Nostepinnes... get your nostepinnes...

The nostepinne test cases continue - and I think I've hit on a design I like. Up to now, I've completed four of various sizes:

Nostepinnes!

From the top, that's honey locust, osage orange, purpleheart and flame birch. At first I thought the top two might be too large, but then I compared the winding end to my NKK ball winder, and... these are definitely still smaller.

Circumference of narrowest end and widest end of several winding tools.

And, yes, smaller than a Northern toilet paper roll tube, too. (Hey - those are useful for storing samples and small lots of yarn.) So today, I embarked on a quest to try and hit the perfect size. Work in progress...

Making a lot of wood shavings, definitely.

Nostepinne in progress

The final result - good proportions between a comfortable handle and good-sized winding end, along with the requisite yarn-notch for starting the ball, and a built-in half-inch WPI (wraps per inch) gauge just above the handle. And, I just love birdseye maple anyway.

Look at all of those eyes!

Birdseye Maple Nostepinne

I finally finished plying some yarn, too - this is Bugga! Fiber from Cephalopod Yarns in the Panoply of Heaven colorway. Ended up with 558 yds/115gm of 2-ply light fingering weight.

Latest handspun yarn - a superwash merino/cashmere/nylon blend.

 Running... I met Adrienne and Kevin at Queeny Park on Sunday, for a nice romp through the park in the heat. It was about 77F when we started, and when I finished my 8 miles, 90F. It was great to see them both again.

Sunday: 8 mi @ Queeny Park (with Kevin and A) - walk/run

Butterfly Wings

Fate?

On Friday, management said we could log off early for the holiday weekend. I decided to do just that (especially as I'd already gotten my 40 hrs in last week). While the computer was disconnecting from my remote session, I decided to take out some boxes to the bins in the alley.

Walking out, I happened to look over at the pond… and saw something odd. Dropped the boxes and went to take a look, and then realized - a baby bunny had somehow fallen in and was swimming for its life. It came around to me and I lifted it out. I have no idea how long it had been in there, or how much longer it would have been able to swim.

If I hadn’t decided to log off and take out some trash…

Baby bunny I rescued from the pond.

 I dried the poor thing off and made sure it was still breathing. I know bunnies can scare easily, especially palm-sized baby ones, so I tucked it under some plants in my neighbor’s yard (no dogs there), along with a few baby carrots.

About two hours later, I decided to check on it - if it was still there and alive, I'd offer up some of the broccoli leaves that the rabbits have been ravaging this spring. If it didn't make it, I'd be having a bunny burial. I went out, and it was not where I'd left it. I checked around the alley and garages, but no baby bunny. Hopefully it made its way back to its den, or better shelter. (I haven't seen the bunny-stealing crows lately, so I'm hoping it was safe from them, too.)

Catching up on that running stuff... most mornings have been great lately, but just recently it got hot again. I did manage to have Dr. Debbie ART away the glute pain I've been having. Turns out it was my right hip, and everything just went to hell from there.

Friday, May 11:  5.75 mi in 1:03:32 (5 mi = 55:19)
Sat., May 12: 7.0 mi at Queeny in 1:27
Sun., May 13: 4.5 mi in 52:56

Tues., May 15: 6.0 mi in 1:08:11 (5 mi = 56:58)
Wed., May 16: 5.25 mi in 59:00 (5 mi = 56:18)
Fri., May 18: 5.75 mi in 1:04:28 (5 mi = 55:52)
Sat., May 19: 5.5 mi in 1:14:34 w/Kevin @ Fenton City Park
Sun., May 20: 5.5 mi in 1:06:20 (HOT!)

Tuesday: 6.0 mi in 1:06:41 (5 mi = 55:48)
Wednesday: 5.5 mi in 1:02:08 (5 mi = 56:28)
Friday: 6.0 mi in 1:08:18 (5 = 58:48; 5.5 = 1:02:32) - hot and humid

Pretty AND Functional

The grinder is working great - sharp tools are sharp. And, I still feel like a badass every time I use it.

The sparks really don't hurt.

I roughed out a piece of osage orange, and made a nostepinne. Nostepinnes are an old-school way of winding yarn into center-pull balls for use. These days most people use ball winders where you just turn a handle, but nostepinnes are more portable. And it's fun to use one and confuse the muggles.

Osage Orange nostepinne

I'm using this one to refine the design and measurements. I like the handle and the winder-end length seems good. But I'll wind some yarn and see if I need to tweak the size at all.

Running... had a HORRIBLE run last week. Felt like my right hamstring had totally seized up. Got in to see Dr. Debbie, and she performed some ART magic on my right hip. I'm also using a foam roller and doing some new stretches. So far, not getting worse, so we'll see how it goes.

Friday, April 27: 5.5 mi in 1:03: 13
Saturday, April 28: 5.5 mi walk in 1:11:25
Sunday, April 29: 5.75 mi in 1:05:04 (5 mi = 56:42)

Tuesday, May 1: 5.25 mi dreadmiles in 1:07  (rain!!)
Wednesday, May 2: 5.25 mi in 1:06:05... the run from hamstring hell
Friday: 5.25 mi in 1:03:10 (5 mi = 57:20)
Saturday: took a kayak (Anna) up to Creve Coeur Lake for an hour + paddle
Sunday: 7.2 mi in 1:31:43 (hot and humid - walked about 2 mi total of that)

Tuesday: 5.75 mi in 1:05:15 (5 mi = 56:55)
Wednesday: 5.5 mi in 1:03:04