I’ve got a Nixie-tube clock that’s assembled as far as the electronics go, but I need to build a case for it.
Restoring a huge map (70"x82") from the Department of the Interior from 1938. It’s in pretty good condition except for the wood edging at top and bottom. Found it at an estate sale for $10 bucks… it shows things like the Louisiana Purchase, and the Territory of Alaska, and Florida Ceded by Spain, and so forth for the entire country. Unfortunately Google turns up no exact hits.
I think I might try pouring molten aluminum into an ant hill. I have heard interesting things about that.
Currently I am attempting to breed a dwarf line of Adenium plants that would be suitable as house plants and that have good floral characteristics. So raising 100s of seedlings from selected parents and then culling 99% of them will require several years. I am 2 ½ years into the project and expect that it will require at least 3 more years to get my first truly desirable plant that has all of the characteristics that I am looking for; from that plant I can graft to increase the individuals to whatever number is needed.
In the meantime, my friends all get free plants!
My son and I are making ornaments for our Christmas tree.
FTFY Grestarian:
There’s never just one. 
I had a couple emergency projects pop up, including rebuilding the fireplace façade (turns out the previous ower/idiots sheetrocked over the vents—and had glued the sheetrock to the metal!), and diagnosing/repairing the dryer.
Main project is the workshop build (thanks to all the Dopers who have popped into my handful of threads). I’m putting in a new lighting circuit (with my first use of a three-pole switch), two 20-amp power circuits, moving another circuit across the basement, and adding a few outlets here and there to end the rein of extension cords. Includes putting up furring strips and peg board on the foundation walls.
A book just came in to work on about a half hour ago, which means this is my last weekend of free time. Goodbye
Refurbish and refinish a pair of vintage stereo speakers (early 70’s) - Cerwin-Vega D5’s and Jensen Model 6’s. Now they sound and look (nearly) like they did 40 years ago.
Not sure if it counts but this season I have taken up edge tuning and waxing the family skis ( we are 2-3 days a week on the slopes so it is worth it). Polishing the edges and waxing with a beer and some tunes in the garage on a Friday evening is quite soothing.
Today I’m going to start on a stuffed squid pillow for my daughter - it’ll be about 7-8’ long in hot pink fabric. When she was in middle school, her nickname was Squid (who knows - middle school kids is weird) so I thought she’d get a kick out of it. BTW, she’s 28… 
Being unemployed, I decided to use my time by painting my house exterior.
I’m about 1/4 done, but now it’s too cold.
Had a 40’ X 40’ barn built a couple years ago. I’ve run electric service to it, applied epoxy to the concrete floor, built steps up to the loft, and (just last weekend) screwed in plywood for the loft’s floor. I now need to install lights and run wiring in the loft.
Super low skill project, but I’ve made a bunch of Scandinavian ice lanterns.
Need: 24 hours of below freezing weather, 5 gallon buckets of water & candles.
https://scontent-b-lga.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/1471355_10202067907672017_1417973840_n.jpg
As usual, I am working on a quilt. It’s a special one – my mom was a great quilter and left quite a few projects in various stages of completion when she died. This one had the pieces cut out and the block in a tiny sketch with it. I am making it for her friend in Colorado where she died because I don’t think she had made one for her yet.
All in Fairy Frost fabrics which were Mom’s favorite
Why? what makes them no good for colorwork? I don’t think I’ve tried them for colorwork (haven’t done any recently), but I’ve not heard that they are no good.
I just finished this pair of socks for a friends daughter.
Now I’m working on crocheting some dishcloths. My son does the dishes 90% of the time and he requested I make more of a certain kind because they work better. 
I’m trying to finish a sweater I’m knitting for my mother. I haven’t mastered the art of figuring out how big my knitting is going to get before it’s too late to take it all apart, so fingers crossed it will fit! I knit a throw for my sister and my friend from knitting club posted it in on her FB page and tagged me (d’oh she knew I was knitting it for someone). So far nearly everyone on my friends list has “liked” it, except my sister 
I’m working on my first woodworking project in 25 years (since junior high woodshop) which is a mission style Adirondack chair. I’m using the basic plans from MinWax and just changing the style a little bit to get more of that Arts & Crafts era into it. I’m taking my time as I’m learning how the tools work pretty much (first time ever using a router for instance). It’s actually fun and I can’t wait for my skillset to improve too.
Since she’s switching to bamboo, I’d guess the super-slipperiness is giving trouble. It’s certainly what I hate about my one pair of them. I have to chase my stitches around so much I actually knit slower with sock rockets than with wood needles.
And those socks are awesome.
Odd little tale about those Adirondack chairs:
When my neighbor retired he took up woodworking and his first project was the MinWax Adirondack chair. He finished it in a weekend and on Sunday afternoon set it out on his front lawn with a FOR SALE sign on it. It sat there for ten days and when I saw him in the evening I said, “Y’know, I bet if you made another one of those, and maybe a little folding table that sits about arm-rest high, you’d have better luck making a sale.”
“Yeah,” he said, “But then I’d have to spend another twenty bucks in wood and bolts.”
“Just a wild idea.” I shrugged and finished dragging trash cans away from the curb.
The next weekend there was another Adirondack chair on the lawn. In the middle of the week I saw him setting up a tiny table between the two chairs. He was walking back to his garage to get the FOR SALE sign when a guy pulled up (on the wrong side of the street) and rolled his window down.
“I’ll give ya seventy-five bucks for that set!” the driver shouted. My neighbor turned around with a frown and the guy immediately said, “Hundred!”
Before my neighbor could say anything, I called out, “Jeez, Mr. Paul, take it before he loses interest – or the cops give him a ticket!”
So Mr. Paul looked at me, looked at his project, then looked to the driver and said, “You’ve got a deal.”
The guy got out of his car, handed my neighbor a wad of cash, then headed across the lawn to grab the furniture, saying “Wow! My wife is gonna be stoked about this. We’ve been looking for a custom set like this to enjoy in our back yard with our Long Island Iced Teas at sunset!”
Mr. Paul helped the guy load the set into his hatchback and gave him some twine to tie the hatch down. As the guy drove away, my neighbor walked toward me and held out some of the bills, “Those two chairs cost me thirty-five bucks and the table was made from their scraps. I was gonna sell it for fifty. You’re quite a marketing genius.”
“Nah.” I told him while waving away the hand with the cash, “I just thought that first chair looked lonely on your lawn.”
—G!
They sell us everything
from Youth to Religion
(at) the same time they sell us our wars
…–Jackson Browne
…Lives in the Balance
…Lives in the Balance
I’ve got two:
- Making ceiling pendant lights out of bottles and bright LEDs.
- Making wall sconces out of vintage cameras.
The Taekwondo school is officially closed until January 2nd. Next weekend, we’re gonna build cubbies to hold the gear bags instead of having them lined up against the wall.