is needle felt? Needle felting is very much like the name sounds, the action of stabbing a needle into felting wool fibres, and you'll either build something up freehand, or around a polystyrene shape. I've also seen video of felters pushing fibres into cookie cutters and making a shape to felt together that way. This is called dry felting. There is also wet felting which uses wa

I apologise now for any or all mentions of the word Christmas in this blog post, but with a lot going on in life and work I just have to go with whatever calls to me in my reading pile, which this time was The Christmas Holiday by Phillipa Ashley.  Released last year, this book will always have a special place in my bookish heart because I helped with some crafting inspiration for it, and to see my name in the credits of this paperback is something I will always treasure. I was so excited to see how and where my ideas were used, but managed to control my impatience and not skip any pages. Although I have been a member of Phillipa's Facebook group for a while, this is my first read of hers  (have another in my reading pile) so I opened this book with a mix of anticipation and a slight fear of the unknown - I really wanted to love the book I helped with! And love it I did. It made a refreshing change to read a novel set in the Lake District, and also one which wasn't just a stere