My animals usually follow me around the kitchen, but not usually three at once. Izzy seemed curious about the fuss over fallen cheese. She was not impressed.
Whatcha got?
Month: February 2023
Wool processing video
I came across this wool processing video that is amazing. Good information, spectacular animation, and brief. Produced by the The Woolmark Company, it is worth the three minutes to watch.
Filling in
I love my spider plant, and love the curtain of off shoots it sends out around the perimeter. However the top starts to get thin, and the parent plant droops. It is under a vent, so gets dry. I’ve increased the amount of water I give it, but it still doesn’t fill in. I used to root out the baby spider plants in water and replant, but they wouldn’t always take. So I have a new method. I keep the baby plant on its lifeline and set it in the soil. It is still getting support from the mother plant, but its base is touching the soil and moisture, which promotes root growth. When the baby is firmly established, then I cut the cord. It has worked several times so far. In the picture below I have used a twist tie to secure the cord to keep the little plant pressed into the dirt (else it goes flying back out with its siblings).
Gotcha
This beautiful black cat has been evading capture for over a year. I finally caught it with a can of sardines. When not actively trapping, I would leave the trap open with a can of sardines inside. When I came back, the sardines would be gone, so I’d set the trap (I use a pull stick on a string rather than the trap mechanism), and wait. And wait. And wait. It circled five times, with three partial entries before it made the commitment to go for the tin in the back. This was only after our neighbor withheld food in the morning. I’ve used the neutral pronoun because I was convinced at the time of catching that this cat was male. Nope. The TNR papers declared her female, and not pregnant.
I did not get the unfixed calico also evading the trap. I’m going to have to get more creative with that one.
I have learned that listening to audio books during stake out helps pass the time. I use headphones so the sound doesn’t carry. If I do any crafty thing, they see my movement in the car and shy away.
Testing spindles
The best way to see how a spindle design performs is to use it. I still think the current version of my 3D printed spindle is too large, but I’m giving it a try anyway. I can spin fairly consistent yarn with it, but the single is slightly thicker than I get with a smaller spindle. I spin over a rug to give a little extra protection in case I drop it. No way would I take it on a walk. Spinning in the house also means that Missy presents me with a ball to kick, since obviously my hands are busy.
Critters and Craft 