Jasper dip and solid jasper are two different kinds of Wedgwood jasperware. Both have white classical designs on a coloured background, and look similar to non-experts. If in doubt you are always safe calling this style of pottery jasperware. Solid jasper came first. After secret experiments in the early 1770s, blending clays with other ingredients, Wedgwood [more...]
Chinese porcelain seemed fine, white and desirable to 18th century Europe, and it inspired skilled western potters to develop their own versions of porcelain. Others worked on more affordable earthenware, trying various clay and flint blends in the search for pale, creamy colours. This new creamware was developed during the mid-1700s. One of the most successful [more...]
Lavender likes a temperate climate with sunny summer days and cool winters. It will grow in most of Europe and in American zones 5-10. While it is happier on well-drained soils than on damp clay, it’s not too fussy otherwise. Mix sand into the earth round lavender roots to help it cope with heavy, wet [more...]
Creating your own cottage garden is about building up an overall effect, not about following hard and fast rules. Aim for a nostalgic, informal look, with plenty of old-fashioned flowers – sweet-scented if possible. This style can suit not-too-hot parts of North America and Europe as well as anywhere in the UK. A traditional cottage look [more...]
Once upon a time the answer was always “No”. Strictly speaking, Fair Isle knitting is one particular kind of multi-colour stranded knitting from the Shetland Islands and nearby Fair Isle. Nowadays the name is spreading and you may find Fair Isle, or fairisle, used to mean almost any style of stranded knitting. Click through to read [more...]
Fair Isle and the neighbouring island group of Shetland, on the northern fringes of the UK, have their own traditional styles of multicolour knitting. Local experts can tell the difference between the two, but the designs are so closely related that most people treat them as one single tradition. The early history wasn’t written down, [more...]
France is full of attractive cafés where you can sit and watch the world go by. They may be in a small town square, or on a busy avenue in Paris. They may look out on trees, or a crowded shopping area. But before you can really enjoy their relaxed charm, you need to know [more...]
The Georgian era was when four kings all called George were on the British throne one after another – a period lasting more than a century (1714-1830). Even though fashions in architecture and interior design didn’t stand still, there was an overall Georgian style favoured during this time – in North America as well as [more...]
It’s always been a difference between English-speaking countries and France. Bidets have just never caught on on the USA or the UK, except for an occasional “trend” that never really went very far. But in France there’s a bidet in every bathroom, isn’t there? Not any more. In recent years the bidet has been disappearing from [more...]
If you have difficulty using hands or arms, or severe pain anywhere from neck to fingers, you may already be using voice recognition software to “type” with your voice instead of your hands. But what if the pain is more moderate? You carry on using the keyboard, but sometimes arthritis, carpal tunnel, or another painful [more...]
If you want to celebrate May Day as a family, or with a larger group of kids, try planning some activities based on old traditions. Creating your own festival is just as good as going to see a parade, or watching other people dancing round a maypole. And you can do both! May Day in England [more...]
Arriving in York by train is more fun than driving in by car, grappling first with ring roads and then with parking. As soon as you come out of the station you’ll see the medieval city wall just across the road. If you aren’t going direct to the nearby Railway Museum, you can follow the [more...]
Rag trees, clootie wells, and raggedy bushes are English, Scottish, and Irish names for special places with a mystical reputation. People visit in the hope of healing and good fortune and tie a piece of cloth on a particular tree or bush near a well or source of water. Often the tree is a hawthorn [more...]
Lopi comes from the distinctive Icelandic sheep. Their fleeces have two layers, each with its own kind of wool. The sheep’s outer coat is water-repellent wool made up of long, tough fibres (called tog) and the under coat is highly insulating, made up of fine, soft wool (called thel or þel). The two fibres are [more...]
UK supermarkets now label some meat, fish, and eggs as “freedom food” or “freedom foods”. If this sounds pretty much the same as free range food to you, look again. You may have been confused by the similar-sounding words free and freedom. ‘Freedom Food’ is the name of a programme designed to improve the lives of [more...]
A bonnet made of wood? Yes, the chip in 18th and 19th century chip bonnets and hats was actually made from thin strips of shaved wood. It was used by hat-makers in a similar way to braided straw, and so was sometimes called “chip straw” or “chip braid”. But it was still wood. It could be [more...]
The Easter bonnet custom grew from the tradition that spring was a time for fresh clothing. There was a connection between new garments and Easter-time in many parts of Europe, going back for centuries. In the 1800s if a woman couldn’t afford a brand new outfit, a spring bonnet was a nice way to renew her [more...]
An egg hunt is popular in some parts of the UK, but at one time it was as likely to be a hare hunt – either really trying to find a hare or a ritual mock hunt. The idea of the Easter hare, or a rabbit, hiding eggs for children to find may have arrived [more...]
Toby jugs portray a character whose story is rather unclear. He reminds some people of Shakespeare’s jovial, disreputable Toby Belch, and he very likely has something to do with an old song about Toby Fillpot. Dear Tom, this brown jug that now foams with mild ale, (In which I will drink to sweet Nan of the vale), Was [more...]
Lace knitting is often at its best in shawls. It drapes nicely round the shoulders, while the lacy patterns show up clearly across the back. The design, skill, and hours of work have created a beautiful, easy to wear, warmly luxurious wrap. Although knitted lace can also be used for other projects, delicate, elaborate, lacy shawls [more...]