Izzy has been subtly trying to claim Grandma’s blanket as a bed for some time. I pick it up to knit and she comes over for lap time. Usually I am able to move it off to one side so she can’t take up residence, but I failed this time. She was pleased. Until I needed to turn the work. Silly cat.
I still haven’t managed a decent sourdough loaf, but I had good success with this bagel recipe! I used my sourdough starter and Heritage Wheat bread flour blend and they came out of the oven looking and feeling like bagels.
Bagels seemed like a intimidating item to make from scratch, but the boiling in water really isn’t hard. I do think it is interesting that you add sugar to bagel water, but baking soda to pretzel water.
I usually have a project of some sort that hangs out in the car so I can work on it when I’m waiting. I opened the bag and there was a little something extra with my knitting. I have no idea how this little spider found its way into my bag, but I think it goes well with the yarn. I did not keep it (though it is cute), but set it free outside the vehicle. I may need to make a shawl pin or broach with that light green color.
Maybe it was appreciating my web work.
I finally collected the trail cam pictures. Over a 20 day stretch, there were over 1,600 pictures, mostly of cats. With that many, I’m glad there were some funny ones of the cats trying to catch bugs (above) and a tender moment (below). If you will notice, the short-haired black cat has intact ears, which means she has not been fixed. Darn it.
My mini stationary bike’s tensioning system was no longer working, so I took it apart to see what was going on and to see if I could harness the turning power. Rather than spin with a drop spindle as I turned the pedals, I wondered if I could drive a spindle, essentially making a pedal driven spinning wheel. The short answer is yes, yes I can.
Once all the extraneous bits were removed from the mini bike (like the cover, tensioner, and monitor) I was left with a pedal driven wheel. I used an old metal baluster to hold a spindle above knee height and ran a piece of waxed woven cord (this worked better than string or chain) around the wheel and up to the spindle. Some silicone grip strip on the wheel and the custom wood hub on the spindle gave enough friction so the cord didn’t slide (it is pink because that is what I had on hand). I’m still adjusting the design as I go. Initially I had the spindle resting in slots at the top of the baluster, but it wobbled too much. My husband suggested using a sleeve and offsetting the spindle hub, so I drilled a hole to fit the spindle shaft, which works much better. A metal bead and a cork keep the spindle from flying out. I’m sure as I use it more, I will find other aspects to adjust.
The style of spinning wheel is not a typical English wheel, but more like a vertical charkha spinning wheel. There is no flyer assembly to automatically take up the yarn, Instead it is an adjustment of the angle of my arm to go from adding twist to loading spun yarn onto the spindle. I believe Great Wheels use similar mechanics, but the wheel is driven by hand in a standing position.
The best part of the spinning wheel? (Ok, the second best part, because spinning wheel!!) The only thing I bought was the cork. Everything else was repurposed. The baluster was left over when my husband built a new closet upstairs, the spindle was an old glass bead mandrel, the wooden hub was a bit of dowel that I drilled and shaped and glued, the silicone wrap was left over from wrapping kayak handles, the cord, wax and the metal bead came from my stash, the whorl on the spindle is an old shanked button that I drilled a hole through.
Critters and Craft 