April 18, 2026
Newsletter - A Week of Making, Mending & Medieval Markets
I was away most of last week for work, but still managed to get some knitting done. I've done one sleeve of the blue jumper, as I finally bought extra blue yarn to mostly match the body. I was worried the sleeve was too small, so I washed and blocked it before starting the second sleeve, and it's looking ok. I keep wanting to make more loose-fitting jumpers, and it keeps coming out too small. But the fit is reasonable, so I'll keep going.
I've also been working on a second jumper, which has patterned colourwork. That's going really well, I've started with the back panel. However... It's almost definitely too small. Part of me wants to keep going and the size is what it is, and maybe it will go to a child. Another part of me wants to stop, unravel and start the whole thing again. Will be contemplating this. But either way, I think this is the final destination for this merino yarn.
I did my first sage stick cleansing this week as part of cleansing for Spring. A little goes a long way I've learnt. The smell is quite potent and you don't need to burn a lot. I think one stick could be used 20 times. So that was a new experience. I want to make other bundles like rosemary, nettles etc. Each plant can be used for slightly different purposes.
By chance, there was a medieval festival going on in Greenwich. There were tents set up with people cosplaying different types of people in time. Like a blacksmith making nails, cooks, court people. All kinds. And lots of market stalls selling relic-type things. It was a mix of ages, but generally people and things from England. It was awesome for inspo, there were coins, axes, jewellery, crystals, runes, leathers, witchy things, loads of cool stuff. It’s inspiring me to revisit runes and herbs.
I finally repaired my working field jeans, which have had a hole in the knee for months, and my knee has been permanently bruised or discoloured for a while now from kneeling directly on mud and stones. So I’ve put this piece of leather on it. Initially, I was hoping Levis could patch them for me, but they quoted £40, so I decided to just do it myself. Very happy with the result and will be so much more comfortable.
This week on the field, I’ll be mulching with woodchips and attempting to fix the canal.
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Charlotte Leysen
Hi there I'm Charlotte from London and I am a Millennial hobbiest. By that I mean I love making things, for both the process and the outcomes. On this blog I talk about all the things I'm working on and learning each week. On some projects I will go into a bit more detail on what I did and my experience through it.
Some facts about me:
- I am not a perfectionist, preferring to complete something than to attempt to make something flawless.
- I am in a constant cycle of building up inspiration, executing the ideas, then winding down to reflect and regenerate.
- I am interested in almost anything that can be made from scratch using nature / natural materials.
