I absolutely detest dry, forced-air furnace, winter air. It sucks the life out of wood, wool and me. So a few weeks ago, after putting up with ugly room humidifiers for too long, I decided that we needed some water features in the house. I wasn’t positive they would completely fix the dry air problem, but the thought of falling asleep to the sound of water trickling over rocks was enticing.

First we looked at indoor fountains in local stores and online. Most were too expensive or too ugly. So in the end we decided to make our own. We made three: one large fountain in our bedroom, a small fountain for my son’s room, and a medium size for the family room. This one is my favorite.

How We Did It:

Bought
1- large shallow bowl – $50.00 (Pier One Imports)
1- aluminum candle holder on legs – $6 (Pier One Imports) Note: this needs to be a non-rusting metal or plastic
1- bag medium size decorative rocks – $3 (Michael’s Crafts)
1- bag medium size clear glass discs – $3 (Michael’s Crafts)
1- bag small clear glass balls – $3 (Michael’s Crafts)
1- x-small water pump  – $20 (Feeder’s Supply Pet Store)
1- small piece of clear 3/4″ plastic tubing to fit pump – $1 (Lowes)
1- large bag pea gravel – $5 (Lowes)

Total: $91 (the large bowl was a total splurge…you can make this for a lot less using a less expensive bowl)

Equipment
Razor knife – to cut the plastic hose
Drill
Metal drill bit – same size as the hose

Putting it Together
Using a drill bit the same width as the clear plastic tubing for the pump, we drilled a hole through the middle of the metal candle holder. We set the metal candle holder in the center of the large bowl. The bowl selection was important – I wanted a large shallow bowl to expose as much water to air as possible, but it also needed to be deep enough to completely submerge the pump (which measures about 3″x3″x2″). This bowl from Pier One was perfect.

Next, we attached a small 2″ length of the clear tubing to the pump and set the pump underneath the metal candle holder. This pump, from our local pet supply, has little suction cup feet so it stays in place at the bottom of the bowl which is nice. We then pushed the hose up through the bottom of the candle holder and let about 1/2″ of the tubing stick up through the hole.

Then we filled the bowl with just enough water to cover the pump. Before plugging in the pump, we held a cupped hand over the top of the hose to keep it from shooting water all over the place in case it was turned on too high. Then, with the pump shooting water up into my hand, we adjusted the pump until only about 1″ of water bubbled up out of the hose.

Finally, we rinsed all the rocks to remove any dust and then placed larger ones on the metal candle holder, strategically placing them so the water would roll over them. And then added some pea gravel, larger rocks, glass disks and glass balls to the base of the bowl.

Total Time: about 30 minutes (mostly spent adjusting the pump and rinsing and arranging the rocks)

This fountain is putting at least a pint or more of water into the air each day. I know this, because that is how much I usually have to add to refill it. And the sound of bubbling water throughout the house is wonderful.

Here is the largest one we made for our bedroom.

The only difference: This very large bowl was only $34 from Lowes. And instead of using a metal candleholder I used large sticks from the yard, cut to size, to hold up the pump hose, a small piece of scrap slate as a shelf and the rocks. The group of small twigs sticking up in the back add some decorative height, but also hide the electric cord from the pump. We used the same bags of rocks and gravel left over from the other fountain, so this one only cost $55. It holds about a gallon of water too, so I only have to add water every few days.

The snow was a no-show, but ice has encased everything. No school. No work.

I couldn’t avoid venturing out to feed the sheep, so I made the most of the trek outside and took pictures. It was eerily quiet, but then the wind would blow and the trees would creak and groan under the weight of the ice. Then every few minutes a loud crash would erupt from the woods as branches and trees fell under the strain. I made a point to not walk under any trees when hauling the hay from the barn, just in case. Scary.

More pictures on Flickr…

The current weather forecast: Snow & Ice. Snow & Ice. Snow & Ice.

Not to worry, today the postman delivered this:

And these:

So if we get snowed in tomorrow, I may become hopelessly inspired to knit something while drinking vast quantities of fresh juice.

The juicer, a Hamilton Beach 67650H from Amazon, was immediately put to the test as soon as it arrived. The youngest son (a teenager) took it upon himself to wash it, put it together and start experimenting with the fruit basket before we came home from work. He sent a text telling us to stop at the store on the way home and pickup a cart full of fresh fruits and veg. Dinner very nearly turned into a liquid diet.

Thoughts after Day One:
1. Celery and cucumber juice is very strange. It is oddly refreshing in an “I’m not sure I like this” kind of way, and definitely not something to drink more than a shot glass at a time.
2. Carrot juice mixes with just about anything, tastes better than eating carrots, and is pretty.
3. Gala apples are better juicers than Golden Delicious in both taste and quantity of juice.
4. Bananas don’t juice.
5. I now wish I had picked the blackberries on our bushes this year and froze them instead of leaving them to the birds and beetles.
6. This definitely will NOT cost any less than buying V8 Fusion at $4 a bottle, but it’s a heck of a lot more fun.

The books were a wonderful surprise. YesAsia.com came through in record time. I wasn’t expecting these to arrive for at least a few more weeks. They are perfect. Way better than I imagined.

Nordic Knitting actually has both Japanese and ENGLISH instructions, so that was a bonus.

Setsuko Torii Hand-Knit Works is just a beautiful book. There are patterns with Japanese instructions in the back of the book, but the kanji is lost on me so this is just a collection of inspiring pictures and lovely yarns.

I love the toeless socks.

Introducing Priscilla. Currently on the wheel and coming along nicely. This yarn is being spun from the pink roving dyed in a roll shown here and here. She’s being spun at a relatively consistent width, and although the current wraps per inch (wpi) is probably about 16, the wool will bloom in the water when the twist is being set. The final wpi will likely about around 10 to 12.

There is a wonderful section of the BBC where people submit their photos of Scotland. Sometimes it amazes me how incredibly beautiful these amateur pictures can be. Browsing the new postings each Friday has become one of my weekly rituals.

- photo by Drew Fisher of Kirkwood Farm near Strathaven, Scotland

- photo by Stevie Manson of Troon, Scotland

- photo by Donald Mackinnon of Harris, Scotland

These are from the 9 Jan – 16 Jan Gallery, but there are many others equally as beautiful in the other galleries.

Here are the rovings. Both colorful and ready to spin.

For anyone who may like to try a quick, easy way to create multi-colored wool roving with acid dyes. Recommended for those familiar with dyeing wool roving. Results may vary. Try at your own risk!

Ingredients:
4 oz. wool roving
1 Tbsp citric acid (or 2 Tbsp white vinegar)
2-3 pints warm water
3 to 5 colors of acid dye powder

Equipment:
plastic wrap
medium size bowl (microwaveable, but not used for food!)
microwave
large bowl or sink
wood popsicle stick or bamboo skewer
cup or small jar

In a large bowl or sink, add 2-3 pints (4-6 cups) of warm water. Sprinkle in the citric acid and stir to dissolve. Gently submerge the wool roving until saturated. Let soak while preparing plastic.

In a large clear section of a table or counter, pull off 3 or more feet of plastic wrap and lay flat. Pull off a second 3 or more feet of plastic wrap and lay flat, overlapping the long edge of the other sheet by 3-4 inches. Press the edge to seal. This should give you approximately a 3′x18″ area of plastic wrap.

Using the popsicle stick or bamboo skewer randomly sprinkle small amounts (specks) of dye powder around the plastic (leaving the outside 4″ perimeter of the plastic wrap dye free).

Lift the roving out of the water and gently squeeze to remove most of the water. Do NOT throw out the water. Lay the roving in a single layer over the area of the plastic wrap sprinkled with dye. Sprinkle more of the dye powders randomly over the top of the roving. Using a cup or small jar, sprinkle about 1 cup of the saved warm citric acid water over the roving. The roving should absorb all the water (do not add more water than it can easily absorb).

Fold one long edge of the plastic wrap up and over the top of the roving about 3/4 of the way across. Fold the second long edge over the top of the roving, overlapping the first (it should now resemble a colorful burrito). Flip both short ends over. With the microwaveable bowl nearby, quickly roll the roving up like a pinwheel and immediately set inside the bowl. Dye water may leak out, but this okay.

Microwave the roving for approximately 4 minutes on high. The plastic wrap may swell with steam, so BE CAREFUL not to burn yourself when removing the bowl from the microwave. Set aside and let cool completely.

When cool, unfold the roving over a sink. Fill a bowl or sink with tepid water and submerge the roving to rinse. Do NOT agitate or run water over your wool or it will felt. Repeat until rinse water is clear. Hang to dry.

I just made this book mine. I found it on YesAsia.com, along with a host of other Japanese books that I covet. It is en route along with Nordic Knitting, the book I mentioned here.

The texture of the yarn on the cover reminds me of paper. I’ve considered spinning a paper yarn before, but couldn’t figure out what to use it for, so it never made it past the planning phase. For some reason I think Tyvek would make an interesting yarn. I wonder if there is nylon in it so it would take an acid dye? Humm…might have to try that.

The Daily Purl has a beautiful Setsuko Torii example here. I love it.

“I should know better.”

1. I just realized that I paid for my 2009 Selvedge subscription TWICE. Wrote a check in September, then forgot about it. Got a renewal email and paid by credit card. Got two receipts this month. Uh oh. Hopefully the nice folks over in London will forgive my stupidity and fix this…otherwise I will have to tell the husband my fiber magazines just cost more than the mortgage payment on our first house. Not good.

2. I totally underestimated the amount of hay three Wensleydale sheep can eat. It’s January. I only have enough hay to feed the flock until next month. That will still be 6-8 weeks before the grass starts growing around here. Will they starve? No. Will they start costing me a fortune in corn and sheep feed? Yes.