Nov. 8, 2025
Newsletter - Day Jobs Getting in the Way
I’ve skipped a few weeks of updates, but mainly because I haven’t been able to craft that much, or even to get to my field. In a few weeks time, I should have some more time back when I have fewer clients in my day job; it’s a fine balance between having income generating work, but leaving enough time for personal projects.
I only managed to visit the field twice in two weeks, but one huge update is that I got a lawnmower - petrol powered and self propelled. It was not really part of my original vision of doing everything manually, but it’s a highly appreciated upgrade. In a 2-3 hour session I managed to mow a huge part of the planted field, much shorter and much more even than I can manage with the brush cutter. I don’t think I’ve had the field this clean cut since I started on it last year. It’s like getting a buzz cut after months of long shaggy hair. Anyway… I’m excited to go back and finish off the rest of the field. I will finally be able to see every try that I’ve planted.
I don’t have a good storage place for the machine at the moment, it’s just sitting under some burlap cover. My need for sheds and storage just keeps growing, and I can’t just buy sheds without planning permission, so I’m still working on some solutions.
I gave my shears a clean reset and sharpened the blades, ready for a big session in bramble trimming. That’ll be an upcoming task. But I think I’m going to enjoy cutting all the grass first, which will help me map out some next planting areas. Like vegetable patches. I need to buy some heavy duty tarp to lay down and kill grass patches over the winter to plant in vegetables in spring.
buzzard flying by
At home I’ve been knitting a cowl. A relatively quick project, where I used some leftover mohair held with some hand spun yarn. I’m not sure if its merino or Belgian sheep, I think the latter. I like the texture on the design and hope the cowl is going to come in useful in the colder months.
The cowl wasn't supposed to be wider at the end, but I knit it with two balls of wool that I handspun, and looks like one yarn was slightly thicker than the other, so the thicker yarn made a wider section.
I’m still doing the blanket as well, made a few more squares, but I think I’ll be doing other knitting projects on the side.
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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.
