Author: Caryn

6 years

On By CarynIn art, Craft, photography
Photo caption: rusted iron spiral in the shape of a number 6

Today is the sixth anniversary of my blog! I did have a name change over that time from “of chickens and craft” to “critters and craft”. I do still have four chickens, and Wing Ding the Black Star hen is still laying eggs, even when there is snow on the ground, but things aren’t quite so chicken centric over here anymore. Now critters, we’re all about the critters, and making things.

The sixth year anniversary token is iron. I found a photo I took of old rusted farm equipment and did a little Photoshop magic. I like using AI generation to change the ratio of photos and fill backgrounds on my own photographs and work. No fleecing other artist’s work in a dodgy way, and it is hard to anticipate all the potential uses of a photo when the shutter snaps. The original photo is below.

Photo description: rusted iron spiral from old farm equipment sitting in the grass

I also appreciate the search function in photo apps. It is still improving, but it only took a minute to find this photo in my gallery with the search terms “rusty iron”.

Here’s to more posts on critters and craft!

Wild silk

On By CarynIn Craft

I found a Polyphemus Moth cocoon! These giant silk moths are native to Texas and form a beige colored oblong cocoon made of silk. It was on the ground outside my house, one end open where the adult moth escaped.

Photo description: probable Polyphemus Moth cocoon

I decided to see what I could do with the cocoon. I started attempting to pull the silk fibers away from the cocoon, but it was difficult, so I soaked it in water. Then I realized the remains of the pupa was still inside the cocoon, so I cut the cocoon open to get it out. With the side split, I was able to tear sheets off the cocoon with some success. I left the cocoon to soak in water and over several days was able to pick more of the cocoon apart. I picked away the soiled bits, and gave it a wash with dishwasher soap.

Photo description: cocoon layers soaking in water

During the soaking, Camaj fibers released an instructional PDF on making silk paper. Hm. I ordered the PDF and read the whole thing, and using their method, made a single small piece of silk paper from the cocoon.

Photo description: Polyphemus Moth cocoon paper, inside lighting
Photo description: Polyphemus Moth cocoon paper, outside lighting

The pictures really don’t do the paper justice. It is soft to the touch and has a pretty luster. I have no idea what I’m going to do with it, but it was a satisfying project.

Cotton bolls

On By CarynIn Craft

I’m enjoying spinning my cotton bolls. It is a meditative process, from picking the seeds out of the fiber to spinning it up. I have the time and no deadlines so I can enjoy the process. I absolutely see why cotton gins were invented, because seed picking bales of cotton by hand would be an arduous task.

For grins, I laid out a cotton seed head, then another with the bolls removed, then another with the seeds removed.

Photo description: three cotton seed heads, the left intact, the middle with the bolls separated, the right with the seeds removed from the fiber

I also did a video showing how I remove the boll and seeds, then spin the fiber. I have not been carding the fiber, but experimenting with the pulled fluff.

Throwback Thursday: glass buttons

On By CarynIn Craft, throwback

In March 2012 I had a custom order for glass clay buttons for the Kansas State Button Society. I designed the button with input from my grandmother’s button group, made a silicone mold into which I pressed the glass clay, hand built the button shank, hand painted each button, and fired them in batches in my kiln.

Photo description: multiple colors of flower and fan glass clay buttons
Photo description: close up of the buttons with a ruler showing each button about an inch and three quarters
Photo description: one button mounted on the card that was given out during the Spring 2012 meeting

Making larger batches is a completely different animal than designing a single component. The glass clay was fun to play with, but was brittle, so the buttons were decorative more than functional.

Orange peel texture

On By CarynIn Craft

This is one of my favorite crochet textures. I’ve heard it called many names, but orange or lemon peel is what sticks in my head. It is an alternating pattern of single and double crochet stitches across, the on row two the single crochets go in the previous double crochet, and the double crochets go in the previous row’s single crochet. It takes a little time to recognize which stitch is which, but the finished project is very forgiving.

Photo description: swatch of orange peel crochet with double crochet top and bottom edge made with hand-spun mint infused cellulose fiber and a 1.75mm crochet hook