
It looks like Rebel Hill Forge is off and running!
Andy is working on his first blacksmith job. He has been asked to make a tripod for a stew this Saturday at Carter's Tavern in Halifax County. His tripod is 6.5 feet tall. He has made 4 hooks (1 twenty-four inch hook, 2 twelve inch hooks, and 1 six inch hook) from which to hang the stewpot. With the various length hooks, the pot can be hung at different levels over the fire.
Can you see the tripod to the left in the background of this photo? He was working at night with bright
lights. He finished making all the parts but now he has to add
the finishing touches. Note the rings at the top of the tripod. Each of the three "legs" has a ring at the top and the three rings are interlocked. So, when picked up, the tripod collapses for easy carrying. I'll be sure to take a picture of it once it's all finished.
The picture to the left above is of an old hand crank forge that Andy bought at a blacksmith conference in Ohio several months ago. See the wooden handle? You pump the handle which turns the wheel whcih increases the air to the coals / fire. Hopefully, not in the too distant future, Andy will have a permanent forge - for now, though, this does a great job. He says this will be good if he ever travels and does demonstrations.
The pictures to the right shows Andy heating up the piece of steel in the forge. And, to the right you can see him shaping one of the hooks around the beak of the anvil.
Last night, I went to Richmond, VA for a very special birthday dinner. The knitters (13 of us) treated me to
dinner at Carrabba's Italian Grill. It was delicious!!! I had one of the specials - grilled salmon, lobster ravioli, and Spiedino Di Mare. Yummy! Then, Mary and I shared a decadent chocolate dessert layered with cake and chocolate mousse. MMMMMM!
After dinner, we headed over to Barnes & Noble to knit. Alice had finished her Pi Shawl and it was absolutely beautiful! She also showed these three hats. I loved the textures and stitch patterns. One of Alice's daughters is a student at VA Tech and gives the hats to her friends at school. Lucky kids! Great hats!
We were also treated to a showing of Mary M.'s earrings and pins. WONDERFUL! I did lots of Christmas and birthday shopping. They were really fabulous! All day, I've been thinking of others I should have
purchased a pair for. I got my hair cut today and was wearing a pair. Renee was just nuts about them! I should have gotten a pair for her for Christmas. I bought quite a few pairs - maybe I have a pair that's an extra. They are so light-weight. They're made of paper and are coated with an acrylic finish. Some of them have bits of yarn, layered paper, grasses, beads, etc. Some, the way they're layered, even look 3-D.
Now, guess who's home????????!!!!!!! Earl Gray! His left eye is still a tiny bit squinty. He's still on eye ointment and antibiotic medicine by mouth
twice daily. This will be interesting! He gives me a wide berth if he thinks I'm approaching him with medicine administration intent.
When I drove up and let Earl out of the car, George and Gracie came running. They had to sniff and rub against him. It was quite a homecoming. So cute to watch them. They really missed him. I missed him, too! Dr. Dahl said his eye looks great! Thankfully. Earl has really gorgeous eyes - green green pools.