Month: September 2020

Craft skill transfer

On By CarynIn dog

I’ve been walking little miss puppy on a long leash, and gathering up the extra slack is a little tricky, especially one handed. My other hand is holding the older dog’s retractable leash. I do have a retractable leash for little Missy, but the pull is still too great for her little frame!

There is a technique in spinning where the spinner can gather up yarn by butterflying it between finger and thumb on an outstretched hand. This keeps tension, but is easy to release. I found myself using a similar technique to gather up the extra leash. This works well since the leash isn’t super long, so there isn’t too much for my hand, and she is so little that the pressure of the leash on my little finger or thumb is not problematic. I can roll up and release lengths of leash with a twist of my wrist.

One handed leash length management (borrowed from skills learned from spinning)

Tomatoes for chickens

On By CarynIn chickens
Chickens enjoying a slice of tomato

We had some extra slices of tomato left over from burger night, so I hung them up for the chickens. They appreciated the offering. We are still only getting one egg maybe every other day. I actually had to purchase eggs. Next time they start laying I’m going to stock more in the freezer.

Adding a frame to a neck gaiter style mask

On By CarynIn Craft

I did finally receive some manufactured mask frames! The hot glue frame I made was a little large for my youngest, but these kid sized frames fit fine, and actually help keep the mask on her face better (she has a little nose). To get the frames to work with the mask I sewed them in. I did try to sew a patch of quilter’s cotton over the frame, but the inelasticity was irritating to her, so I made a double layer of swimsuit material instead.

17”x9” rectangle of fabric sewn along the long edge, then marked in the middle. The line helps keep the frame centered as you sew.
Frame sewn on through a single layer of the fabric. Sewing it in this way helps keep the fabric off the nose and mouth.
Tube of fabric turned inside out, this is the inside of the mask showing the stitches. The outside is smooth. I used a jersey stitch to join the ends of the tube together to make a loop.
Front of neck gaiter style mask with frame sewn in

My youngest does like these better. With the frame, her glasses don’t fog up and the neck gaiter style doesn’t interfere with her hearing aids. She can get it on and off herself and it has pink, so we’re all good. The only down side is that I am hand washing these, as the frame tends to fold in half when it goes through the washer and the dryer. The material dries quick, though.

Massive garden spider

On By CarynIn Wildlife
Yellow garden spider (id from iNaturalist)

My eldest found this large spider while she was out in the woods communing with the neighbor’s cats. Based on the size it is a female, and its markings are more white (or green, depending on how you look at it) than last year’s yellow garden spider, which is interesting. It was hanging on a thread of silk above its web, which had the typical zig zag pattern in the middle. Photo credit to my eldest.