My eldest found a chrysalis while we were weeding the front garden. She put it in a jar with a wire mesh top (yeah, we have these just hanging around for exactly this reason) and in about a week a moth emerged! She let it go outside after its photo session. After doing a search on iNaturalist we found out the caterpillar form is called an armyworm and damages crops. Hmm.
I noticed that I had to spin my experimental spindle quite often. I was not able draft fast enough and the twist built up and reversed the spindle. I needed to either draft faster, or slow the spindle down. I started by drilling a couple holes in the base of my spindle and wiring in an embroidery hoop. Moving the weight away from the center slows down the spin (yay physics!)
This worked well, but was very heavy. So I visited a local craft store and picked up some steel macrame hoops. Rather than wiring them in, I had the idea to snap them on. Because I so helpfully included an indent at the bottom of the spindle (which at the time I just thought was pretty), I could make a catch with the wire so the hoop could be changed out.
I need to perfect the balance (which using a lathe on the spindle and more precise wiring should help), but with this modest modification I could produce yarn so much faster. The hoop is low enough that I can still use the nostepinne style ball wrapping, and when I want to use the spindle supported, the hoop pops off. It is not really surprising that I came to this solution. Wire is one of my favorite mediums, right up there with wood.
The honeysuckle in the corner is super happy this spring. I think it rather enjoys the new drip line feeding its roots.
We thought for certain the crossvine had succumbed to the artic cold in February, but it is also happy and full of bloom. I’m very glad I didn’t rip it out!
Even I am not immune to project fear, which leads to bundles of yarn in various states of assembly moldering in a corner because I’m not sure what to do. My forever alpaca project has been that way for months (I started it over a year ago) because I had an inkling that I didn’t have enough to make a vest. I was right.
The idea was to lay out pieces on a vest that fit well, then sew the bits together to form a new vest. I’m not really wanting a bolo vest, and I spun all that fiber at one time, so I would be more consistent. I’m not sure I could spin it up the same now. So. Time for a new plan. I laid out the spirals in several different configurations, and when I had one I liked, took a picture and started sewing using the tails I left after nålbinding. To sew, I used a mattress type stitch, where the needle points the same direction for each stitch, just switching sides.
I was planning on a scarf, but when I did a test fit (as you do), I realized I could shape it more like a shawl or large collar.
I also realized that I may still be able to turn it into a vest by adding a body section. Hmm.
We had a rather striking sunrise the other day. I snapped a picture (I was not driving), then realized after that it looked like a giant eye. And not really a benevolent one. I had “From a Distance” by Bette Midler stuck in my head the rest of the day.
Critters and Craft 