As I’ve said, when developing Chimney Sheep I tended to focus on one bit at a time. A few times along the way people asked me about my logo. I was aware that I would need something, but I thought it was a small thing that would be a bit of fun to create in …
Q: How do you eat an elephant? A: One bit at a time. This may sound a bit grim but it was actually the wise words of a bike training motivating man I was biking with recently… Enthused by the experience, my bike buddy and I have been taking on harder and harder biking challenges, the most …
Last time I wrote it was the middle of winter. Now it’s the first day of spring but it feels just as cold. I was going to write to celebrate the sale of my 1000th sheep, but that happened the week after I was interviewed on the Radio 2 Drivetime innovation feature and I haven’t …
I’ve been asked a few times why I specifically use Herdwick felt. I’ve tried so many different blends, and Herdwick always comes out the winner. Although the Chimney Sheep™ is a very low tech product, it relies upon the felt to be the right texture to hold itself in the flue, without being so soft …
From when I very first had the idea, and started working on designs for the handle, I was concerned that the product must be safe for people to use. If you stuff newspaper or old pillows up your chimney then it’s your own problem if you forget they are there. If you are providing something …
Hang a dangle from the handle and cheer up that fireplace when there’s no fire to brighten up the grate. And when all the decs come down in January, the Sheep dangle can stay. There’s all sorts to choose from. It’s not all hearts and stars, there are some wacky and colourful ones made out …
I really don’t understand why the issue of heat loss up chimneys is not more high profile. Fortunes are spent on loft and cavity wall insulation, double glazing and exterior cladding. Yet having an open flue is like leaving a window open all the time. Worse than that, because chimneys are designed to draw air …
Oh, I did go on a bit about the handle design, didn’t I? Well you probably didn’t read it all the way to the end and I can’t blame you. Anyway, I said I’d write about the tooling adventure next but I promise I’ll keep it brief. The handle needed to be extendable, light, strong, …
There’s no fighting it, summer is over, we’ve given up hope of an Indian Summer here in the Lake District, and are resigned to enjoying a cold and colourful autumn. Time to start saving the pennies for a ski holiday. And to start draught busting all over again. If you have a large hole with …
Felt is the oldest textile known to man. It is said that a nomad was walking across the desert when he got fed up with his sandals chafing. He stuffed a handful of camel hair into his sandals to cushion them….after a while the combination of sweat and friction produced a mat of felt and …
