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Both lino and foam are relief printing techniques, but they are quite different in practice. Lino requires carving tools, takes more time, and produces results with a quality and precision foam cannot replicate. Foam can be marked with a pencil, needs no cutting tools, and is immediately accessible for children and beginners. In this guide we compare the two directly — detail, durability, cost, safety, and the quality of the printed mark — and give clear guidance on which to choose for different makers and projects. Full range stocked at Craft and Canvas.

Polymer clay looks simple and reveals extraordinary depth the more you work with it. Fimo — made by Staedtler in Germany since the 1950s — is the starting point most makers reach for, and with good reason. In this complete beginner's guide we cover the Fimo Soft, Easy Metal, and Form and Play ranges we stock at Craft and Canvas, how to condition and work the clay, colour blending, joining pieces, the baking process at 110°C for 30 minutes, and finishing with sanding, painting, and varnishing. Fimo Soft individual blocks at £3.75, Fimo Modelling Tools at £5.99.

Traditional oil-based printmaking inks produce the finest results — but they require solvents for cleanup, which makes them impractical outside a properly equipped studio. Caligo Safe Wash inks solve this entirely. Oil-based, heavily pigmented, and equivalent in print quality to traditional inks — but cleaned up with soap and water. In this post we cover the difference between the Relief Inks (for lino, woodcut, and monoprint) and the Etching Inks (for intaglio techniques), how the Safe Wash Oil and Wiping Compound work, and what the inks mean in practice for home printmakers, schools, and professionals. In stock at Craft and Canvas from £10.57.

Not all air dry clays are the same — and choosing the right one for your project matters more than most people realise. In this guide we cover DAS Air Dry (£8.25 — paper-reinforced, strong, carveable, ideal for sculpture), Jovi Patmache (£7.99 — lightweight paper clay, perfect for armature work and fine surface detail), Silk Clay (£8.45 — foam-based, pre-coloured, ideal for small figures and children's projects), and Fimo Soft individual blocks (£3.75 — oven-bake polymer clay for jewellery and miniatures). Clear guidance on which to choose for your project. All stocked at Craft and Canvas.

Lino printing is a relief printing technique with a distinguished history — used by Picasso, Matisse, and Munch — that is genuinely accessible to beginners with the right equipment and a clear understanding of the process. In this complete introduction we cover everything: the different types of lino block (traditional, easy cut, and foam), the cutter shapes and what each produces, how to choose and use a roller, which inks to use and why Caligo Safe Wash inks are a significant development for home printmakers, the best papers for printing, and a clear step-by-step guide to the full printing process. Starter kits from £23.49, full supplies range stocked at Craft and Canvas.

When the weather warms up, cotton makes far more sense than wool — breathable, cool against the skin, and machine washable. Rico Essentials Organic Cotton DK is 100% organic bio cotton in a 50g / 105m ball, knitting to standard DK tension on 4mm needles at £3.95 per ball. In this post we cover how cotton behaves differently from wool (the inelasticity, the stitch definition, the weight and drape), what it is best suited to — summer garments, baby items, home accessories, crochet, bags — and everything practical including care, tension, and what to expect from your first cotton project. In stock at Craft and Canvas, Hebden Bridge.

Malabrigo's three bases — Rios, Arroyo, and Ultimate Sock — cover worsted, sport, and fingering weight respectively and suit quite different projects. Rios is the versatile workhorse in 100% superwash merino at 210 yards per skein. Arroyo is a lighter sport weight at 335 yards per skein, ideal for drapey garments and fine colourwork. Ultimate Sock adds 25% nylon for durability at 420 yards per skein. This post compares all three clearly, covers what each is best suited to, and helps you decide which to start with. All at £14.95 per skein at Craft and Canvas.

Few yarn brands inspire the devotion that Malabrigo does — and understanding why requires understanding the story behind it. Founded in 2005 in Montevideo, Uruguay, by two brothers-in-law dyeing wool in a kitchen pot, Malabrigo has grown into one of the world's most recognised artisan yarn companies while retaining the hand-dyed quality, colour complexity, and almost unreasonable softness that made knitters fall in love with it in the first place. This post covers the full brand story — the founding, the kettle-dyeing process, the Uruguayan merino wool and free-range sheep, the ethical production practices, and why we stock it at Craft and Canvas. Rios, Arroyo, and Ultimate Sock all at £14.95 per skein.

Blue Sky Fibres Woolstok Light occupies a particular and valued position in the fingering weight market — a single-ply yarn from 100% Fine Highland Wool that delivers real stitch definition, a soft and lofty character, a notable bloom when washed and blocked, and a palette of rich, modern colours developed specifically for combination and colourwork. In this post we cover the Blue Sky Fibres brand and the Highland wool that forms the basis of the Woolstok range, why single-ply construction gives the yarn its particular drape and bloom, what it is best suited to (colourwork in particular, but also lace shawls, lightweight garments, and fine accessories), how to care for a non-superwash wool correctly, and how the 50g, 218-yard skeins make it a practical choice for building a colourwork palette over time. We also cover the most common questions including suitability for socks, substitution for sport weight patterns, and the difference between Woolstok Light and Woolstok Worsted. Stocked at Craft and Canvas in Hebden Bridge and online at craftandcanvas.co.uk.

Rowan Felted Tweed is one of the most versatile and rewarding knitting yarns available — but it has specific characteristics that are worth understanding before you cast on. In this guide we cover how the tweeded construction affects tension and handle, why it excels for stranded colourwork (including how to manage floats, colour dominance, and working in the round), how it behaves in simple textures from garter stitch to cables to lace, and crucially — how to block and wash it without risking further felting. Project ideas included. Seventeen Kaffe Fassett colourways at £10.50 per ball at Craft and Canvas.

Few yarns have earned the sustained devotion that Rowan Felted Tweed commands. Since 2002 it has remained one of Rowan's best sellers — and understanding why requires understanding what the blend of merino, alpaca, and viscose actually does, how the light pre-felting process creates its distinctive tweeded character, and why the Kaffe Fassett colourways produce results in colourwork that smooth, single-tone yarns simply cannot match. In this post we cover all of it — including what projects it suits, how to wash it, and why we stock it at Craft and Canvas in Hebden Bridge. £10.50 per 50g ball, seventeen colourways.

Oil paint stays wet for hours, blends effortlessly, and produces a richness and luminosity that five centuries of masterworks testify to. Acrylic dries in minutes, layers quickly, cleans up with water, and is far simpler to set up. Neither is better — they are different, and the right choice depends entirely on how you paint and what you want from the medium. This guide gives you an honest comparison of both, covers their genuine limitations, and helps you decide — including whether, as many painters do, working with both makes the most sense. Wallace Seymour oils from £9.95, Sennelier Abstract acrylics at £3.95, all at Craft and Canvas.