Wednesday.

 Another 6 am wake up.  That's all right giving me time to see what is happening with me and the inside and outside world.  It was a yogurt breakfast with blue berries and walnuts ending with coffee.  The birds were taken care of next, and the newspaper came in when it was really light outside.  I'm not messing with the problem of not finding the paper without good light.  

I took up the knitting with about 4 inches till the end of the scarf and finished it between naps.  I just couldn't keep my eyes open this morning, so I didn't fight the urge.  So, the second wake up came around 10 when I got the urge to melt wax. It was time to empty the boxes from Georgia. 

  

But being a little unorganized it didn't go so well.  I didn't think through as to what to put the melted wax in which resulted in one candle needing to be dug out of what I thought would be a good mold.  The sides were not straight enough for the candle to slide out. I'll do better next time when I'm waxing away with a thinking brain.  

Throughout the process it was bird watching time with the Starlings doing their bit of following the B Birds around.  So, I tried another distracter thing.  The jury is out so far on the success of this one.  

So, what was left for my entertainment....The RUG.  

A few years ago I had the yen to make some things pioneer woman made.  I knew about the wool drop spindles they used as they walked behind their covered wagons, spinning on their trip west.  I didn't try drop spindles, the excuse being I wasn't walking far enough to even make enough yarn for a scarf.  I must admit that when Kimmy and Jared were in to large wool productions with a lot of sheep, I did learn to prepare wool for spinning and I did a little wool spinning into yarn on the spinning wheel. It was fun. I tried to be a potter but that can't be learned during a weekend of practice.

I spent some time a few years ago making penny rugs.  Small, tiny pieces of wool a little bigger than pennies were used to make decorative pieces for pioneer homes.  I loved to do that hand work and made quite a few things.  

                                            I think mine are rugs for doll houses. 

And then came the braided wool rugs.  My first one is about 4 feet across and round in shape.  I learned about lacing the wrong way and the right way.  We had braided cotton rugs at my home.  I think they were made before I came along. On cleaning days, the braided rugs were never shook.  Just swept. And then I thought of doing an oval shape. Now I'm not sure why that was a necessity. But here I am with an oval in the works.  I'll add...for a long time.

When Jared and Kimmy had their loom, I worked on a woven rag rug.  People make those today although that art form started a long time ago.  And now you have a little snippet of WHY even if you didn't ask!

We had a few of these at my home.  I remember my mother tearing strips of cotton and sewing them together.  With feed sacks full of fabric balls, we would head to Homes County to the weaver's house. After a month or two we would have rugs for the kitchen and bedrooms. Our second-floor windows were the perfect place to give the rugs a good shaking during every Saturday cleaning day.  

So, the afternoon was lacing and braiding.  I'm just a little farther along than I was when I spent time taking the rug apart because of bad lacing. Progress is showing up. But not very fast.  There were long winters in the Little House series. This is a great project for a long winter. 

                                The color has changed to a bright red.  Yes, one of my coats.  

Heidi stopped by to get the thistles.  We watched the birds and did a lot of talking in a short time.  Just the usual thing. 

I prepared another 60 take out plastic bags for Soup Kitchen Saturday.  I have more bags ready for the coming months.  Planning ahead.  And I would add that it's another soup supper at this house.  The hope is tomorrow I can find some calf liver somewhere.  I'll add onions for me and bacon for Doug.