Author: Caryn

Different

On By CarynIn chickens, eggs, Tools
Photo description: three eggs held in my hand outside the coop, with egg weights digitally added: 45g, 54g, 31g

I found a small egg in the nest boxes. Although it is a different color than the other two eggs collected that day, it is in the normal coloration of my hen’s eggs, just small. I broke it open and there was a yolk (which surprised me), but very little white.

On the tech side of things, I just discovered that my photo app can add actual text now. I’ve been scribbling with markup, or porting to a different app for text adds for years. I’m not sure when that feature slipped in there, but it does help streamline my workflow. Yay!

Shadow’s Embrace

On By CarynIn Craft

This is hand-dyed yarn by Madeline Tosh. The color-way is named “Shadow’s Embrace”. Yes, it was a special design for today’s eclipse. I bought it through JuJu Knits in Fort Worth, and while I was picking up, saw a sock pattern called “Singularity” by Jeny Staiman.

Photo description: Shadow’s Embrace black and orange super fine weight yarn by Madeline Tosh in the skein.
Photo description: two yarn cakes of roughly equal value wound from the Shadow’s Embrace yarn.

I am totally working on socks today called Singularity Shadow’s Embrace. Makes my nerdy science heart happy!

Puffball?

On By CarynIn Fungi

We had this large mushroom pop up inside our fence. Rather than risk the dogs getting sick, I took my picture and threw it out into the back woods. It was quite heavy for a mushroom. I showed the picture to my eldest, who responded: “Aren’t those edible?” Hm. I looked it up and puffball mushrooms can be edible, but don’t mix them up with earthball mushrooms, which are not edible. One of the ways to tell is to cut it open. Did I do that before I threw it into the woods? Nope, of course not.

Photo description: palm sized round mushroom with a rough white surface.

We’ve had a nice wet Spring. I think I’ll take a knife with me when I go back out into the woods.

Soybean top page

On By CarynIn Craft

I have finished a new fiber page for my spinning book! I mounted all my samples from hand spinning soybean top (top is the description of the fiber preparation, involves combing, and produces parallel fibers) on prepped black card stock. I would definitely use this fiber again, it is very strong, yet so soft.

Photo description: Soybean top fiber page. Clockwise from top left: original card from Hearthside Fibers reading “Soybean Top Developed in the USA in the 1930s by Henry Ford Used in Ford car upholstery pre-1940”, single spun, 2-ply, and 4 ply yarn samples, woven swatch, nålbinding swatch, crochet swatch, knit swatch, combed fiber.
Photo description: same page with swatches flipped up to show the writing underneath: plain weave on Clover mini loom, nålbinding Dalarna O/U O:U O, crochet 1.75mm hook, Stiockinet size 2 needle knit.

More socks

On By CarynIn Craft

As a comparison to yesterday’s throwback post, here is my latest pair of socks finished. These are women’s size 5 socks knitted from fingering weight variegated super-wash merino wool and nylon yarn. I knitted them at the same time with two circular needles, which I much prefer over double pointed needles. They were knitted toe-up, which I also prefer, except for binding off. I tore out and reknit the top of one sock three times trying to get a stretchy bind-off. I ended up with a tubular bind-off, which is like a Kitchener grafting stitch, and goes well with 1×1 ribbing. I don’t care for the heel construction on these; I didn’t grasp the way to pick up stitches that were wrapped on the short rows. The good news is that there are dozens of different ways to do heels.

Photo description: two blue and yellow variegated knit socks, the right one laid flat showing the top of the foot and ankle, the left folded to show the bottom of the foot and heel.

My youngest reports that they are quite comfy. I do think hand knit socks are worth the effort for this reason.