Living in lockdown has given many people new opportunities to spend time learning new skills or practising usually-neglected hobbies and interests. This series of images depicts a recent craft project I found time to undertake.
During a recent rainy Saturday, the combination of an overstuffed wardrobe and the need for a new bedroom rug was the call to action I needed for a few hours of inspired recycling.
I was able to use my (limited) abilities in crochet to put into put into practise one of my mottos in life; always try to give old items a new lease of life before throwing them away.
First, I identified all the faded and misshapen t-shirts that were ready for the bin, and started shredding them to create jersey yarn. Next, I found a crochet hook and half a ball of wool from an earlier abandoned project, and then I got cracking!
By late afternoon, I had made a start on creating my beautiful new bedroom rug from a bunch of old clothes. Nothing wasted, nothing spent, no carbon emissions, nothing in landfill. Happy days!
Born and bred in central Middlesbrough, I’ve worked in international marketing and events, with a spot of teaching here and there, for twenty years. This work has allowed me to live and travel all over the world, and fuelled my passion for seeing everything the planet has to offer, learning to speak new languages, trying loads of amazing food and drink and discovering new cultures and ways of life. I’ve also met some inspiring people and made lifelong friends along the way.
I’m using lockdown to learn new skills – so I am currently a student on the Summer University Media Production course.
Interests
Learning languages, travelling, music, making old stuff into new stuff, and living a cruelty-free lifestyle.
