Month: September 2021

Nålbinding plastic

On By CarynIn Craft

I finished another nålbound bag! I used loops of grocery bag plastic, and added some embroidery using loops from a different color bag. I learned that doubling the loops makes a very stiff fabric (the base was made as an oval with doubled loops, but is a bit wonky because of the stiffness). The sides were done with single loops thumb tensioned (meaning the loops are the diameter of my thumb) done in Finnish 2+2 with an F2 connection (here is an excellent resource site). The sides are much more flexible than the base, but still sturdy enough to stand tall on their own. (Although I did stuff the bag for the picture.)

Nålbound bag (9”x10”) made from plastic grocery bags

Wasp invasion

On By CarynIn Wildlife

The wasps found a hidden area between the rafters in the overhang in the run to build their nest. I’m not sure how I didn’t disturb them before this, but when I went to fill the far hanging water for the chickens, they certainly let me know they were there now. (There might have been some hollering on my part as I ran.)

Looking up at a large wasp nest

Here is another good reason to have multiple watering stations. I abandoned the far water containers near the nest, knowing the chickens have access to water at three other spots. I waited until dusk, when the chickens were up for the night and the wasps were quiet, then soaked the nest with wasp spray. Thoroughly. In the morning the spray was dry and the wasps were gone. The instructions on the can recommend waiting 24 hours before removing the nest, but I’m going to wait until it falls down on its own. I’ve read that wasps are territorial and won’t nest where there is another nest. Some people even put up fake nests to deter wasp activity. I had an old nest up on the other side of the run for nearly a year and while it was there, no other wasps nested in the area.

Blueberry block

On By CarynIn chickens

I made blueberry ice cream the other day and was left a pile of cooked blueberry hulls. What to do? The chickens might like them. It is hot out, so freezing them might be good. I put the strained skins in a paper bowl and popped it into the freezer. When I put out the block of frozen blueberry mash for the chickens and they devoured it. I was hoping for purple stained beaks (frozen blueberries stain my hands something awful), but they were quite clean. It does go right through them, though, so for the sake of their fluffy bum and digestive tracts, blueberries will be a sometimes treat.

Block of frozen blueberry mash for the hens

Blueberry ice cream

On By CarynIn Recipe

My eldest loves this ice cream, so I’m writing down the recipe.

  • 4 cups frozen blueberries
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 2 Tbsp water
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 3 cups heavy cream

Add blueberries, sugar, and water to a sauce pan and bring to a simmer until the blueberries pop. Strain the solids out and just use the liquid (I had about two cups of blueberry juice). Put the juice in the refrigerator until cold. Add milk and cream, then follow directions on your ice cream maker.

I used part of the ice cream to make ice cream pie. Straight out of the ice cream maker, I dished the soft ice cream into a prepared pie shell then put it in the freezer. The next day, I placed the pie on the counter for 10 minutes before cutting. Whipped cream made a good accompaniment!

Blueberry ice cream pie

Blocking holes

On By CarynIn Craft, Life Hack

My youngest has taken up the coronet in band. Her case for the instrument is well made, but has a mysterious hole under the instrument that devours small items. Once a bottle of valve oil slips into the depths, it is really hard to retrieve. The hole is big enough to hold music, but the angle of access prevents putting a lesson book in. Truly mysterious. So I plugged it. I made a small pillow from black fabric in my stash and stuffed it into the hole. At first I tried a stuffed tube, but it didn’t hold well, so tried a rectangular pillow the length of the hole and about four inches wide, then stuffed it to get an inch and a half of depth. It is removable, does no damage, and keeps the case from eating tubes of slide grease.

Home made block for hole in coronet case
Block installed flush

Hm. I think I may have figured out the purpose of the hole. When the block is installed, and the case is carried, the small items end up all around the coronet. So the hole is a catch to keep small things from banging against the instrument. Ok, well, it is still too deep. So I pushed the pillow farther in, to make a shallow hole just deep enough to catch the bottles. The same effect could be accomplished with a small folded towel, I suppose, but little pillows are easy to make.