Because it has been such a long month, here is a cute cat sitting in a pot to end your April with a smile. No, I didn’t try to plant anything in this pot. I put it back out for the cat when she rejected the woven basket and then the woven basket developed mold. Ok, kitty, you can have the plant pot.
Time to ply again! My spinning production took a dramatic downturn with the onset of the stay at home orders, which seems strange. Turns out that it had nothing to do with staying home (although with two kids and crisis schooling I have much less time for my crafts), and everything to do with not wanting to knit. I changed my plan for the yarn to a crochet vest, with motifs rather than a large solid piece, and suddenly I have motivation to spin again. I don’t know why, but even though I can knit, I don’t enjoy it as much as crochet or nålbinding. I like the stretch and feel of knit, I just don’t like ripping it out (which ALWAYS happens). I thought about nålbinding the vest, but that would be a two-year project, which also makes me go “ugh”. So the current plan is to make crochet motifs and join them together into a vest (note: this may change!)
Any who, I am still looking for the best plying method for me, and have been researching what works for others. I’ve seen many wooden contraptions, in many different styles. I like working in wood, and I have scrap wood in the garage, but before I render anything in wood, I thought I should try it in cardboard first. So I took the box that I tried a sideways method to hold the spindle shafts, and poked holes in it and tried an upright method. This worked better, but needs a weighted bottom. I actually think a slight angle on the shafts also works nicely. Now to think on how I want to make a wooden one.
In reading into japanese honeysuckle as an invasive species, I also found that it has culinary and medicinal uses. To try it out, I followed the advice from this article. I gathered fresh blossoms (about a cup), brought them to a boil in two cups of water, simmered down to one cup, decanted the liquid, and added a cup of sugar. It does have a pretty color and an interesting taste. I tried another batch with local honey, and the honey taste really overpowers the honeysuckle. However, since there are potential medicinal uses, the plant stays! I also read that the leaves are edible parboiled, and you can make baskets from the vines. It stays.
The honeysuckle is in bloom again, and again I think wistfully that I can only share a picture and not the heady scent. Although if I could, it would probably knock your socks off. The source of the heavy fragrance is the Japanese honeysuckle that the previous owners planted. Turns out it is an invasive species. We have planted native yellow and red honeysuckle, which are also doing well, but not nearly as well as the japanese variety. I can see why it is a problem: it is hard to cut down something so pretty and fragrant. Ours is climbing on a metal arbor, so not strangling trees or brush, but I do need to keep an eye on the runners.
Not for me, still waiting for the salons to open, but for my dog, whose long black hair gets rather hot in the summer. I tried taking him in for grooming in the past, but I really like his shaggy face and legs, and that is what the professionals would always trim first. So I’ll stick with my unprofessional cut, where I shave his back, neck, and belly, and leave his wookie feet and beard. I did have to trim his ears this time. He managed to get matts at the tips. Aw.
Photographing black dogs is a challenge. That is all.
Critters and Craft 