Jill Dyer

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since Aug 07, 2024
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Oz; Centre South
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Recent posts by Jill Dyer

That's impressive - can you give an indication of the softness of the fibre - suitable for clothing,  placemats or pot scrubbers, garden ties?
The video suggests that the yucca fibre wants to be spun counter-clockwise which is how most fibres were spun before the advent of technology.  Ropes still made this way, and some crafts need a counterclockwise spin so the stitches stay tight, eg looped string bags.
7 hours ago
I'm a sucker for T-shirt slogans . . . "Sawdust - Man's glitter" is a favourite; also, "Just because I'm awake it doesn't mean I'm ready to work".   I just like to smile so that people think I know something they don't . . . great in the Mall where everyone sports a long face.
Note: I'm one who reads everything, even roadside Ads.  There was a great sign on the central road going north - hand lettered on a car bonnet and propped up on a guide post - "Cattle X-ing" - which had been altered in large black letters to "Cattle teXting"  that had me chuckling for at least the next 50 km.
7 hours ago
It might be too late to save your beans this year, but adding some strong smelling herbs to the plantings, or hardy things like sunflowers or nasturtiums (also edible, and the seed buds make good caper substitutes)
I had tansy which worked quite well - at least I got beans, but they were the bush type - it's too windy to grow anything tall. Tansy did start to get a bit invasive . . .
8 hours ago
I rely on the Bureau of Meteorology site for the big picture (Australia) using the radar images of approaching rain systems, and the isobar maps - supplemented by a look out of the windows.  It's possible to tell if it's very windy by observing the magpies - they have a game where they launch from tree branches and fly/glide backwards Otherwise that info is available as an option for the rain radar.
1 day ago
I've never been great with growing onions - then I found out that there are three types - "long day",  "short day" and "intermediate"  and each likes different amounts of daylight to form proper bulbs. If your garlic does well over winter, the short or intermediates might be the thing.
Northern hemisphere varieties are a complete mystery to me but this looked helpful:- https://www.nybg.org/blogs/plant-talk/2014/04/tip-of-the-week/mighty-onions/
5 days ago
Experience only from childhood memories, when kale (no specific kind) was only fed to cattle. . . I can't understand the current fascination with it as a people food.
6 days ago
Any veggies, misshapen or perfect from the garden - weather and animals making production difficult.  But totally agree with the taste over perfection - experience with the "perfect" supermarket models reinforces that premise.  (Oh, an anagram of Permies!)
6 days ago
The way I deal with quail,  de-feather;  de-gut - best weapon, a teaspoon, then use poultry shears to remove the backbone.  Flatten out, coat with teriyaki sauce and grill (or use the oven broiler) They take very little cooking.  Backbones can be used for stock.  The flattened quails can also be frozen, pack into a suitable container.  The cat was always interested in the offal and made sure to leave the gall bladder.  Usually in the middle of the kitchen floor.
1 week ago
Of the textile crafters I know, most make things for sale, but it is to recover costs to buy more supplies, but combining with a yarn business that was home based might work.
I once worked out that the preparation of a fleece, spinning, dyeing, knitting took me 120 hours - not much likelihood of selling for much more than $120 - compared to shop made items.  So, working for $1 an hour, not taking into account the cost of the fleece and dye.
1 week ago
Mine are Fiskars too - they are quite light and haven't let me down yet.  Probably at least 10 years old.
1 week ago