Category: Craft

Exit hole

On By CarynIn Craft

I built a cat house bench back in August 2018, before I started this blog. The outside cats never really used it. I cleaned out the old straw and evicted the insect residents.

Photo description: 7-year-old storage bench that is really an insulated cat house, entrance on the right side

I decided to cut an exit hole, so there was an escape route. I didn’t want it to be a wind tunnel, so I cut it into the side of the insulated box.

Photo description: same bench but now closed and a new exit cut into the side

I used a saws all to cut and rather lost control as my cuts are diagonal rather than straight. Serendipitously the two cuts are parallel, so that’s a bonus, even if they are crooked.

I put lavender inside to deter bugs, and put down some fresh straw, since I’ve read that when fabric scraps get wet they don’t insulate where straw insulates even when damp.

Photo description: inside of the bench showing new straw and both escape hatches

While I was at it I also caulked in the gaps on the top that were letting in the damp during heavy rains. We’ll see if the modification made any difference to the local colony. Winter is coming, but it is Texas, so it will flirt with fall for a while longer.

Spiral socks

On By CarynIn Craft

I finished the pair of spiral socks that I started in September. The special thing about spiral ribbed socks is that there is no heel, the rib expands to fit the heel without bunching at the ankle like tube socks.

Photo description: finished spiral knit socks made with Heritage Cascade printed fingering weight yarn and size 2.5 needles, 64 stitch cast on, 4×4 offset rib, knit cuff to toe

I was dubious on fit as I was making them, but after blocking they stretched out and they fit as advertised.

Photo description: spiral socks worn

My youngest struggles with sock heel placement, so these socks are much easier to get on. I will now always have a set of these socks on a pair of needles, to outfit her with friendly socks. I did check with a sock knitting machine company, with the idea to speed up production, but knitting machines can’t do the offset ribbing, so they have to be hand knit.

Star earrings

On By CarynIn Craft, Uncategorized

I wanted a pair of star earrings to wear to chorus events. I started looking at preassembled sets and was dismayed at materials and pricing, so I ordered parts from Fire Mountain Gems and assembled them myself. Since buying in bulk makes the individual item less expensive, I ordered enough for my whole chorus.

Photo description: antique silver plated open star charms on simple silver plated ear wires and threaded into a card with our chorus logo

I picked a simple star charm and an open loop ear wire so assembly was a just matter of using needle nose pliers to open the wire loop, put in the charm, and close the loop again. Here is a tip for opening wire loops, either on ear wires or for jump rings: twist, don’t pull. Rather than pulling the ends of the loop apart and widening the loop, if you twist them, one side forward, one side back, they are much easier to twist back closed.

Photo description: close up of a wire loop that has been twisted open

The thing that took the longest time was getting the cards with earrings into the little 2×3” bag. The sets, with shipping, cost less than $1 per pair plus time. The components are silver-plated, which is fine for costume jewelry. The assembly is simple enough that if someone does have a nickel allergy, the charm can easily be transferred to a pair of titanium or niobium ear wires instead. (Those are just considerably more expensive.)

Throwback Thursday: cup holders

On By CarynIn Craft

In December 2015 I was crocheting cup holders, and even went as far as designing packaging.

Photo description: front of a crocheted cup holder on flat paper “cup” that says “Cup Cozy” with a diagonal striped rainbow cozy (serendipitous pooling)
Photo description: back of the same cup cozy with flaps to hold the crochet in place
Photo description: stacks of different colored cup cozies

I made these as teacher gifts for my kid’s teachers, which is why the back “to” and “from” are blank, so we could decide later which went to whom.

Cup Cozies are a good way to use up scrap cotton yarn.

Starting something new

On By CarynIn Craft

I bought a felt sewing kit two years ago, and just found it again while I was looking for something else. Since I have a dozen works in progress, what is one more? I really did try to put in back in the storage space, but it called to me. The first step was reading through the instructions (yes, I’m one of those), then prepping the materials and finding a project bag. I used bobbins cut from waste plastic to sort and hold the embroidery thread, and a small pill holder for the sequins and beads. The instructions suggest a plate, but I know myself and at the first distracted moment I would bump the plate and send seed beads all over the room. So I keep them on lock down. Yes, it takes a little longer to open the case, get out a bauble, then close the case, but it is better than picking them up off the floor and separating out the cat hair.

Photo description: “Holiday Housecats” felt kit with embroidery thread on bobbins, sequins and beads in a pill box, and a project bag with the needles threaded into the hem

Now to see how long it holds my attention and how long it takes to finish.