Month: January 2022

Paper flower wreath

On By CarynIn Craft

That was more work than I anticipated. Folding all the flowers from slightly off-sized origami paper torn from a book wasn’t bad, but adding the twisting of the wire stems doubled the time for each. Then I decided to cut down some of the paper to make three different sizes. Then my kids’ school was cancelled for three days because there weren’t enough teachers and subs due to COVID infections. Hm. Anyway, I did finally complete the wreath by adding the flowers to a grape vine circle. I regularly change out the picks on this wreath, so no gluing, I just hooked the wire around the vine so I can use the base again. Rather than fill the wreath full of flowers, I did a size gradient so I can still see the lovely woody vines. I do like this wreath!

Paper flower wreath on a grape vine base

Narrowing it down

On By CarynIn chickens

I have discovered that if I close all my apps and check my chicken web cam before I fall asleep or right when I wake up, I’m more likely to have access to the camera and recorded footage, without the dreaded infinite spinning wheel. So maybe my pillow is a conjunction which allows smooth communication between the camera, the network, and my phone. Hm. Or maybe everyone else is asleep and the network isn’t bogged down with traffic. But those are contemplations for another time. Here is a still of the chickens coming out of their coop after 7am because it is cold (but I can tell in the video feed the water isn’t frozen in the run, despite being 25 degrees outside, so that’s nice).

Chickens emerging from the coop on a cold winter morning

Switching skeins

On By CarynIn Craft

I’m ready to add in a new skein on Grandma’s blanket. I actually made it through the skein she was working on, which bodes well for the project! Grandma did not let the yarn run out willy nilly, but gauged if she had enough for a new row, and did her joins at the edges with an overhand knot. I’m guessing that she addressed the ends when she added the border.

Joining yarn at the edge of the project

I can appreciate this method because making joins in the middle of a row can leave unsightly lumps. There are many methods of joining (that might be another post), but leaving them on the edge is a sure fire way of avoiding seeing them in the field of work. Now I’m really hoping Grandma added the yarn waste into her yardage calculations.

Longest lived stuffed toy

On By CarynIn dog

When we brought home Missy as a puppy a year and a half ago, my eldest picked out a stuffed animal for her to cuddle in her crate so she would miss her litter mates less. While other toys have come and gone, this stuffed jaguar has been a consistent companion.

Missy (2 months old) with the jaguar toy
Missy (1.5 years) with jaguar toy

The jaguar doesn’t stay in the crate anymore, but she still regularly brings it out for a tussle on the living room rug.

Taste test: crepe edition

On By CarynIn Recipe

Yes, this is what I called it when I presented two different batches of crepes for a taste test. My youngest thought it was hilarious. I decided to make both corn starch based crepes and heritage wheat based crepes. I have two different recipes and wanted to see which tasted better. To try to even the board, I used the same amount of sugar in both batches. I did not match fats; the corn starch version uses butter and the wheat version uses vegetable oil. On my second batch of crepes, I started seeing faces in the bubbles, so decided to make my own face. I may have spent too much time over the skillet.

Smiley crepe (face done in batter first, then rest of batter added after about 30 seconds)
Corn starch based crepes on left, heritage wheat based on the right

Results were mixed. Both crepes were OK, but the corn starch version had more flavor (possibly because of the butter). My youngest liked the wheat version because it had smiley faces, so three votes for taste, one for presentation. There we go.