Month: February 2025

Knit Cables

On By CarynIn Craft

When I went to swatch my hand spun rose fiber yarn I had an urge to cable, so I did. Cables in knitting look fancy but are not technically difficult. The stitches get a little tight in the twist, so take a little longer, but the concept is just to put one side of the cable on a cable needle, put the extra needle to the front or back, knit the other side of the cable, put the first side back on the knitting needle, then knit them. Honestly the words took longer to type. There are brave souls who can cable without the extra needle to hold the loose stitches, but I haven’t worked up the courage yet.

Photo description: two ply hand spun rose fiber yarn knitted swatch with two cables of opposite twist on a garter stitch background using a size 4 Prym circular needle

The direction of twist depends on if the skipped stitches are moved to the front or back of the work. Since I was swatching, I did one of each.

It doesn’t need to be fancy

On By CarynIn Craft

If you don’t have a swift or a nostepinne (or don’t want to go upstairs then get them), the back of a chair and a roll of paper work fine to take yarn from skein to ball form.

Photo description: skein of hand spun cotton hung on the back of a wood chair, and center pull ball of yarn started on a roll of card stock, black dog looking on in the background

I rolled up two skeins of hand spun cotton this way. This is the cotton that I spun from raw bolls then three plied two ways: crepe and chain ply.

Photo description: two nostepinne style balls of cotton yarn, chain ply on the left, crepe on the right

I’m most interested in how these two preparations knit up. Yes, I’m looking forward to swatching. I’m weird like that.

Cold in Texas

On By CarynIn chickens

We do get some cold in Texas. I went to clean the chicken water and found large ice crystals growing inside.

Photo description: edge of an empty chicken water container with large ice crystals on the side

I have had the large container freeze solid, but haven’t seen these slow growth crystals before, which was neat. I also have a heated water bowl, so the chickens always have thawed water, even when everything else is frozen.

Throwback Thursday: recycled glass

On By CarynIn Craft, throwback

Back in December of 2012 I was into cutting up wine bottles and heating them up to melting in my kiln. I made an ornament from the base of a green bottle, cut a groove in the side with my wet grinder, and wire wrapped it. Using an engraving tool I wrote the first verse from A Visit from St Nicholas by Clement-Clark Moore in a spiral out in tiny lettering.

Photo description: green glass ornament with spiral writing and organza ribbon

As I scroll my photo history, I don’t take every craft project for a throwback post. When I look at a photo, if there aren’t enough words in my head, it doesn’t get picked. There are some projects where I don’t remember what materials I used, or don’t have any in process photos to remind me how I constructed it. So I keep scrolling. Since I’m still picking projects from 13 years ago, I figure I have some leeway.

Thanksgiving cactus

On By CarynIn Garden

This is an update for my long time readers on my Thanksgiving cactus, which in my house blooms from December to March, approximately. It is growing! Since it is up against a north facing window, the growth is to the sides, but the stems touching the window get cold enough to trigger flower buds, then I turn it around so we can see the blooms. By the time it one side is done blooming, the other has new buds so I turn it back around.

Photo description: “Thanksgiving” cactus blooming in February because of window conditions

I water it once a week for a count of three, and occasionally remember to fertilize. No banana for scale, but the window is 35” inches wide.