by Daniel Howell | May 16, 2020
We talk about a variety of fun topics in this episode including yurt building (and touch on some other traditional/natural building techniques), managing a coppiced hardwood forest, English green woodworking, and traditional lime wash and lime production in the UK.
Alex and his wife Selene run Little Foot Yurts, which produces handmade, coppice wood yurts up in Nova Scotia, Canada and he was gracious enough to come on and chat for awhile about how they build their yurts, additional natural building techniques/methods, and various other traditional skills he has experience with.
Great chat, enjoy!
Resources Mentioned
Little Foot Yurts — Alex and Selene’s website
The Green Gathering Festival — Held in Wales at the end of July
The Roundhouse Project
Museum of Welsh Life (St Fagans National Museum)
The Deanery Project — A lot of focus on natural building, Kim Thompson is the executive director. We talked about Kim in relation to various straw bale building stuff so I thought I would put a link to her work, but didn’t see a website for her specifically so I included this one.
simondale.net/hobbit — The “hobbit house” Alex mentioned. This is also the same as beingsomewhere.net (the second link goes to the homepage).
Books
…. And I’m still trying to figure out how to embed the Little Foot Yurts video I mentioned in the intro, I’ll put it here when I get the tech figured out!
by Daniel Howell | May 8, 2020
I love to learn about a craft from start to finish, and that means sourcing the materials to begin with. I think any of use interested in self-sufficiency also recognize the limitations involved in purchasing materials for a craft you’re learning and how that inherently prevents you from coming to a complete understanding of the craft (or at least that’s how it seems to me).
Hence, learning about locating the wild clay near you.
If you want to learn to make handmade pottery, you might as well learn to find and use the clay local to your area as well!
Since Andy lives in Arizona and focuses his work around making pots replicating the style and technique of the prehistorical cultures in his area, we also spend some time chatting about distinctly Southwestern pottery– which I found quite fascinating! Enjoy the episode!
Resources Mentioned:
Ancientpottery.how — Andy’s website: great resource and also where you can find more information about his workshops and online classes.
Andy’s Youtube Channel — A great place to learn more about making natural handmade pottery.
Andy’s Instagram
Southwest Kiln Conference
Messages From the High Desert by Clint Swink
Useful Tools for Processing Clay:
Power Driven Paint Mixer — for stirring up wet clay
Paint Strainers — for straining wet process clay
Mexican Corn Grinder — for grinding up dry clay
by Daniel Howell | Apr 17, 2020
Rug Braiding, a unique American craft developed as a way of turning scrap cloth into something useful. . . and gorgeous too! Learn about the craft of making traditional braided rugs as well as the art form it has evolved into. In this episode we discuss the origins of braided rugs, how they’re made, how the craft has evolved, and getting started on making one of your own.
. . . I think I need a new rug in the house! This conversation definitely inspired me to want to do a little braiding!
Resources Mentioned
Combining Rug Hooking and Braiding: Basics, Borders, and Beyond by Kris McDermet, Christine Manges, and Dianne Tobias
The Braided Rug Book by Norma M. Sturges
Marjorie K’s Youtube Channel — Rug braiding tutorials
Rug braiding tools/supplies (braidkin, cotton splicing thread, needle nose pliers etc.) — I was going to look for braidkins to link up so folks could find them, this page at Dorr Mill has all of the above in one place, super convenient!
Valley Forge Rug Braiding Guild — Pennsylvania (also, their Calendar page is a good place to see some upcoming events and see if anything is happening in your area)
Rocky Mountain Rug Braiders Guild — Colorado
The International Guild of Handhooking Rugmakers
This post also lists contact information for a few other guilds which don’t appear to have their own websites.
This blog post we reference a few times during the conversation– check it out to see some great examples of rug braiding!
Rug Braiding Facebook group — A very helpful group! I’ve just lurked in the background, but I’ve enjoyed seeing the pictures people post and it’s awesome how helpful folks are if you ask a question.
Rug Braiding Buy/Sell Facebook group
thevelvethook.com — Dianne’s hand dyed velvet business
The Velvet Hook on Instagram
The Velvet Hook on Facebook
by Daniel Howell | Apr 10, 2020
In this episode we talk about pole lathes (one of the oldest methods of turning round objects) and how they are still applicable for craftsman of today.
Turns out they’re also ideal for folks that are looking for an entry level lathe for their home workshop too!
We discuss how a pole lathe works, differences in use between a pole lathe and modern lathes, cost of building one, and some of the reasons they may appeal to folks.
About halfway through the episode we also enter the philosophical realm and begin discussing various ideas in relation to “crafts” and making in general. Tune in, I think you’ll find it interesting!
Resources Mentioned
Woodspirithandcraft.com — Jarrod’s website
Jarrod’s Instagram
Tool Making for Woodworkers by Ray Larsen
The Wooden Bowl by Robin Wood
The Making of Tools by Alexander G. Weygers
Recycling, Use and Repair of Tools by Alexander G. Weygers
Mocotaugan: The Story and Art of the Crooked Knife by Ned & Russell Jalbert (only 200 copies have been printed– I’m unable to find the downloadable version that Jarrod talked about as it looks like their website where it was located has been removed. However, there is a digital version here that you can read if you sign up for a 30 day free trial.)
Folk Craft Revival Podcast Episode 2
by Daniel Howell | Apr 3, 2020
I was introduced to felting last fall when I took a class from Rosemary at the Rabbitstick Rendezvous and made a hat….. It’s a ton of fun!
With shearing season coming up (generally sheep are shorn early spring) I thought it would be fun to do an episode about a craft that would allow you to take advantage of the raw wool that is about to come available. Keep an eye out over the next few weeks and you may be able to get your hands on some wool for your next project!
Rosemary primarily teaches hat making, but we discuss the basic fundamentals of felting in general so that you have a base understanding that you can apply to whatever project you have in mind.
In this episode we cover things like wool selection, storing wool properly, washing (or the lack thereof), straightening out the wool (carding/picking), laying out your pattern, what needs to happen during the felting process and how you know when to move on to the next step, and of course some history of the craft and what types of things it was traditionally used for. Take a listen, I think you’ll enjoy it!
Resources mentioned
Rosemary’s Youtube Channel
The State Hermitage Museum
Scandinavian-Style Feltmaking by Patricia Spark
Gatherings Rosemary teaches at:
