I made an apple pie, and had a bundle of peels left over. (I used a peeler/coring/ slicing device, I certainly didn’t hand peel all those neat strands!) The chickens love apple, but I don’t want them ingesting long strings, so I usually chop up peel, but this time I had the idea of twisting the strands into a wreath shape so the hens would have to pick off bits.
I can say that I am not sad to see the end of this year, and am cautiously optimistic about next year.
Well this was fun! I made a crochet hook out of a chunk of mesquite. Rather than a straight dowel (which are harder to hold and manipulate), I made a handle shaped to my hand, then chiseled out an indentation for my thumb. Then I shaped the actual shaft and hook. It took me a couple tries to get the length right (I used some scrap cotton to test), but found a good length and refined the head. I sanded down to 400 grit and sealed with tung oil. The shaft is a size K hook. I could probably have gone smaller, but we’ll see how this one performs. I sent it off to my Mom for the holidays!
Izzy the cat says the puppy’s snuffle mat is better suited as her bed.
I finished the first experiment with weaving with hatching.
Things I like: Hatching! Neat, neat technique with so many possibilities, and solid joins between colors.
Things I learned: Pay careful attention to each pass. Finding a missed warp thread four passes later is frustrating. No, I didn’t unweave, this is a learning piece. Also, weaving in the ends makes lumps on the back. Also, marking the warp threads with washable ink means you have to give the item a proper wash, not just a blocking. Even that doesn’t guarantee the ink will wash out of the white areas.
Details: approximately 8”x8”, 100% cotton weft, warp suspected cotton (from stash), woven on an 8 sett frame loom. First row twined to space warp threads. Warp drawn through piece to finish.
She didn’t start out understanding fetch, but now that she has figured out the game, she is obsessed. This is her favorite ball. She has a larger version that is for outside fetching. She will chase other balls, but this one out ranks all contenders.
We started out with ball chase. I had four or five tennis balls and she would chase one, and as she started to head back, I would throw another, until she was dropping the ball near me before I threw the next one. Then she discovered the blue ball had more use than just a chew toy. We are now working on getting her to place the ball in my hand. She completely understands when I point at the ball and open my hand, which makes it fun!
Critters and Craft 