Author: Caryn

Turks head knot

On By CarynIn Craft

I started following a rope tying group and my bucket of things to learn overflowed. Number one on my list is learning to make a Turks head knot. This marvelous bit of knotting looks like weaving in the round and is created with a single strand, rather than a warp and a weft for flat weaving. I found a YouTube video from the Paracord guild and pulled some paracord out of my stash. I couldn’t find a suitable length of PVC pipe, so I rolled up some card stock for my form. I was able to figure out the first increase, but ran out of cord for the second increase, so mine is not as wide as in the tutorial.

Photo description: Turks head knot with rainbow colored paracord, and a Thread Zap II

I used a Thread Zap to seal off the ends and actually connect the beginning and end inside the knot. I still need to learn how to tighten the weave, sorry, knot, but I think that will come with practice. The lexicon for rope tying and weaving are definitely warring in my head.

Photo description: same Turks head knot slid onto a pencil sharpener

I did happily discover that the knot would fit over a pencil sharpener, so that is where it is currently living. I have a feeling that random tools around the house are going to sprout rope work.

Visible mending: jeans

On By CarynIn Craft, Life Hack

I’ve been collecting visible mending pins on Pinterest, so when my eldest tore her jeans, I sent her to my Pinterest board to pick a pin.

Photo description: preparing to mend the hole in the knee of a pair of jeans with a scrape of knit denim colored fabric, white thread, needle, and scissors
Photo description: back side of the sewn patch after trimming shown next to a white cereal bowl that I used as a sewing support
Photo description: front side of the jeans with five stitched spirals holding the patch

I quite like visible mending, it is a chance to add a little flair and do good.

Throwback Thursday: blocks

On By CarynIn Craft

When my eldest discovered she had hands and the beginning ability to control those wiggly digits, I made her a set of blocks from my wood pile. I made them from different woods, and in different sizes, because it gave them different weights and feel. I was all about the “different texture experiences” practice of parenthood. I rounded the edges and finished with a matte clear coat, to help with grip.

Photo description: wooden cubes of various sizes and shapes arranged randomly on a wood slab coffee table

I have to admit, I rather liked arranging them on the table as a center piece.

Status update: flock

On By CarynIn chickens

We now have a flock of chickens instead of two separate flocks.

Photo description: two Black Star hens and four Faverolle hens in the coop breezeway, one hen in the tire dust bath

We’ve been keeping the new hens separate from the existing flock, with just a short periods of supervised time together. After three weeks, we opened up all the inside gates and let them mingle. It was already established that the Black Star hens would be dominant, and the Faverolles would run away if she even looked at them, so there was no reason for her to do anything more aggressive than look. We watched in person for a while, then monitored the cameras for the rest of the day. I took the picture above in the afternoon. The breezeway is the coolest part of the run; it is in deep shade and there is almost always a breeze from the shade of the back woods. The best place for all the chickens with summer coming in. Interestingly, they all went to bed in their separate areas. I was hoping the new chickens would find a place in the large coop (there is plenty of room), but they seem to like the little hen house.

Mossarium: attempt two

On By CarynIn Craft, Garden

After boiling and baking my gnarled wood that I wanted to use in my terrarium, and washing the base and all the stones, I tried setting it up again. I visited a local vintage store and picked up some interesting stones, including tiny crystal mushrooms. Mushrooms!

Photo description: wood hardscape in a terrarium base with pebbles underneath and festooned with stone mushroom and frog carvings, tumbled stone, and crystal shards.

I kept the moisture to a minimum, setting the base with dry decorative rocks and glass pebbles, and using glue dots to adhere the carvings and stones. The only moisture came from the sphagnum moss that I tucked into the two hollows in the wood where I wanted to keep plants. I even braved the shipping and ordered a jewel orchid (I used points, so am not counting the cost of that towards the project). I let the moss sit for a few days to test for mold growth. My orchid arrived earlier than expected, and when I went to mount it, I discovered mold in the hollows. Dang it.

Photo description: close up of a hollow in the wood line with white mold.

I disassembled the terrarium, again, and set the wood out to dry. It is a neat chunk of wood, but clearly not suitable for terrarium life. (I’ve read that a dilute solution of bleach could sanitize wood, but I don’t keep bleach in the house because of our aerobic treatment system.) I washed everything, again, and set it out to dry.

I can’t give up on the terrarium idea, I now have a tiny baby plant that needs nurturing. Ah, but don’t worry, I have another idea. We’ll see if the third time works.