PVC Niddy Noddy

On February 8, 2020February 5, 2020 By CarynIn Craft

A what? A niddy noddy is a simple device to make hanks (yarn wrapped in a large circle) of yarn, usually used after spinning onto a spindle. I thought that maybe my swift (was which is used to hold hanks while winding yarn into a ball or cake) would work and I wouldn’t need a niddy noddy (say that 10 times fast), but the swift doesn’t keep it under enough tension and my single ply yarn was kinky.

I already had 1/2” PVC pipe, so I went to the hardware store for two tee fittings and four caps. I cut the pipe into lengths of one 16” and four 7” pieces with my band saw. Assembling was easy, and I gave the finished H shape a half twist.

Winding the yarn took a little thought, but once I had it down it was a nodding kind of action, so I can see why someone called it a niddy noddy (although I still think the name is akin to thing-a-ma-jig).

I made the central post 16” so that the resulting height with tee fittings would be 18”, which should make each loop of yarn around 2 yards. So I think I made about 84 yards of yarn. I used some contrasting bits of wool yarn to tie the centers so that when I do take it off the niddy noddy it shouldn’t become a tangled mess. The nice thing about using PVC is that I can rinse the yarn to set the twist with the yarn still under tension on the niddy noddy. We’ll see how the yarn comes out when it is dry!

Wire plant labels

On February 7, 2020February 3, 2020 By CarynIn Garden

I decided to experiment with plant labels. I’ve done the popsicle sticks, the engraved metal labels, and even sticking the seed package into the ground (yeah, that one really didn’t last long). Wire is one of my favorite media, so I tried some word writing with wire.

I used 18 gauge brass wire, and tried different styles for each word. I think they came out well. They are a little big for my tiny pots, but they make a statement. Mainly “herbs here”.

If any of my seeds sprout and grow, I’ll take pictures and share!

Puzzle

On February 6, 2020February 3, 2020 By CarynIn games

We usually have a jigsaw puzzle table set up at home. My eldest especially likes them, and the rest of us help out as we pass by. This is her method of sorting: by shape. It really helps, especially when we are down to the last bits. The trees on this puzzle are giving us a run for it!

Snek

On February 5, 2020 By CarynIn Uncategorized

We can tell when my eldest’s corn snake is hungry because he “hunts”. He just peeks his head out of the shavings and stares into his feeding cage. (We have a separate clear container in his main cage where we put the thawed mouse, so he doesn’t ingest aspen shavings with his dinner.)

Seriously adorable. For those of us that like snakes.

Sprout experiments

On February 4, 2020February 1, 2020 By CarynIn Garden

Since I have my handy kitchen sprouter, and it works well to sprout alfalfa (which also tastes good on tacos, by the way), I thought I would try some other sprouting seeds.

Sprouting seed assortment

I found a variety pack of six kinds of sprouting seed mixes. I only have four sprouting trays, so I labeled the trays and rotated which seeds went in the trays. Since I was writing things down, I also recorded when the seeds were started and when the sprouts were ready to eat. (For me, that usually means the sprouts are nearing the top of the tray and there is only one set of leaves.) The trays are near an LED grow light, the house is around 72 degrees, and I change out the water twice a day (data provided for research purposes).

The crimson lentil sprouts took 6 days to sprout. We were not impressed with the taste of these raw, the aftertaste was strong. The chickens loved them.

The mung beans took 6 days to sprout. The sprouts are larger, but we didn’t like the taste raw. The chickens loved them.

The broccoli blend sprouts took 5 days. I really liked these sprouts raw; the flavor is very mild. The chickens loved them.

The Spring salad mix took 5 days to sprout. This has some zing! The radish sprouts in the mix pack a punch. The chickens loved them.

The ancient eastern blend sprouts took 6 days to sprout. I don’t care for the taste raw, the after taste isn’t as strong as the mung beans, but still not to my taste. The chickens loved them.

Alfalfa takes 6 days to sprout. These are my favorite (although that broccoli mix makes a very close second). The chickens love them too, but usually only get what is left over after tacos! No, there is no picture of the alfalfa sprouts because we ate them before I remembered to take a picture. Maybe I’ll remember to snap a shot on the next batch. Maybe.