By Jo Gifford

Now, being an artsy fartsy designer type by trade I am open to some craft action here and there. I like to knit when the mood takes, and having kids is the perfect excuse to get the paper out and cover everything in paste.

In our switched on multi-screen, multi-tasking lives the trend for going back to basics is gaining momentum. Brands like Levis are using this seed trend to get consumers involved and to change brand perceptions, and Print Club London is increasingly popular as a place to have team building work sessions behind squeegees instead of working on the old RGB screen tan. Art is seeing a resurgence in retail and we are on the edge of a turn towards traditional techniques becoming super cool once again (even the humble paper and yarn).

So far, so good. But this one surprised me. Whittling. Yes, whittling. The old man passtime, Huckleberry-Finn-meets-your-Grandad type affair. Well, you heard it here, it’s cool, and no doubt the urban Bleeding Thumb Whittling club would agree too. London based fashion boutique B Store hosted an evening dedicated to the craft with the club bringing their own entertainment, the banjo player and Whittling club founder Janina Pedan.

Whether this kind of soirée tickles your fancy remains to be seen, but be assured that we can expect more where this came from. Fashion and retail are wise to the need to re-connect with the handmade, to encourage conviviality and experience as an antithesis to online.

Get your avatar out of the house. There is a big world out there, carve it how you wish.

Image via Cote‘s Flickr