By area

Selvage: what you can do if you listen to your grandmother

Rachel Collins, like many of us, was taught to knit by her grandmother. Unlike most of us however, who never got beyond pointless squares and gappy Doctor Who style scarves, she has gone on to be the creative force behind Selvage, a young company based in Crossgates, Fife which sells beautiful, supersoft Fair Isle blankets, scarves and cushions in the muted tones of the Scottish landscape. Rachel, who grew up

Dunfermline's exciting museum project progresses

The project to bring a new museum and gallery to the ancient city of Dunfermline, which woefully undersells its impressive heritage, is making steady progress. The town was once Scotland’s capital and is the burial place of Robert the Bruce. It’s the home of Scotland’s only saint, Queen Margaret, and the birthplace of Andrew Carnegie, the world’s richest man and father of modern philanthropy. It was once also a global

Sonica: Sonic Arts Events in Glasgow

Sonica, Glasgow first sonic arts ‘festival’ might be both flattered and bemused by Grazia magazine’s ‘brilliant but bonkers’ tag. But it does serves as a warning to those who are fairly traditional when it comes to visual art and sound. The brilliant bit is the radical nature and the theatricality of the performances. Lithuanian composer Juste Janulyte presents the Scottish premiere of her work Sandglasses (8 & 9 Nov, Tramway),

John Hegley at the Scottish Poetry Library tonight

The great John Hegley will be reading from his new collection Peace, Love and Potatoes this evening at the Scottish Poetry Library in Crichton’s Close Edinburgh. Tickets are £7. Hegley has long been a favourite with us at Avocado Sweet and this latest collection has all the whip smart-yet-vulnerable, simple-but-meaningful charm of his previous work: An Alien Address Do you have bendy buses or are you jet propelled? Do you

Dunfermline Beer Festival this Friday and Saturday

Fancy a Foxy Blonde or a Dark Dunter this weekend? These are just two of the 60 beers, ales and ciders up for tasting at the Dunfermline Beer Festival, one of Fife’s liveliest and most enjoyable events. The Festival, which also features live bands and a beer fuelled disco, is hosted jointly by the local Rotary and rugby club at the Glen Pavilion.  Local beers on offer this year include

Glasgow Women's Library – 21 years and still going strong

Today Glasgow Women’s Library opens a preview of an exhibition to celebrate its 21st anniversary. It’s come a long way since the damp freezing shop front in Garnet Hill staffed by volunteers. The Library has commissioned 21 Scottish artists and 21 writers to produce work for the exhibition which opens today, 21 September. Artists include Ashley Cooke, Kate Davis and Ruth Barker – who has produced the silk scarf printed

Cinematic Edinburgh – Walking Tour and Doors Open Day

Visit the film locations of One Day and Trainspotting on a walking tour of central Edinburgh brought to you by Cinematic Scotland and the National Library of Scotland. The full tour is about 3 miles and takes about two and half hours – at strolling pace – you don’t have to run full pelt like Ewan MacGregor. You can join the tour, which also points out interesting cinema buildings, at any point on the

It's an open door in Fife this weekend

Doors Open Day for central Fife, which brings an opportunity to explore buildings not normally open to the public, is on Sunday 9 September. West Fife’s day is on Sunday 16 September. Most of the buildings have stories to tell and many have more historical significance than passers by probably realise. In 1601 King James VI of Scotland held the General Assembly within the walls of Burntisland Parish Church (pictured above)

Art Auction for Roma in Dunfermline

Artists such as James Howden and Michael Havelin have donated artworks for a charity auction in Dunfermline, Fife on Friday 21 September.  Michael Kirkham, an Edinburgh-based artist whose client list includes The New York Times and The Washington Post has provided three illustrations (pictured). Funds are being raised to help two-year old Roma Dellal, who has Germ Cell Cancer, travel from Edinburgh to the US for treatment. The woman behind the auction