We stumbled into boat life. It started as a fun idea, but as decisions around careers and children have branched and interwoven over the years, we can't imagine how we would achieve the same balanced lifestyle with the financial ties of a house.

The boundaries of work and daily life are often blurred, as many a small-business owner will testify. But even more so when we  live on top of each other in a seven-by-sixty-foot boat which is a home, workshop, vehicle, and at times even a storefront.

But it has been this flexibility that has allowed Splice+Fid to grow, somewhat organically (and often erratically), from ten metres of rope casually purchased in a DIY store, to teaching ropework techniques up and down the country.

Flax is our lost fibre on these isles, dropped by industry two centuries ago in favour of imported cotton. Dedicated fibre enthusiasts are bringing flax-growing back into the spotlight, but while crops are small it falls to our European neighbours to supply the flax for British-made rope.

The idea to incorporate natural dyes came about through a chance meeting in the Peak District, in the poetic way that canal travel tends to produce coincidental encounters and unexpected relationships.

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Despite the nomadic and small-scale nature of Splice+Fid, creativity doesn't happen in isolation. A humble rope basket sees at least five 'people' through its life: the flax grower, the spinner, the ropemaker, the basketmaker, and of course the final owner.

To support this necessary ecosystem of skills and trades, Splice+Fid is a member of Central England Fibreshed, the Heritage Crafts Association, and the International Guild of Knot Tyers.