Month: January 2023

Taking it on the road

On By CarynIn Craft

My rainbow scarf has been languishing next to my chair at home. The problem is that I can’t stop in the middle of a row, and with brioche knitting each row requires two passes to complete. At home I am frequently required to lay down my craft for a pet or kid urgency, and I am really uncomfortable stopping mid row on this piece. So it is time for a move. I have bravely put the pool noodle holder into a project bag and moved the project to the car. I was quite surprised not only how well the section of pool noodle fits in the bag, but that the whole assembly works well as a car-rider-line project. Now we’ll see how progress goes getting attention for an hour a day, five days a week!

Rainbow scarf project moved to a project bag, with split pool noodle holder

Happy Cactus

On By CarynIn Flora
Thanksgiving cactus (Schlumbergera truncata) in bloom

My Thanksgiving Cactus is doing double time. Many of the stems have two buds rather than one like last year. I’m still not doing anything special: it hangs in a northern facing window, and I water it twice a week. Every few months I add fertilizer to the water for all my plants, but this is haphazard at best, even though I have a reminder on my phone to do so. This is the window that leads to the catio, so often it is open below where the cactus hangs. The plant is often festooned with house spider webs. I am bemused that it is happy, thriving, and blooming, but I certainly enjoy that it is.

Ode to buttonhole elastic

On By CarynIn Craft, Life Hack

I first discovered button hole elastic in clothes purchased for my kids. This ingenious addition to the inside waist of pants helps harried parents tighten the waist band of their offspring’s pants without resorting to a belt, which is particularly important during the bathroom independence revolution. I purchased some for my stash, and have used it to adjust clothing, for mask elastic (during the cloth mask years), and now to hold together a rolled mat. Sewing a button on both ends of the elastic allows an adjustable way to secure the roll, and the elastic between acts as a carrying handle.

Buttons sewn to the end of button elastic
Button hole elastic used as mat roll control

I would put forth that button elastic deserves a place in any crafter’s stash, along with hot glue and duct tape.

Blanket catch

On By CarynIn dog, Life Hack

A fuzzy blanket on the back of the couch is the favorite spot for both Izzy the cat and Missy the dog. But the blanket doesn’t stay there. Up and over the back of the couch is also Missy’s favorite race track path. (I still don’t quite understand how a 20 pound, stubby-legged dog can vault up and over the couch.) The blanket usually ends up on the floor behind the couch. Arg. So I’m trying a blanket stay. I took 1/2” elastic and wrapped it around the couch cushions (these cushions are not removable).

Half inch elastic wrapped around the couch

I pulled the elastic quite snug and tied it off, then tucked the tied ends into the cracks. The blanket then gets folded in half, slid under the elastic, and folded in half again.

Blanket installed with elastic

When my youngest needs to wrap up in the blanket, it is easy to pull down, but so far I have not found the blanket on the floor, a victim of a high speed ball chase.

Missy in rest mode

Snake hide basket upgrade

On By CarynIn Craft, snake
Lid collapse

The picture above was taken the day after we put the new rope basket (see yesterday’s post) in the snake cage. He did investigate it, but in doing so knocked off the lid and squished the basket. The basket is semi-flexible, but doesn’t make a good hide if the lid is off. Hm. I decided to add a hinge and latch.

Decorative frog from my stash

I had a premade rope frog (latch) in my stash that has been stashed for a couple generations. I sewed it on the basket. To make the hinge I just sewed one side of the lid to the basket, since the sides are flexible. As I was sewing, Izzy the cat decided that she would try out the basket on my lap. She didn’t fit.

Izzy trying to squeeze into the basket
Basket open
Basket closed

This has become quite the fancy snake basket. Well, currently it is just a basket. The snake has yet to curl up in it, but it survived a night in the cage without collapsing, so we’ll see if he takes to it. At least it is washable if he decides we just gave him a second bathroom.