Here is the video of the chickens actually leaving the coop. At least I hope it is. I’ve trimmed and uploaded it five times, messed with it with four different apps, and finally went back to the original and only used the YouTube trim option. Interesting that a video trimmed in iMovie, then trimmed again in YouTube gives a completely different 40 second clip. Did I say interesting? I think I meant frustrating. So sorry for that little teaser in my previous post!
It was rather exciting to see blossoms on my cucumber plant!
I planted cucumbers as an experiment with a second summer garden. Two of the three mounds have vines! Alas,the peas I also planted don’t seem to be fairing as well. I think something found them delicious because there is only one pea vine, all the other sprouts have disappeared. We’ll see if I actually get cucumbers before the first freeze (which doesn’t usually happen here until November). It will be a first, as this is as far as I’ve managed to get cucumbers.
As a bonus, here is a video from our camera in the coop of the chickens heading out into the runs after the automatic door opens in the morning.
I no longer wonder why spinners need display cases or large jars to hold all their spindles. Yes, I made another spindle today. I was supposed to do the filing. It isn’t hard to get distracted from that.
This spindle is an assembly of miscellaneous parts again, but it came together a little more smoothly. I had a leather edging tool and a dowel that fit perfectly in the center hole. I sharpened one end with a pencil sharpener, added a small brass screw eye, then opened it up with pliers to make the hook. To keep the whorl in place, I used a small rubber band. The whole thing can be taken back apart and repurposed if necessary too.
I wanted to try a top whorl drop spindle. I have no other excuse. Now my excuse for spinning immediately with it is that the cat sat on my lap and was sleeping, so I didn’t want to disturb her. (Good kitty!)
Yes, we installed a chicken camera. No one reading this is probably surprised we did, but I do feel a bit of chagrin at installing the tech in a coop. But, you see, my youngest’s favorite YouTuber has a camera in their coop and they could see when the chickens were in the nesting boxes (still no eggs here). My youngest doesn’t go out to the coop at all right now, so it is a way for her to see the chickens, and maybe get more comfortable with the idea. And I had points.
Now I can finally see the chickens sleeping. Is that weird? I’ve never really seen them sleep. As chicks they would always get active whenever I went into the coop, and it hasn’t changed as they get older. But they don’t seem to really sleep until the wee hours of the morning. At midnight they are still peering into the darkness. Huh. The secret life of chickens revealed. Sort of.
Ok, I admit, I’ve found myself searching the house for things to use as spindle whorls (the weighty thing on spindles that helps them spin longer). I wanted a lighter spindle, but one with enough oomph to still spin. I found an old button and a unused cabinet knob. I used a drill bit on the drill press to make holes in each item.
Then I needed a new shaft, so I repurposed a steel mandrel, which was used to make glass beads at one point in its life. I ground one end of the mandrel to a point, and flattened the other end with hammer. I used the band saw to cut a notch in the flat end to make a hook. Then I filed and sanded and sanded and filed until the hook wouldn’t catch on fibers.
I smoothed the hook with fine steel wool, then tested the spindle by, wait for it, spinning the steel wool. Because… why not? I used the resulting yarn (wire? cable?) to further smooth the inside of the hook.
I then tested with cotton balls, which went MUCH better than the heavier supported spindle for me. I did have to go back and file and sand the hook again because, surprise, cotton is more delicate than steel wool.
I am going to continue to use a small rubber band to keep the whorl from slipping off the shaft, so that I can trade out whorls. The knob and shaft weigh in at 1.38 ounces, and the button and shaft are a lofty 0.81 ounces.
Critters and Craft 