life moves on...

So Knit 1 Bike 1 is a success! The book has been published (get your copy at www.createwithfibre.co.uk ) the exhibition opens 14th oct 2016  at the borders textile tower house in hawick, Scottish borders. Being away for ten weeks alone and by cycle changed so much and things have been changing ever since.

We have been de-cluttering and i realised how important it is that i grow food. So this summer we grew lots of it and had many WWOOFers (volunteers with worldwide opportunites on organic farms). Not that we have a farm, but seriously growing veg in a suburban, vertically challenged garden qualified us as wwoof hosts.

 I am focusing on what is important. It can be hard to figure out what that is and has taken a year to re-focus and figure it out.  Change is hard.  Turns out i want to live on a lot less again and to work part time so that i can get out on the bike more. We did that when getting out of debt but our motivation was less thereafter.  Now it is more again and it feels good.

So here is our progress to date:

• Hubby has sold a lot of tools etc from the garage. Loads more space
• We have had gardening volunteers and grown lots of food.
• We have sold the caravan and a vehicle and vehicle a campervan
• My tiny studio space now has amazing shelving and space to actually work in
• I have been steadily assessing my clothes and have even less than before
• I bought some additional,  very lightweight camping gear including a stove 
• Create With Fibre has grown and i have help with admin etc
• Our daughter is assistant weaver
• Hubby re-designed the website and has helped with the business too
• we decided to stay put after years of wondering whether to move house
• This has led us to become more engaged with the area where we live
• And the ongoing project is to simplify still further

And here's the big news - 

We have decided to offer simplicity and downsizing mentoring and to have people stay at our home for workshops and retreats. They will be bespoke and we hope it will often be just a couple of people coming to see what we do. So if that is you and you want some help to re-design your life, get out debt, and look at work- life balance, get in touch mail@createwithfibre.co.uk 

gardening and foraging

We have a shiny new gardeners n foragers group. Right here in our village and folks ha e travelled from elsewhwere. So i got to go on my first coastal forage in the dead of winter. It was so cold i ended up wearing two coats. And who knew all coastal seaweed was edible? Pick it with scissors to leave the 'roots' and pick a little of each not all of it of course.  And sea buckthorn has squishy orange berries full of vitamin C.  Scoop them off the branches n they implode. Suck up resultant yummy mess.  So at home i soaked the seaweed and cooked some of it briefly. Some was left raw. All was then dehydrated.  I made seaweed powder and also left some whole. Great in stews etc. And the sandhoppers ard edible too...