I made a dozen spinning sticks for my spinning class by cutting hardwood dowels, sanding them, then adding a small cup hook and finishing them with butcher block conditioner.
These are useful starting tools for teaching spinning wool. There is more connection for the student with the twist from turning the stick going into the fibers to lock them together and learning to control a long draw. They are also much less expensive than a purchased spindle or spinning wheel and very easy to make.
I am putting together a display to showcase a number of different twined fibers. I decided to make the twine holders 3×5 with large print so that they could be read from a distance, and used my laser cutter to cut them from 1/8” plywood. Each card is finished with Howard’s butcher block conditioner before I start twining.
First up is long line flax.
I love long line flax, the ideal product that comes from flax processing. It is easy to twine and very strong, but still soft. I left a tail on the twined example so that people can see what the fiber looks like before it is twined.
Flax has been grown and harvested for thousands of years to produce linen cloth. The fabric softens with washing, and its breathability is superior in hot environments. Long line flax is sold in stricks, a bundle of fiber twisted, then twisted back on itself to form a stable spiral. Tow is shorter lengths of flax left over from the long line processing, and can be carded before being spun. I find touching a damp sponge before twining helps me grip the fibers better. Spinners will keep a small bowl of water at hand to smooth their spinning. Flax needs less twist than cotton or wool when spinning and can be spun extremely fine, using just a few fibers.
Eve Schaub is currently doing a project to grow a dress in her backyard, and is growing and processing flax. She is doing a great job showing the process, bringing in experts to teach aspects of the processing, and doing so in an entertaining way. It is well worth following her journey.
In August of 2018 I built a bench with an insulated section and a non-insulated section inside. The idea was to provide Sophie the cat a hiding place, since she was working on being part of our family.
This was one of the largest flops. No cat ever used it for more than a casual inspection, and after a few years on the front porch, I moved it back behind the coop for the meadow cats, who also eschewed it. I tried cutting a secondary hole so there was an escape route, but still it was not an acceptable hide-y hole. Now, after eight years of being outside, the lid has broken, the legs are rotting, and the bugs have taken it over. Time for a something different.
I had the idea to install an under mount sliding keyboard to a buffet table. This poor table has undergone many modifications as its purpose has changed over the years, and not once was it a buffet table. We purchased it new to be a TV stand, then it became a standing desk, then an electronics table, and now it is going back to being a desk. I purchased a clamp-on keyboard tray as there wasn’t much wood under the drawer to mount anything. Unfortunately the clamps wouldn’t fit under the drawer, and there is a gentle curve to the underside support that makes the right side thicker than the left. Hm. So I chiseled out space.
I used a small pull saw to cut across the grain at the ends of the dado, then used a chisel and mallet to remove the wood between the cuts.
I’m pleased with the modification (which is good because there is no going back now). I can sit and use the keyboard at a comfortable height, or move the keyboard up and stand at the desk if I wish, depending on what I’m doing.
In May of 2018 my eldest and I finished building a catio on the back side of the house. We built it from 2×2 lumber, painted it, and encased it in welded wire fence material, with a screen door. Izzy the cat still loves it.
It attaches to a back window so the cats can come and go as they please. After eight years, though, it is looking rather raggedy.
Things I learned with this catio:
