The Picnic Basket

It's more of a picnic hamper to be honest. It is made of wicker and comes with leather straps on the inside too hold your plates in place. Has some lovely (fake, I assume) brass buckles and looks the dogs doo daas, if you squint a bit.

See picture.

The assembled gentry are smoking cigars, but did not arrive in a hunting party. They are, however, all boulderers and are celebrating after doing a 7a/b. I forget, but looked good.

The basket in the background is said picnic basket and was used that day to bring our climbing shoes and some coffee and chocolate, all the essentials of a good climbing trip.

We were in Petit Bois, it was my first time there and I was beginning my obsession with a 6a/6b route (that I have tried both times I have been to Font and never achieved on). I have a fairly typical Font guide book in that it says roughly where the boulder is and kind of marks where the route starts, but doesn't give any details on it. So I have never been certain if I have been trying L'Emoreta, Ligne de Force, Sur prises or Le Plat pays. Kind of inclined to think it's either Sur prises or Le Plat pays - it's the traverse if anyone can enlighten me please - but maybe I will never know. Also, if I am honest, I don't care too much - I just want to get the bloody thing done. I have since planned a trip back just to go and do it.

It's like my obsession with Cooper's Traverse (V3, 5c) at the Upper Tier (Roaches) - every time I go I try it and every time I fall off. I can do all the moves individually, but just fall off when I try to link them. Plus it really hurts my wrists! I have done it in the Summer (was far too hot), in the Winter (far too much snow on top, about a foot of it) and in the Autumn and Summer, but alas it eludes me.

Anyway, the basket was found in a bin at Grez sur Loing campsite. http://www.camping-grez-fontainebleau.info/france/caravans/vacations/contact.html. This campsite is great. It's close to a lot of the climbing, it's fairly cheap, the owners are French, but speak English and it has everything you need. The local town has a lovely boulangerie and there's even a pub that you can smoke in - got to love the French. I was throwing our rubbish out and found the basket - plus a couple of, ummmmmmmmmmm, gentleman's magazines.

The magazine's were gratefully taken by the boys and I got the basket.

Good times.

NEW CragSwag

Thanks to my lovely boyfriend I have a new pair of sandals - collected especially from Idwal. You know, that new shop............ at the top of Hope? No? Never heard of it either, but he went and I got a pair of sandals and he got one black sock, one black glove and one black polo shirt.

I feel my stuff was more useful.

The guide book cover (picture to follow)

The guide book cover was a whole new world for me with CragSwag and it came about via my boyfriend and me throwing ideas about.
For some reason I decided to make it as a Union Jack - my only reason being that it was near to the royal wedding and the flags were everywhere. I never actually watched the wedding as we don't have a TV and I actually have no interest in watching two people I have never met get married (good luck Kate), but Union Jack's are quite cool and we should be proud to be British.
So guide book cover was made. Guide book cover took me about 5 hours, there were at least three different versions and I am not 100% convinced I've got the final pattern down, but it looks uber cool and we use it every time we got out.
It also made me realise that fabric is easy to recycle and I'd much prefer to be making items out of recycled stuff than buying brand new as it's better for the environment.
Currently on the call out for fabric from mates.

The chalk bag

My friend 'works' for a charity called Outdoor Lads. They are UK wide and a lovely load of guys. http://www.outdoorlads.com/

He had heard me bash on about my ideas for CragSwag and called my bluff by asking me to make him an Outdoor Lads chalk bag - with the view that the company may want some more. He gave me a t-shirt to use as we didn't have access to print the logo and away I went.

It was actually a lot easier than I had expected and the second one came out really well, the first one ended up on the floor in bits. He now uses the bag on a regular basis and states that it's great. How much if this is friend being nice to friend I don't know - but I was pleased with the outcome and it made me realise that this could actually work.

Unfortunately the company didn't want me to make any more as they could source them for much cheaper in China (or somewhere similar) and that's fair enough. I do not have access to a few hundred Chinese who can make me cheap products and I do not want to make 200 of the same bag.

I'd like CragSwag to be more about recycling and British.

I am CragSwag

I am CragSwag. I can be found at climbing walls and crags.


The idea for CragSwag started in about 2009 and slowly developed from there. I say slowly, it took me about two years to actually start making anything for it and even then it was a slow process. There was a lot of swearing, unpicking of stitches and coffee.

The first item I made was a boulder mat as me and some mates were going to Font again. It came out ok, considering it was the first one, and was actually usable. I was very surprised and a little chuffed that it worked as it's safe to say I had assumed the thing would fall apart after one problem. Not so! It mostly survived the whole trip and I still use it two years later.

However, I learnt a lot from making it, especially about what not to do, and learnt what worked - such as the zips, foam, pockets.........

Simple things I learnt were:

• Heavy duty canvas does not automatically equal non-stretch canvas and you cannot guarantee it's waterproof. Not an issue in Font as it was 30 degrees the whole time, but I live and climb in the UK mostly so I needed something better suited to the British climate.



• Stretchy fabric is quite annoying when carrying a big boulder mat and if you are 5' 4" a strong wind will blow you over if the mat is already inclined to move about.



• Foam is a pain in the ar#e to fit into anything. Imagine a very angry dwarf being wrestled into a space not quite big enough for it and you are close.



• If a seam is landed on by an 11 stone man for 10 days it may break if the fabric stretches!



• Shoulder straps need to be very accurate to be comfortable and they also need to be detachable or you'll end up permanently covered in sand/dust/mud/sheep poo etc....



• A big boulder mat is not necessary and one set of foam would be plenty, even for sleeping on.



• Zips are better than Velcro.



• Pockets are very, very useful (and so is carpet).



• The European boulderers accept that the British are mad and so carrying round a huge, stretchy half broken boulder mat isn't an issue and, due to sympathy, gets you free cake.

Due to said issues I didn't feel comfortable in my 'product' being out on the 'market' so I took it back home and promised to fix it. My friend will see it again one day.

Said boulder mat was part of a collection of foam I had purchased from Alpkit and said foam has now moved the three different houses with me and been stored at one boss's climbing wall (thank you Redpoint Climbing Centre in Birmingham for the use of your cellar).

However, as I now have an office (spare room, currently used to dry washing and grow lettuce) and a dining table (used to store post, Monopoly board, sewing machine, keys etc... we eat at it on special occasions or if we have guests over to make us appear more middle class) I am now a little bit more set up to make more stuff.

It's been a hive of activity...................... lots of thinking.

The next item was a chalk bag for my friends company. This turned out really well and he happily displays it every time we go climbing or at least when he's climbing with me. I also learnt a lot from making it and realised that it was a lot easier than I expected. At least I realised it was a lot easier if I a. had a pattern and b. followed that pattern.

As I was on a roll; I then made a guidebook cover and this turned out really well to. Well, the 2nd one turned out really well. The first go ended up on the floor in various pieces as I had a small tantrum - much to my partners amusement. However, end result = good and it's usable. I even have an order! My first order. I'm sure i'll get round to it soon......

Lastly, my partner (seeing that I was on a roll or maybe just taking the opportunity while the sewing machine was out) asked me to make him a rubbish bag for walk-ins. He has used said item already and professes that it's 'awesome' - but he lives with me so not sure how much is boyfriend obligation.

So - ONWARDS!!!!