Rural crafts Books

Book SynopsisCreate picturesque pine needle baskets, miniatures, trays, pencil holders and more. Special sections address dyeing needles, making lids and handles, and gathering and storing materials. “Mallow is an excellent teacher with a gift for keeping the subject entertaining and easy to follow.”—Small Press. “Beginners can create a basket by coiling and stitching together pine needles.”—Country Decorating Ideas.

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Book SynopsisA FINANCIAL TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR 2024'An excellent, beautifully written book' Patrick Galbraith, Sunday Times 'A rich and hugely enjoyable celebration of the local, the vernacular and traditional ... a beautifully written craftsman's memoir' Daily Mail'What a marvellous book. Full of lore, information, interest, beautifully captured people. Poetry' Craig RaineThatched roofs are like living organisms: each one a web of repair, replacement and alteration, shaped, dressed and re-moulded by every pair of hands that works on it.Thatching is one of the world's oldest crafts - an ancient trade that roots us in nature, as Tom Allan discovered when he quit an office job to become an apprentice in Devon. Now a master of the trade, in On the Roof he goes in search of its history and future, meeting fellow thatchers, from the son of a lobster fisherman who thatches with a dune grass in the Hebrides, to a Syrian refugee who found peace among the seagrass roofs of Denmark, to one of the first wome

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Book SynopsisFirst published in 1972 this volume describes how the round of the year, with its cycle of festivals and seasonal work, was observed in the Ireland of yesterday. We follow the rhythm of the year from New Year to Easter, May Day to Harvest and Christmas along the chain of high days and feast days, St Brighid's Day, The Borrowed Days, Midsummer, St Swithin's Day, Lúnasa, The Pattern Day, Samhain, Martinmas and Christmas, fishing boat - belief and usage - feasting and merrymaking. Picturesque customs are revealed - some forgotten, some forbidden, some still familiar, such as 'the making of St Brighid's cross - marriage divinations - watching the dancing of the sun on a hilltop on Easter morning - going to the Skelligs - cock-throwing - bullbaiting - herring processions - the swimming of the horses on Lunasa - and many others. A multi-coloured tapestry. Kevin Danaher has drawn on a wide variety of sources and on more than thirty years research into Irish folk tradition. He is the author of In Ireland Long Ago, Gentle Places and Simple Things, Irish Country People, Folktales of the Irish Countryside and The Pleasant Land of Ireland.Trade Review'This is a book written in 1972 on the Irish Calendar customs. It describes how the year, with its cycle of festivals and seasonal work, was observed in Ireland in the 19-20th centuries. The author draws on a wide variety of sources and on more than thirty years of research into Irish Folk traditions. The book gives the reader an idea of how the year was for many of the inhabitants of Ireland that still followed the old traditions. You get the sense of what each strata of the community was up too at which time of the year. The book starts on Saint Brighid’s day and goes all the way to Christmas. It encompasses both Pagan and Christian days and gives the activities associated with the said day. It is a book that you can read in one go at first and then go back too at the appropriate time of year for inspiration. I really enjoyed reading the book because it gave me ideas on things that I could do on my own rituals and celebrations. It gives the sense of the ebb and flow of the year and how the seasons were related to each other and how one activity during a certain time can be related to another in another time. I think it is a must read book for anyone who is interested in following an Irish path of spirituality be it Christian or Pagan.' - The Celtic ScholarTable of ContentsIntroduction SAINT BRIGHID’S DAY -Saint Brighid’s Crosses - Making the Crosses - The Brideóg - Brat Bride - Crios Bríde - Cattle and Crops - Other Beliefs and Customs CANDLEMAS SHROVE TUESDAY - Shrovetide Weddings CHALK SUNDAY - ‘Going to the Skelligs’ - ‘The Ash Bag’ - Sprinkling of Salt - Domhnach na Smuit; ‘Puss Sunday’ - Some other customs ASH WEDNESDAY LENT SAINT PATRICK’S DAY LADY DAY PALM SUNDAY EASTER - Good Friday - Easter Saturday - Herring Processions - The Dance of the Sun - Easter Eggs - Feasting - The Cake Dance - Other Easter Beliefs and Customs - Easter Monday APRIL FOOLS’ DAY THE BORROWED DAYS MAY DAY- Welcoming the Summer - May Balls - May Dew - Charms and Counter-charms - Health - The Fairies at Maytime - Other May Day Beliefs and Customs ASCENSION THURSDAY WHITSUNTIDE CORPUS CHRISTI MIDSUMMER The Midsummer Fire - Jumping over the Fire - The Family Fire - The Growing Crops - The Cattle at Midsummer - The Dwellinghouse at Midsummer - HerbGathering - Other Midsummer Beliefs and Customs SS PETER AND PAUL THE TWELFTH OF JULY SAINT SWITHIN’S DAY ‘HUNGRY JULY’ THE FIRST OF THE HARVEST - Outdoor Gatherings - Gatherings on Hills - Gatherings at Lakes and Rivers - Other Lunasa Customs and Beliefs - Cork Harbour Ceremony THE ASSUMPTION SAINT BARTHOLOMEW’S DAY THE PATTERN DAY MICHAELMAS THE END OF THE HARVEST - The Clousur - Gleaning - The Harvest Home - Harvest Knots - The Disposal of the Last Sheaf SAMHAIN - Feasting and Merrymaking - Samhain Beliefs and Customs - Hallowe’en Guisers - Games, Dares and Pranks - Weather Divination - Divination Games - Marriage Divination ALL SOULS DAY MARTINMAS CHRISTMAS - Preparing for Christmas - Christmas Eve - Christmas Day - Waits - Saint Stephen’s Day - The Mummers - Holy Innocents - New Year - Handsel Monday - Epiphany APPENDIX - Church Feasts and Fasts BIBLIOGRAPHY INDEX

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Book SynopsisBringing an eccentric creativity to the romance of the beach, Marlene Hurley Marshall shows you how to use shells to bring a sea-infused decorative flair into your own home. Lavish photography, profiles of contemporary shell artists, and simple instructions for 35 remarkable projects will inspire you to get crafting. From adding a few shells to a picture frame or lampshade to encrusting a small bathtub with an eye-catching assemblage, you’ll be astounded at the variety of ways you can brighten your home with shells.

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Book SynopsisDon’t toss those old sneakers into the garbage! Fill them with potting soil and transform them into clever, eye-catching planters. This fun activity book features 40 inspiring projects that will have you turning faded blue jeans, worn-out sweaters, and grocery bags into beautiful and functional objects. From mobiles made from scraps of tinfoil to paint-can stilts, Laura C. Martin’s engaging projects will not only get you crafting, but help develop a heightened awareness of the importance of minimizing waste.

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Book SynopsisFrom an idyllic lakeside cabin to a sophisticated urban apartment, decorative woodland accents can bring a unique charm to any home. Artist Marlene Hurley Marshall shows you how to how to capture the beauty and serenity of nature in stylish wreaths, frames, and furniture. Featuring dazzling photography by Sabine Vollmer von Falken, Woodland Style will inspire you to creatively use pine cones, moss, bark, and river rocks as you fill your home with a welcoming, rustic look that is completely your own.

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