No. 1: A first letter, in pencil

Welcome. This is the first Longhand letter, and I have written it, to be old-fashioned about it, in pencil first.

The essays on this site have been arriving since March of last year, whenever they were ready. A few of you asked for something shorter and more regular, a small note on a fixed day that does not require a free hour. That is this. Every Friday, about four hundred words, from the bench or the kitchen or the desk.

What it is

A weekly report on something I made, mended or cooked, with a mistake included. One thing worth reading or looking at. And a small question, which you are welcome to answer by replying, because I do read every reply.

What it is not

It is not a productivity newsletter. There is no system here, no morning routine, and I will not tell you how to optimise a hobby. If you want to do things faster you are on the wrong list, and I say that with affection.

This week

A ream of cream paper sat on my table for nine days before I opened it, which is silly, because it is only paper. On Monday the first of three essays went up, about folding it into a small book. The second and third follow over the next few weeks, each written the evening a stage was finished.

A small thing. Hold a sheet of paper up to a window and look at it. The tiny cloudy patterns are the fibres, and they tell you which way the sheet wants to bend. Next week I will tell you why that matters.

Thank you for being here at the start. Reply if you like. Hit unsubscribe if you must.

N.