I put our trail cam back down in the woods in a dry stream bed… awhile ago. Life’s been busy and I hadn’t checked it in nearly a month. Hm. There were over 300 pictures. Yes, mostly of cats, raccoons, armadillo, and opossum, but there were also fox and coyote! The coyote picture was pretty blurry except for the long legs, but I had the best fox picture so far.
Fox image captured by a trail camera
There was also a sequence of shots of one of the neighborhood cats trying to get a rodent (I’m assuming it was a rat). We didn’t get the outcome of the standoff, but the rat holds its own for several minutes.
The pounceThe stalkThe keen observation “Do you think we put on a good show, think they got it all on video? Wait, is it still taking pictures?”
I’m looking for a light weight idea for a pattern for my spun alpaca yarn. I keep coming back to lace. Personally I do not consider myself a lace person; I don’t tend to buy clothes with lace trim, and I don’t care for frills. But Texas is hot most of the time, and thick warm clothing is only necessary for a short span. What am I going to do with all this yarn I’m spinning? Which is why I keep coming back to lace. It can be warm when made from insulating fibers, but not too warm.
Möbius scarf showing the twist
When looking for lace ideas, I came across the idea of a möbius scarf. This is not a new idea, I have just apparently been hiding under a rock (not entirely metaphorical there). The idea is that the garment is created from the center out, and each row adds to the top and bottom since the edge of a möbius strip is continuous. Really, really cool concept. And it can be done in crochet, knitting, or nälbinding. Sweet. I did have some trouble wrapping my brain around it, so rather than diving in with my good yarn, I tried a pattern with some wool sock yarn from my stash.
Möbius scarf shown on a mannequin
I really enjoy the long edge and chance to get each row firmly under my muscle memory. I don’t care for this particular pattern because the center line is not as stretchy as the rest. So now I’m on the hunt for a pattern that stretches uniformly across the fabric (for comfort’s sake). I’ll keep you posted.
Last spring I put out netting over my sky chair to keep the flies and mosquitoes off as I sat. This fall I noticed it was all in a tangle, then I saw the squirrel bunching the fabric up and trying to haul it off. It might feel nice and soft, but I don’t think nylon netting is a good nesting material!
Mosquito netting in a tangle from squirrel activity
I gathered up all the artificial netting and put out tuffs of alpaca fleece as a natural substitute. This seems to meet the inspector’s approval, because I saw a squirrel pulling apart the fibers and gathering bits. That critter is going to have a soft cozy winter bed!
Should you have need of a tea tray, and also have a nice thick wooden frame laying about, a couple drawer pulls, and some fancy paper, you can make your own.
Picture frame with drawer pulls mounted on the sides
I removed the glass, and used Modge Podge to apply the beautiful paper to the back of the frame insert. I drilled holes for the handles slightly larger than the screws for the drawer pulls. (Remember to measure twice, drill once.) I did need to purchase longer screws to get through the frame because my frame is thicker than a drawer front. When picking screws, use the thread checker at the hardware store to make certain you buy the right thread size. I picked up two lengths, but if you measure the width of the frame side before you go, you can save yourself the extra purchase. (Or dig around in your random screw and nut bin.)
Tea tray made from a picture frame
I put an additional coat of Modge Podge on the top of the paper and let it dry overnight before putting it back in the frame. This is a light duty tray and does fine for a little breakfast. I originally made it as a prop for a play, but it functions well and it pretty to boot.
This is the last egg my hens laid before starting their winter break. I used it to do an egg wash on some rolls. Now I will see how long I can go on the dried and powdered eggs I processed when the chickens were in full production. I won’t use powdered egg for an egg wash, but they work fine for pancakes and meatloaf.
Critters and Craft 