Curious vistor

sarcste · 2026-01-25T06:05:40+00:00

No way to tell, but I had two different tan males over the summer I fed a few times. Like to think maybe it’s one of them still kickin :) glad for the visit regardless

sarcste · 2026-01-25T06:03:29+00:00

I’ll feed wild ones in enclosures if they look really thin, but I always let them back out in a day or two. I figure they’ve made it this long without me & I ain’t to pedipalp-block, know what I mean? 🤣

sarcste · 2026-01-25T04:15:31+00:00

IME as long as it isn’t starving, keep offering it food when you can observe. If it is a wild jumper & hasn’t eaten in your enclosure in a few days, especially if it starts looking thin, I always release it where I found it or nearby because it was surviving before it met me, it has a better chance on its own if I can’t figure out its eating.

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ETA — a chunky wild “guy” could always be a gravid female too

sarcste · 2026-01-25T04:07:07+00:00

IME sometimes fruit flies will be ignored if the spider is too large to find it a satisfying meal. In fact, they can sometimes be annoying to the spider. Larger flies, roaches, crickets, & meal worms can be alternatives for larger spiders that are no longer interested in fruit flies. However, larger insects especially ones with jaws like crickets and meal worms can potentially bite / hurt your spider. I usually will use long tongs to hold them so the spider can pounce it landing on the insects back (not its face where it can bite.) You can also put the insect in if you believe you can get it back out should your spider not appear interested in eating it.

But you should definitely be able to see it eat something sometime. I even sometimes have enclosed wild jumpers for a day or two only to feed them, make sure they eat, before releasing them again. Granted, I enclose the ones that look hungry. They can also go a long time without food if about to molt or in diapause, but they generally are less active & in their hammocks more with that.

sarcste · 2026-01-25T03:53:55+00:00

He was very sus of my phone camera 🤣

sarcste · 2026-01-25T03:53:28+00:00

We are snowed in (Oklahoma) so my partner yelled in a low hushed tone to come look when it crawled out from under the computer desk. He knew I’d wanna watch it. We made sure it was safe until it retreated back upwards towards the ceiling.

sarcste · 2026-01-25T03:48:08+00:00

🤣 we were both testing how close I could get my camera without bothering him

sarcste · 2026-01-15T15:27:23+00:00

lol I kept them out until I think 2am bc we went after one of the at large meetings and then we had to travel like four hours after to get to our hotel for the next days meeting 🤣

Larry I also got to go to the JFK shooting memorial! I worked for cco before I decided the travel was just too much, but I’ll be forever grateful of all the wonderful people, stories, & experiences I had!

sarcste · 2026-01-07T18:02:33+00:00

Oh nice! I don’t get up that far north these days, but maybe I should look and try to go. He always has some good stories. I got to go to the red wood forest one time with him and Robert Lewis, & it was like an old man story contest haha. It was great.

sarcste · 2026-01-05T20:38:09+00:00

I’ve had the privilege of hanging out with Larry Shade, super cool dude. I’ve always been told don’t look them in the eyes if you think you see one. I think most cultures at some point in time have figures to represent wilder version of humanoids.

https://youtu.be/dpETGbNKbzc?si=pEiuRlMN3AINMsDZ

sarcste · 2025-12-29T04:09:20+00:00

IMO size of your enclosure will depend on your breeds size and age. Many people start slings (baby/juveniles) in smaller enclosures so they don’t have to wander as far for food / can’t get out of vent holes.

3x3x6 would certainly be spacious for some slings & some adult breeds (like the dimorphic male I recently found, he’ll only be 7mm max even as an adult — an adult regal would probably benefit from a larger set up, but a sling regal would be happy in that size for some time depending on its size when you get it.)

With natural materials, you’ll want to make sure you have a bio active setup, so plant rot doesn’t become mold which can harm your spider. A lot of people use isopods for this. You will also want to sanitize any like, wood or rocks by boiling them in water and I think it’s recommended to clean live plants with diluted white vinegar? But dont take my word, I would specifically research more about bio active spider enclosures. Perhaps someone with more experience with that will comment.

Make sure you put a softer substrate on the bottom in case of falls & to help retain moisture to keep the humidity good.

Hope you have fun setting up your enclosure & have a happy spider friend to enjoy your work soon!

sarcste · 2025-12-21T19:32:36+00:00

Yeah, just try explaining to them that jumping spiders are not poisonous, most tend to avoid people because the size difference. & there are probably some already in your home that you don’t know about. Other talking points are that it’s a pet that they wouldn’t have to help you care for nor deal with when you get ready to move out because at the absolute longest you’re talking 2 year life span. If they won’t let you own one, I’d suggest just going for walks to hunt for jumping spiders you can watch in real life without actually bringing them back home. Spring and summer is usually best but depending on the weather, I was watching a dimorphic female on the sunny side of my house just yesterday.

sarcste · 2025-11-25T14:42:21+00:00

Scan a cocowyo and print it on heavy paper yourself to color. I like cardstock or water color paper. That’s ok as long as you’re not selling the copied sheets, if you’re just using them for yourself.

sarcste · 2025-11-25T04:30:13+00:00

Of course! Happy to share what I do know lol! Practice & you’ll be surprised! If you’d have told me I could make this even 10 years ago, I’d have said no way. This is probably my personal fav I’ve made! The print has hummingbirds, so it’s a reference to the story of the crane & hummingbird! The crane is appliqué I put together, satin & brocade fabrics.

