Southdown spin

On By CarynIn Craft

I have 4 ounces of Southdown top from Camaj fibers and it came with a Shave ‘Em to Save ‘Em sticker. Southdown is a heritage sheep that just came off the Conservation Priority list in 2024, which makes my sticker not count toward my threatened breeds list, but does show the power of the Shave ‘Em to Save ‘Em initiative and others like it. It is a British breed from the Chalk Hills near Sussex, England. You can read more about them here. I am spinning my portion of fiber with a 3D printed Turkish style drop spindle. The fiber drafts easily and spins fine. It takes me longer to do the geometric wrap around the spindle “turtle” than it does to spin the length of yarn, but the aesthetics of the winding has its own therapeutic reward.

Photo description: off white Southdown fiber spun fine and wrapped “under one, over two” on a Turkish style spindle. Calico cat sitting on the side walk in the background.

This spin is going to last me awhile between the amount of fiber, and the way I’ve chosen to spin it. 4 ounces doesn’t sound like much, but I’ll probably be walking with this fiber for months.

Thorn experiment

On By CarynIn Craft, Flora

I found this wicked looking thorn laying in a parking lot. Most likely it stuck to a tire and fell off in route, and I’d like to say I picked it up so no one impaled their foot, but the was a secondary benefit. Really I wanted to see what I could make with it.

Photo description: approximately 4” thorn cluster with opposing spikes 1-2” long held lightly in my hand

I used my pocket knife to cut the side thorns off. The tips are wickedly sharp and hard, so I wanted to try to make a needle. I approached it as I would for carving solid wood. The center of the spikes are soft though, so the needle hole didn’t have enough support when I whittled both sides down.

Photo description: single thorn with the end carved into a needle eye, which broke, pocket knife on the side of the picture

If I were to make the attempt again, I would put the needle hole in the outer bark, and not reduce the integrity of the thorn by cutting the bark away.

Imprints in pollen

On By CarynIn Wildlife

Everything is covered in pollen in Texas in the Spring. A thick nose-watering blanket of yellow dust also covered my front bench, which used to be black. Something struggled through that pollen and left strange marks in the film.

Photo description: right side of a slated bench with moth or butterfly-like outlines in the accumulated pollen
Photo description: left side of a slated bench with possible claw marks in the accumulated pollen

My current hypothesis is that an insect from the Lepidoptera family landed on the right side of the bench, crawled, wings flapping through the pollen, and something mammalian with non-retractable claws caught and munched it on the left side of the bench. Reducing it to the simplest and most likely candidates based on population density in our area perhaps it was a large moth (polyphemus maybe?) eaten by an opossum.

He was done

On By CarynIn dog

Texas is heating up and Griffin the dog is starting to pant in his winter coat. Time for a shave. I do it myself because he is not a show dog and the clippers pay for themselves after only a few trims. Since it is hot here I take his fur down quite short. He is usually very laid back, he knows how much better he’ll feel when the heavy layer of hair is gone. This time, though, halfway through, he had had enough.

Photo description: black dog half shaved as seen from above

I gave him a break, cleaned up three whole dust pan loads of fur, let the clippers cool, and later I coaxed him back and finished the job. I missed a few spots, and there are uneven areas, but he is a much happier dog.

No, I didn’t save the fur to spin. His hair is wiry, short, and stiff, which does not produce a nice yarn.

Fat quarter travel pillow

On By CarynIn Craft, Life Hack

I don’t like the U shaped travel pillows. I’ve tried several, and the bulk pressing against the back of my neck (really anything around my neck) drives me nuts. So I made a different kind of pillow. It is ideal for reclining chairs because it has two side pillows so my neck doesn’t twist too far, and no stuffing behind my head. The best part is that I made it with one fat quarter, some thread, and poly fil stuffing.

Photo description: fat quarter (18”x21”) of quilting fabric with a pineapple motif

To make the pillow, fold a fat quarter in half lengthwise, right sides together (9” x 21”, doubled). Sew along the edges, leaving two 4” gaps on the outside thirds of the long edge (for stuffing later).

Photo description: fat quarter folded in half and sewn with two gaps on the far edge, on a model 66 treadle sewing machine

Clip the corners and turn the pillow right side out. Fold the case in thirds, mark the line, then sew seams along the lines. This divides the pillow into three parts.

Photo description: pillow case divided into thirds and being sewn using the fold as a guide

Fill the outside sections with stuffing, then sew the gaps closed. I usually do this by hand, but the foot on my model 66 has such a nice tiny toe, I thought I would try on the treadle sewing machine. It worked well.

Photo description: sewing the pillow gap closed using a treadle machine fitted with a standard foot
Photo description: finished travel pillow laying on the work surface of a 1916 Singer treadle sewing machine

It amuses me that the fabric coordinates with the “red eye” decals on the sewing machine. I can report that the pillow works great, especially for naps.