Tag: kitten

Blog block?

PiaChit Chat

Funny old world, just as you think you’re on a roll, you land in a patch of mud. And where I live, we get really serious mud, the soapy slippery, boot sucking kind of mud that turns into concrete in summer. Full stop, the harder you pull at one boot, the deeper the other one sinks…..

So here I am with 33 drafts in my queue and nothing to write about, mind ambling about like birds that forgot the route to Africa. Right, so chill it, don’t write and do something else! “But then all my new friends will forget about me,” a small peevish voice mumbles at the back of my head. Besides, I like writing, and this blog was supposed to be a warm-up for something else entirely. So darnit, I’m going to write something today, I haven’t the faintest idea what it’ll be about, I’ll just let one sentence form after another, or even word by word. Which incidentally is a fun experiment in itself, try it! Decide on NO subject, just sit still, write the first word that forms without trying to control the next. Over and over. No second guessing, just wait in silence.

Can’t have a blog post without pictjers of course, so I get to fool around my very messy image library, or maybe even have a look at those 1000’s of photos that live outside the computer in dusty folders and boxes?

Kitten Arthur has developed new table manners here beside me, picking out one tiny bit, flicking it onto the table, chasing and catching it before eating. Well, I guess it keeps him out of other trouble, amuses me and now he needs a cuddle so I don’t have to think about writing… I keep his food on the windowsill here, so the bit fat guys don’t eat it, they’re on special slimline for neutered cats stuff. I just wish he’d stop trampling the keyboard on his way from here to there.

So anyway, I could write about autumn, and all the colour combinations that keep exploding inside my head. Or take a tour of websites and images that inspire me too. Or I could get dressed and go move some firewood into the shed. 😉 It’s looks like rain though, tea and random fall photos would do me just fine.

And now it seems I get to spend the day watching over a cat who will NOT pee in a special litter box for sampling whether she has an infection. Oh joy. And I saw another kitten online that I wanna wanna wanna get! For Arthur to chew on instead of my fingers…..

Enough rambling for today – nothing interesting seems to be happening in my brain – enjoy the pix while I go boil some cloths!

Berries take 2

PiaPÃ¥ dansk

No privet berries this year, and not a lot of elderberries either, so I thought I’d boil the ones I had for drinking and add some to a couple of jars, sugar, yes, no idea what that’ll do. It’s said that alkaline gives green, vinegar gives red and salt gives blue, now, did I really want to “waste” 3 whole skeins? Nah – we makes smaller ones I think.

As it turned out, my juicer-steamer thing got too full, so I cooked 500 g. of clusters in a pot and strained for the dye, no sugar.

They say silk dyes well with berries (they as in a book I read), but I did not have any mordanted silk ready. Also to try is tin mordant mentioned in a book. That is, if these are any good.

I’ve been told that cold dyeing with berries works better, as usual it’s not proper cold since the liquid has been heated to extract the juice, but the really cold method will have to be when I actually have an abundance in berries.

pH of the jars today are: Juice: 3, vinegar: 1, pot ash: 10, salt: 7 (just to try a different pH, and yes, I know I haven’t tried 3). I’ll leave them for about a week, that’s what I did with the beetroot.

I didn’t think straight to use rain water, like I normally do, our tap water is hard but neutral in pH.

Since I don’t have any yarnpix yet, here’s one of my little helper making mini skeins. Well, he’s involved in the process, anyway. With my “lovely” tablecloth for dyeing on the dinner table 😉

≈ Leave a Comment

Hyldebær

Jeg kunne ikke lige nære mig for at prøve bær igen, bare på nogen små fed, da jeg havde læst at det går bedre med kold-farvning. Dvs. jeg har ikke fået så mange bær i år, så det blev bare fra en enkelt portion i saftkogeren. En anden gang vil jeg prøve at bare smide det hele i en spand nogen uger.

Små fed med hhv eddike, potaske og salt i skal stå en uges tid og glo. Det fungerede fint med rødbede, bare garnet ikke skal stå midt i solen bagefter.

Glemte at bruge regnvand, sådan kan det gå når man har for mange jern i ilden og en killing at trampe på.

Eftersom jeg ikke har garnbilleder endnu, har jeg et af min lille hjælper som laver minifed. Og min fine røde garnfarvevoksdug til spisebordet. 😀

Elvis is in the building!

PiaCritters

Or, well, he seems to be turning into an Arthur, actually.

So, once in a while life throws temptations at you. I hope this little fella will like it here and become as good a mouse trapper as the rest of the gang (not including Hannibal who thinks raw food is yucky).

Right now the other two boys, Hannibal and Dalton, are pished and jealoux and just plain offended that a little worm like that is trying to take over their bestest nap spot (AKA me). I do hope Dalton can use him to play and sleep with, because he keeps trying to persuade the old geezer, and he’s just not having any of that sort.

Better photos when he’s settled in a bit.