The back corner of the roost in the coop is the prime sleeping position for the chickens. Since Wing Ding the Black Star hen has taken to the roost, it has been her domain and the Faverolles have given her space. I caught them on camera recently snuggling up, though. I’m not sure if Wing Ding let them, or she was asleep when they shuffled over. Positive outcome either way.
I realized that I had a free substitute for the thin dowel I tried to use for a large macrame hanging: a branch from the yard. Not only do we have copious available branches, naturally shaped wood looks really nice with macrame. I even had a nice long cedar branch that I had cut a few months ago that didn’t work for the project at the time, that had been sitting out and curing. I stripped off the bark, which is much easier after the rain when the bark is wet, then let the wood dry. I used an oscillating spindle sander to get the remaining traces of bark removed, then sealed it with several applications of Howard’s Feed-n-Wax.
Transferring the cotton cord from the dowel to the branch wasn’t difficult once I used some spare cord to tie it up above the dowel. Larks head knots are very stable, but very easy to remove.
I left the old thin dowel hanging as a pattern line, and added a couple more guide lines to the wall using washi tape.
Now I have to settle on my macrame pattern. I initially intended a simple all-over grid, but my ideas keep getting fancier and I’m thinking of pockets and loops. Hm.
I noticed some chewed looking leaves on my pepper plants in my front window. Then I noticed one of the pepper fruits dangling strangely. I picked it up, and it wasn’t actually attached because a caterpillar had eaten through the stem. The culprit was caught because it was still inside the pepper. Like Peter pumpkin eater. Or maybe his wife. Peter Peter pepper eater. Or is that Peter piper and peppers. Hm. Any who, that’s a different rabbit hole.
So not only do I have pollinators in the house, there are consumers (besides my house spiders). For background, these plants were grown from seed in peat pots and store bought soil. They have never been outside.
I have it in my mind to make a practical macrame hanging to store small musical instruments. I had the macrame cord and a quarter inch dowel already, so my start cost was zero. The twisted rope I knotted for the hanger went well, and I hung the dowel up in a small hallway on a utility rack. I then started adding long strands of cotton cord.
As I neared the number of strands of cotton I wanted, I noticed that the dowel had a visible bend. Uh oh. The slim dowel could barely hold the weight of the cotton, and certainly wouldn’t take more weight. I have to get a bigger dowel. Hm.
To keep the long dangling cords from becoming cat toys, I tied them up while I process my intentions.
My love triangle: I love yarn projects, and I love cats, and cats love yarn. Sigh.
Critters and Craft 