Took some cub scouts on a hike through the redwoods yesterday, as part of my Eagle Scout duties.
My little brother didn’t appreciate the flora as much as I did, though he enjoyed petting the banana slugs.
I began a sourdough starter today.
I’m not sure how well it will turn out (if at all!) but I figured I’ve had such good relations with yeast previously, that I might as well give it a shot.
I’m a chronic Do It Yourselfer, and part of me always resented having to go buy yeasts, which are already floating around in the air we breathe.
Who knows? Maybe I’ll discover a rare breed of San Francisco yeast? Or accidentally create a strain that loves to help me make beer?
Commission work being completed. Five gallons of various hard ciders ready to be bottled. My raspberry cider turned out well (except for the green one!) and I look forward to improving my recipe.
95% complete. Walls have been lengthened to account for shrink, roof has been made the right size, ground tarp of the correct size laid down.
The ‘door’ you see is temporary, a simple sheet of muslin, which will do nothing to keep the cold and wind out. The roof still needs the cap to cover the hole in the crown. And the interior could use a good deal of carpeting, to cover the tarp.
All in all, however, I’m very happy with the results. It’s a yurt!
Beginning to look real yurt-like now. I’ve finished sewing together the panels that will make up the roof. All I need to do for this stage is trim it to where I’ve pinned, cut the hole in the roof for the wheel, and tie everything down.
After that, there are a few more odds and ends I’d need to do, like lengthen the wall cover so I have room for shrinkage, and make a panel of canvas for the door, but for the most part, this looks and feels like a yurt!
It’s extremely gratifying to sit inside with my room mates, and you can see the couch cushions I’ve temporarily nabbed in the photo. I feel confident that I will be able to construct another 8’ one (for my sister, specifically) and possibly a larger diameter yurt.
Beginning to sew the roof cover. Wrestling all that fabric is proving an interesting challenge, but so far I can manage.
I’m taking the easy way out, for this part. Most yurts have a conical roof cover, that fits the rafters and wheel perfectly. There are also yurts that merely have a square cover dropped directly over the roof, with the extra simply hanging down. This method requires less cutting and math.
Drop cloths obtained. Right now, the wall covers are held on there with clamps. Tonight, I’ll be sewing the two long pieces together and adding the ties that will attach it to the Khana.
The roof will follow, because that’s going to be a tricky part.
The decision to use drop cloths was purely one of pragmatism - canvas is expensive. For the amount I’d need, I could easily spend over a hundred dollars. Any larger yurt is going to cost even more. These drop cloths can be obtained at harbor freight for a mere $6.99, for a 4’x12’ piece. Even if they are insufficient at providing the proper water resistance, it’s too affordable for me to not try.
This mini yurt is meant to be an experiment, as well as an adventure in construction. How cheaply can I produce a yurt? Do the savings outweigh the longevity of the tent?
Rafters. It’s difficult to get the angles right, using a battery powered hand jigsaw. Which means more sanding. Still! Making progress. A few more steps, then the frame will be 100% done.
Then, onto the cover.
Mid-day update. The Khana is complete, and I’ve fashioned a door frame out of available lumber. I plan on having a simple canvas or animal skin curtain to cover the opening, though future yurts I may experiment with actual panel doors, with the ability to be locked.
Next up, the most difficult part- the wheel, or crown, the central part of the roof.
Day two of the mini-yurt project. Nearly finished the Khana today. All my furring strips needed to be split in half, as they were too thick the way I bought them, which took most of the morning.
Once they were split, I began the tedious task of tying them together. I used a braided nylon rope, because it was cheaper, and I could easily melt the ends off after I tied each knot, to speed things up.
I had gotten to about 8 more slats left, when I ran out of rope. Either tomorrow or the next, I’ll be picking up more, as well as the lumber to make the crown.
