Month: July 2026

Adding a top

On By CarynIn Craft, Tools

When my youngest was little, I made a little table/bench from pine with screw-on wood legs for her as a play surface. I painted it white, but she festooned it with stickers of ballerinas. The little table was outgrown many, many years ago, and the disassembled pieces have been sitting in my craft room. I decided to use the wood slab as a mockup top for my Singer treadle base. I cleaned off the stickers with a flat craft knife (they were the horrible kind that comes off in tiny pieces if pulled).

Photo description: scraping off 14-year-old stickers from a painted board

I cleaned the residue up with a Magic Eraser, and removed the brackets for the legs. Then I screwed the treadle base to the board.

Photo description: cast iron treadle base set on a painted pine plank

It isn’t fancy, but the pine will be easy to saw holes in for the drive band to come through. The yarn winder design is still in the thoughtful stage, but I’ve had a couple breakthrough ideas that may work out well with the tools and skills I have.

Throwback Thursday: catio

On By CarynIn Cats

In May of 2018 my eldest and I finished building a catio on the back side of the house. We built it from 2×2 lumber, painted it, and encased it in welded wire fence material, with a screen door. Izzy the cat still loves it.

Photo description: calico cat laying on the dirt in a custom built catio

It attaches to a back window so the cats can come and go as they please. After eight years, though, it is looking rather raggedy.

Things I learned with this catio:

  • Even though I painted it, I should have used all exterior treated lumber
  • Small hammocks made from outdoor fabric are fantastic, the cats love them, put a grommet in the center to let the rain drain
  • Put sand in the bottom, but also have kitty litter boxes
  • A nice long ramp wrapped with outdoor fabric makes a good scratching surface
  • Multiple staggered high shelves are appreciated
  • On the next one, I’ll probably add a roof

Jewel orchid bloom

On By CarynIn Flora

Here is a closeup of my jewel orchid’s bloom.

Photo description: photo taken through the clear acrylic cylinder so slightly diffuse of a jewel orchid bloom, with the reflection off the cylinder keeping in the moisture

It is not as showy as other orchids, but I’m still excited that I found a setup in which it will bloom. It is in a small mason jar full of live moss, and capped with a large clear acrylic upside-down vase, in a southern facing frosted bathroom window. I add water maybe once a month.

Spot the cat

On By CarynIn Cats, music
Photo description: Top of an upright grand piano covered in sheet music and oddities with a wall hanging holding a collection of instruments, cat in the middle

It isn’t a very difficult “Where’s Waldo” photo, but she wasn’t trying to be subtle. She was trying to get to me to make me stop singing. I was standing at a music stand facing the piano, working on warm ups, and she gets quite perturbed when I even sound like I’m working on overtone singing. I can actually tell when I am using my full resonant voice because she comes over to yell at me (it is definitely not with me). Actual overtone singing and she will come from anywhere in the house to get me to stop.

Crop Circles

On By CarynIn Craft, Uncategorized

Here is another square done from the book Granny Square Flair by Shelley Husband.

Photo description: crocheted square made from alpaca yarn, pattern name “Crop Circles”, not blocked

How long did it take you to notice that the center circle is showing the wrong side? I didn’t notice until all four outer circles were stitched in and I had started the connecting stitches. Sigh. I’ll put it in an obscured spot in the final garment. Or call it a design choice.