Author: Caryn

Managing rainbow spaghetti

On By CarynIn Craft

I have embarked on a new long-term knitting project: a rainbow scarf in brioche knit with vertical stripes of color. The yarn is from Wanderlust Fiber Co in Dallas TX, and it was purchased through a fundraiser through JuJu Knits for #LGBQTSaves. I reached out to the yarn dyers for more of the sparkly white so I had enough to back all the color in the scarf. The most terrifying thing about this project is if all those beautiful colors get tangled (seriously, the horror). So I devised a method to keep it all from turning to rainbow spaghetti. Enter one of DIYers top three multipurpose supplies: the pool noodle. (Which has a close following to duct tape and hot glue.) I cut a length of pool noodle, then slit it down the side to make a clamp for the center pull balls of yarn. The pressure on the yarn keeps the balls from rolling or swinging about, and since they are center-pull, the yarn feeds out easily.

Another use for the ubiquitous pool noodle: yarn holder

The colors came in mini skeins, which, once they are wound into cakes, are a perfect size for a pool noodle clamp. As I knit the colored rows, I do need to watch carefully which way to route the yarn, but if I do mess up, I can take the tangled yarn out of the clamp, untangle, and slide it back in place. No worries.

Getting started on the rainbow scarf

The sparkly white stays out of the clamp, because it runs its rows independently of the colors. It is working quite well. And the pool noodle sits along my thigh when I sit in my chair and stays put.

Izzy watching rainbow spaghetti

This is definitely not a travel project, it stays in the knitting bag by my chair. So it will be in process for while. I’ll post updates as construction continues.

Snowberry Clearwing

On By CarynIn Wildlife

Ok, so that is a cool name, even if it is more fitting for a winter fairy than a hummingbird moth. The good folks on iNaturalist provided the ID. I found it before the wings filled out.

Snowberry Clearwing moth resting on a stick before I helped it perch high up in the honeysuckle

The Snowberry Clearwing (yup, going to use the full name every time, ‘cause wow), pupates in leaf litter and one of the host plants for the caterpillar is honeysuckle, so it makes sense that they find our front arbor a good home since it is full of several varieties of honeysuckle and mulched with leaf litter. I have to come clean, I wasn’t the first to spot it. Maybe this blurry photo will give you a clue who did.

Blurry photo of cat paws pulling down a honeysuckle vine while the newly emerged Snowberry Clearwing tries to valiantly escape

I was able to rescue Snowberry Clearwing and help it to perch out of the cat’s reach, much to Sophie’s dismay. I saw the moth again, or maybe another moth but I would like to think it was the rescued Snowberry Clearwing, on the Abelia bushes across the walk.

Snowberry Clearwing

Fair travels to you, Snowberry Clearwing, may the wind be always at your back.

Winter squash

On By CarynIn Garden

On a lark, I planted some winter squash seeds in my stock tank garden bed. There should be enough time before our first freeze for the squash to develop (I hope), and the melons have been doing so well there, maybe squash will too.

Photographic plant label (I took a picture so I had record of what I planted)
Squash plant sprouting

It was very exciting when the seeds sprouted 5 days later! We had a whopper of a rain (for here, and especially with the drought) that brought 3.5 inches in a day, according to my glass rain gauge. It is damp all over, and my frog army has dispersed. I will have to get my sprays back out since my vines have lost their multitude of guardians.

Can you spot it?

On By CarynIn Flora

Our very hot, very dry summer killed off most of our clover. Most, but not all. One small clump managed to survive by setting root under the watering manifold (which has a small leak so the soil is damp beneath). The small collection of three-leaved clover managed to provide me with a four-leaf. I did not pick it when I found it, which was good because it hadn’t fully grown. Later the fourth leaf filled out better. Can you spot it in the photo below? Remember to think squares as you are looking, as opposed to triangles.

Clover patch with a four-leaf clover amongst the three-leaved variety
Four-leaf clover highlighted (in case you needed the hint)

Swatch again

On By CarynIn Craft

I attempted another cotton swatch, and tried again for doing brioche knit, vertical stripes, and cables. Uh no. You can see the one row of failed experiment in the photos. I did not rip out this time because it would have been demoralizing (and it is just a swatch that will go in the wash cloth bin). The combination of all the things is possible, but not at my usual level of concentration, which is always split at least two ways. (I am very distractible, if you haven’t noticed.)

Cotton brioche knit with vertical stripes and failed cables
Opposite side

This swatch was a learning experience for certain. I’m getting better at recognizing which way the brioche knit stitches go, and can read the knitting rather than relying on a pattern for each row. Most importantly, I have decided that the next project will use vertical color stripes, but not cables. Brioche knit is not easy (for me) to rip out partially, and cables introduce too many opportunities for error that I don’t catch until many rows later.