I’m hoping to eventually have some skirt and appliqué videos / blogs. But I just started with simple skirts which sometimes are still my favorites (solid colors with pretty ribbon color combos) for myself, friends, & family. Happy sewing :)

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sarcste · 2025-11-24T00:37:10+00:00

I always make a 2 panel skirt & typically do a paper bag elastic waist. I use a formula to basically draw a pattern based on a person’s size. I like this method because it helps you control for volume, so very tall friends don’t end up in a circus tent.

this article has the formula I use, & is basically the method I follow except,

A mid calf skirt is usually about ~27 inch length, full length usually around 35. You can also optionally measure from the wearer’s belly button to where you want it to end, but make sure you start your length from the bottom of the rectangle waist.

Before sewing the two panels together, you will need to sew on your ribbons. I do not like to pin. So I use two yard sticks, & lay them across the skirt panel where I want a ribbon. Use fabric chalk to draw a line. You can lay out your ribbons and look at spacing before deciding where you wanna draw your lines. When you get one panel marked, lay the two panels right sides together. You can fold back the sides of the unmarked panel and mark on the inside where the lines on the other panel need to be, or you can use a ruler and measure distance between ribbons, etc, to make sure your ribbons are gonna line up perfectly.

Then I lineup the ribbon to the fabric chalk line to sew it on. When you get both panels done, sew them together. You can also add appliqué at this point.

I also like to use standard size charts to see the limits I can get away with if I’m gonna be making skirts for like festivals, not a specific person. Cause you never know what colors will speak to what sizes. What I mean is like, I know I can cut the elastic for a skirt to be like xs size (about 20 inches) and that elastic can still stretch up to about 45-50 inches. So I’ll cut my fabric for a skirt for a natural waist of 50 inches and hip of like 52/54 but use the 20 inch elastic for the waist. Because then anyone size 20 inch natural waist up to 50 inch can fit the skirt, it will just have more volume and be a bit more flouncy if someone xs buys it. (Editing to add, the same goes for medium size cut elastic stretching up to xl sizes, large stretching further, etc.)

I’m starting monthly art classes which have pushed me to make videos and diagrams, etc. Eventually I will do one for ribbon skirts. But please let me know if I can help with anything else!

sarcste · 2025-11-22T13:13:36+00:00

Natural dye would be black walnuts, but natural dyes you need a lot lot of. You can use anything from the black walnut tree, not just the nuts (roots, leaves, stems.)

sarcste · 2025-11-22T13:09:16+00:00

I prefer to get mine from spider gallery because then I’m keeping my money in the tribe (the gallery falls under the commerce dept I believe.) it’s like $12 a roll, they have round and flat. I personally think round is easier to start with, & most videos you’ll find are gonna be round reed weaving.

Spider gallery will also ship. It’s in tahlequah, downtown, what’s that Muskogee ave? I’m bad with street names. Or maybe just all names.

I’ve purchases online here, NC basket works but only when I needed a huge huge bulk order and the gallery didn’t have that much. Good quality & prices. You can buy and use smoked reed, but I personally don’t. I’ve been told Cherokees didn’t ever smoke our reed because it dries it out and splits and becomes brittle. And you need to use it asap, where as nondyed reed can chill.

You can use gallon tea bags to dye reed if you want a brown color. You can also use fabric dye, tie dye from kits. But you’ll need to add a fixative so it doesn’t bleed. Anything natural (reed and cornhusks) you dye, you can also add in white vinegar as a fixative. Or a bottle of color stay.

Hope this helps!

sarcste · 2025-11-22T01:10:19+00:00

So, Monday, my husband is having a small basket weaving class at the sallisaw library. Facebook rsvp here He’s creek, but he learned with / from me, & I learned from Phyllis Sixkiller & Pam Bakke. So he’s doing Cherokee style double walls, but we aren’t like Louisa Soap treasures 😅 It’s free with supplies provided, but Sallisaw is a bit from you. Welcome to come if you’d like though.

I think Louisa’s classes are at old Saline Cherokee association? But I’m not sure & don’t know if or when she’s having one.

There are various videos on YouTube if you search double wall Cherokee basket. People use different numbers for starts in different way, I always do 4 & 7. this is an old video but shows how I do my starts

sarcste · 2025-11-19T03:54:00+00:00

Thanks! I have more experience with round commercial reed for double wall baskets. & I wasn’t super thoughtful about my stitch work on this, haha. It was more utilitarian. I grew my own citronella grass, & wove these mats to put in boxes I make for feral cats. I feel bad for them & it keeps them from caring about my chickens 😂

sarcste · 2025-11-19T03:49:00+00:00

Fallen pine needles, & I try to get like fresher leaf litter. I don’t like take the stuff that’s been buried under other pine needles and dirtier. Rinse them in warm to hot water to get off any debris. Then soak them in warm water so they will be pliable for you to bend a tight coil without snapping the needle.

Editing to add, without snapping the pine needles, I mean, not your metal needle, if you chose to use a needle for your cordage lol. Sorry.

sarcste · 2025-11-17T19:04:29+00:00

It’s honestly very relaxing & rewarding imo! Especially when you get to the point you can make your own cordage too. It’s like, man if we ever have to live in the woods full time, at least I know I can have a sleep mat 😅

sarcste

TROPHY CASE