SlowCraft Blog

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

Learn to Knit

Artificial intelligence or 'AI', for many of us, is the stuff of science fiction books and movies. For our children and grandchildren, it is a current reality.
Browsing social media I had joined a group called ‘Beginners Knitting’, it’s a large group of people made up of mainly US and UK knitting enthusiasts and is exactly as you would expect. People asking lots of questions about getting started with knitting and showing pictures of mistakes and WIPS they are looking for feedback on.
One member then posted that free patterns were now easy to find as they had asked ‘ChatGPT’ and had got a simple kntting pattern, that to them as a beginner seemed to be working very well...

The Local Yarn: Weaving Community and Craft Together

Small Business

Running a creative small business could be seen at its base, as an act of defiance. It rarely starts with this, but I think all small business owners eventually recognise this feeling. Any arts and craft retail business of course starts with idealism. Thoughts of independence and carving out ‘spaces’ to allow creativity to blossom. Money isn’t the end goal (of course it is), because the money will come as a by-product of ‘building community’ (it’s not and it doesn’t)

The Importance of Doing Nothing

mindfulness

One of the greatest achievements over Christmas was knitting a tension square in DK with 4.5mm needles. A fairly standard knitting task, but for me it was a milestone. I was pleased that I found the flow to quickly move from casting-on to stocking stitch. I was completely unaware of the time that had passed or even how many rows I was on, when I noticed my rows of knitting curling up. Tilde told me this was common and suggested I switch to alternate stitch such as a broken rib. What might have been a bit of a challenge was in fact just a new route to go down, to enjoy the new rhythm and watch the texture appear in my rows.

AI Image based on the pre raphaelite painting Flaming June. A women in an orange dress lies in a landscape holding a glass of wine and surrounded by balls of yarn and painting materials

The Importance of Being Bored

mindfulness

New Year resolutions still feel important to me. It’s a bit unfashionable as we are overrun with wellness and self-improvement articles at this time of year which so often read as guilt trips that you are not having ice-baths and running marathons. But still, I persist each year with my precarious tower of minor ambitions. My resolution ‘process’ has now evolved into an over complex to-do list for the year. I am a bit of a nerd and very visual, so I draw with felt tips on an A3 sketch pad colourful statements in pretty colours. ‘DO this!’ ‘ENJOY More!’ ‘STOP being SAD!’

AI image of a frosted window looking through into a christmas party, decorations, bokeh lights and roaring fire, people have a good time.

Ghosts of Christmas Craft

Small Business

Spending too much time on social media I caught a joke, that the true nature of Christmas was unruly ghosts terrifying your boss into paying you more money.

As one half of a small business, and working a corporate job at the same time, it tickled me. Dickens pervades my view of ‘what Christmas should be’. The Victorian ideal of roaring fires, heaving tables of food, and perfectly decorated trees, with mournful ghosts hovering around as we all have a great time. Oddly, in this dream I am often outside looking in at this ideal Christmas.

What is Sustainable Yarn

Sustainability

Crafters and yarn enthusiasts tend to be inherently environmentally friendly. Not only as we broadly share a ‘make do and mend’ mindset, but that making something lovely from scratch with natural fibres and quality materials, is keeping alive traditional methods and learning to make the best use and re-use of materials. Crafting then is most definitely an excellent start to being ‘eco-friendly’ (of which more later) though unfortunately not what is meant by ‘sustainable’.

The Real Therapeutic Benefits of Knitting

mindfulness

There is unlikely to be a crafter who does not view knitting and crochet as their ‘own time’, a moment they steal to themselves amidst their daily tumult.

People often tell me this when I mention that I am learning to knit and we always agree that it is ‘very good for us’ and I imagine us in The Steamie, wagging our fingers and nodding our heads at each other with that gentle chiding tone of ‘you must get yer knitting time in!..its good fur ye!’

Embracing Slowcraft: The Art and Soul of Knitting

Small Business

Knitting and Writing About a year ago, I thought I would start a blog and send it out as an email newsletter. It would be a regular way to chronicl...

Why we are not doing a normal 'Black Friday'

Small Business

We love a sale and have updated our sale collection with lots of new discounts, but Black Friday is not what we are about.

What is The Orry Mill?

Small Business

The Orry Mill was started to share our love of crafting and colour with the local community. The shop was to be more than a retail outlet, a place to visit and spend time in, to leave having learned something new, or to have found something that inspired you just a little bit.

Orry Mill Newsletter