I love cable ties. In my book they rank with duct tape and WD-40 in the “it needs to work now” tool box. Yes, they are great for taming and organizing cables, but they also make good chicken leg tags (my hens are color coded). Putting signage up on a wire fence is an easy task with a hole punch and some cable ties. When the rotating wall mount for the webcam no longer holds, cable ties can be used to prop up the weakened part.
Cable ties used to prop up a webcam on the coop
The webcam is still hit or miss on connectivity. Sometimes I am able to connect, sometimes I’m not. Very frustrating. I keep tinkering with it, though.
My Shetland wool yarn turns out to be just shy of lace weight once I plied it. I wrapped it on my Niddy Noddy and counted 29 wraps per inch (wpi). Fingering weight is 18-30 wpi, and lace is 30-40 wpi. Hm. That is OK. This first batch (or really three, since I was also testing turned spindles as well) is really just to have something to use for Shetland lace knitting samples, to see if that is a knitting I will enjoy.
Shetland wool spun on three different spindles (original on left, two newly turned on the right)Two-ply yarn on a top whorl spindleTwo-ply yarn closeup on a Niddy Noddy
Sometimes I can streamline processes and ease my path. Sometimes I make things harder than they need to be. My youngest loves getting her Raddish Kids crate each month, and each month it comes with a really nice patch for her apron. I started sewing these on (my youngest did try, but the sewing was hard to see), then life happened and we had a pile built up, waiting to be attached. It was then that I noticed the nice thick plastic back on the patches. Nice thick plastic that felt remarkably like meltable glue. Cue forehead slap. Yes, they are iron-on patches. It took about ten minutes to iron all the queued up patches on her apron. They don’t lay as flat as the patches that are sewn on, but at least they are now on the apron and not in a drawer.
So excited! I met with someone who has been spinning for years! We sat and had coffee and talked and spun. It is so wonderful to watch and learn! She also brought me samples of wool from her stash (as had been done for her when she started spinning), all carefully labeled. Squee!
Samples of wool
I’m going to take the time to explore each fluff separately and carefully, and then spin it. Hm. I think I should start a spinning journal to record my observations. That is also an exciting prospect!
When I was cleaning my craft room I found a wire wreath form tucked away under my shelving. I did not get it out, but the image of it under there was with me when I had to go to the craft store for an entirely different purpose. I found what I was looking for quickly, and had a couple minutes to spare, which was not enough time to process all the ribbon choices. Yikes, talk about overwhelmed. I did grab a couple of rolls that pleased me and headed for check out. At home I pulled out the wreath form, and put some additional cross bars in using plastic coated floral wire.
Adding dividers to a wire wreath form
I then took my ribbon and pushed one loop up through each slot in the form.
Wire edged ribbon pushed up through the spaces
I added the second ribbon in the middle, then another row of the plaid ribbon on the inside.
Adding a row of pine cone ribbon
And ran out of ribbon. I had to go back to the craft store. (Cue ominous music.) This time I walked out with three rolls, one plaid roll that I needed to finish the row of loops, a burlap ribbon with gold edges (that was what I was looking for in the very beginning), and my eldest found a striking gold lace. I would like to say it was all on sale. It was not. But I had an unfinished project on the kitchen counter. Sigh.
To this point I was able to get the ribbon set with no glue, but to attach the additional elements, I needed to break out the hot glue gun. I used the burlap ribbon to make pointed loops, then lined the space between with gold lace (I had just enough lace, phew!)
Adding more ribbon with hot glue
A simple bow to finish it off and I now have a massive (but light) new wreath.
Ribbon wreath that fills the whole front door.
I am pleased with this wreath. I usually don’t like the way my wreaths come out (and as such, don’t make many), but this one is OK. I definitely won’t make a habit of it; the folks that sell wreaths can barely be making a profit. I think next time I see a wreath that I like I will just buy it.
