Happy National Bison Day! As an absolutely shameless plug, here is a link to the Buffalo Wool Company, and their list of ranchers and conservators to help you support the growing bison population and local economies!
National Bison Day
Author: Caryn
Nylon dish scrubbies
I have been experimenting with nylon tulle fabric (fine mesh fabric, usually in the bridal section). My sewing machine cleaning instructions include using this kind of fabric to gently clean screw threads. If it can handle that kind of work, scrubbing dishes without scratching should be a breeze. I ordered 15 yards, and chose the gold color. I tried cutting narrow strips, but found that sections about 6-7” inches wide worked well to crochet bulky scrubbies. I used leather shears to cut off a section of the bolt. (I’ve since found out that tulle comes in 6” widths in the ribbon section, so we’re going to store that info away for later.)
The cut strip was double layered, because that is the way fabric is laid in a bolt. To make the material manageable, I wound it nostepinne style on a dowel.
I tried various methods to make the scrubbies, but came back to the basic crochet half-double stitch round. For my skill set, that is the neatest (as in tidy and well formed).
To make these, I use a size M hook and start with a magic circle, crochet 8 Half-Double Crochet (hdc) stitches, pull the end tight and slip stitch (sl st) into the first hdc. The second row starts with two chain (ch) stitches, then has two hdc in each hdc from row 1. I crochet the end in as I go. Sl st to beginning the of the row. The last row (yup, just three rounds) starts with 2ch, then 1hdc in the previous hdc, 2hdc in the next, repeat around. Cut material, pull through last stitch, join to first stitch and weave in the end. Easy peasy and fast.
Cold prep
We are finally cooling down here in Texas. We actually had a freeze warning in October, which seemed unusual. I did a few additional things this year in addition to shutting down sprinklers and disconnecting hoses. Basil turns black if the temperatures drop below 40 degrees. In past years I’ve tented the raised bed with plastic, with minimum success. This year I actually gathered my remaining basil and brought it inside to dry.
I also cleaned out the cat bench and put in new straw. I don’t think any of the neighborhood cats use it, but just in case, it has fresh bedding and a handful of dried lavender to deter bugs. I made this bench with the insulated compartment several years ago.
Cat basket
Although it would be nice to crochet a custom lining for each round basket I find, sometimes I just fold an old towel in half and toss it over. This works great for Izzy, but for seven-month-old Thor, it is too tempting.
To keep the towel in place and not subject to kitten wiles, I sewed together the ends of a piece of wide elastic to make a stretchy band that goes around the towel and basket.
The securing of the towel meets with both cat’s approval.
In my opinion the basket is a little small, but the cats like it cozy. Yes, they are about the same size now, and Thor is still growing.
Electronic ghosts
I used to record voice overs, both professionally and as a volunteer for a radio reading service. I enjoy the work, and even invested in a decent microphone and amp. Then life happened with kids and pets and noisy house environments and technical software difficulties. It has been awhile but I decided I want to try again, and the downstairs coat closet had already been cleaned out for an office during the pandemic, so I moved my stuff in.
I’m pretty proud of myself in outfitting the room. The carpet was already there to keep the floor from being too cold for feral cats in cages, the curtains were all left by the previous owner, the curtain rods were all repurposed from other locations in time and space. The fairy lights were from a failed experiment in my kid’s room (they are too bright for her). The shelves were already there, I just rearranged them. The chair is from a set that migrates around the house and is good for recording because it doesn’t roll, creak, or make other unwanted noises. The only thing I purchased was a pop filter and a mouse pad (neither pictured). I used to have a pop filter, but I have no idea where it got off to. My optical mouse really doesn’t like the white surface on the shelves, and we have no spare mouse pads.
I did some initial tests, including a musical Zoom call (kid’s guitar lesson), and things seemed to all work OK.
I sat down on a quiet morning (everyone else was off to work and school) and started experimenting with the software. I’m using Adobe Audition because it is bundled with my graphic software package. I walked through the tutorials, which was a great refresher because I’ve already used this software to remix tracks for my chorus, and I learned some shortcuts that I didn’t know, and discovered spectral view (wowza). And a terrible, terrible buzz. I chased the source of the buzz for an hour, trying different settings, different microphones, different headphones. I had finally given up, thinking that the next step was to move everything back, went to turn off the desk lamp, and heard a pitch change. What? I had dug an old led clip light out of a drawer, and plugged it in for more light. I unplugged it, tried recording again, and the ambient noise level was undetectable. Of all the irritating things. Recording testing can now continue, and I don’t have to repurpose the room, again. For now.
Happy Halloween, may your electronics be shielded.
Critters and Craft 