tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89368023704729184742024-02-20T02:23:26.423+00:00Better Than GraniteUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger66125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8936802370472918474.post-23637417592280523992015-05-02T06:23:00.000+01:002015-05-02T06:24:39.401+01:00Korgan's Soap<img src="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/Our%20Plants/iconkorgan.jpg" border="0" alt="KorganIcon" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 60px; height: 55px;">
It's been 3 YEARS since I posted in this blog! Yep. O_O</p>
I want you to know that over the last 3 years, my soapmaking has improved a thousandfold. I now host an Etsy store, sell at local markets, and pick up sales all around from friends, family, and co-workers. What I'm saying, is that my soap is now bad-ass and you ought to check it out, at <a href="korganrivera.etsy.com">korganrivera.etsy.com</a></p>
The stocks are a little low right now, since I just had a huge unexpected rush of late, but by the time you read this, I'll probably have stocked up again.
My best sellers have been my Super Lemongrass, and my Green Zebra Peppermint. My latest Lemongrass+Tangerine bar has been going pretty fast too.
I'm about to make fresh batches of the above soaps, and I'll be making Patchouli Orange Bars too, because a lot of people are requesting Patchouli all of a sudden.</p>
So, check out my store every now and again, and see what I've made. And if you like what you see, please favourite my Etsy Store!
I'm fairly certain I make the best soap in Arkansas right now. I just need other people to figure that out. :) </p>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_03w0SShq7RDL7wIjs8k0dnHLzFDYI_0GqJ9xVzekPhOS6rYDqKI1r_1LfC0713jU506qQ4EmTzNmScXYRsxscJ6xZsDQgz03EeeP3IPjtq6M3EzHTcDHd5tcXCZizuietcuyDuYwRjQ/s1600/20150418_134239.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_03w0SShq7RDL7wIjs8k0dnHLzFDYI_0GqJ9xVzekPhOS6rYDqKI1r_1LfC0713jU506qQ4EmTzNmScXYRsxscJ6xZsDQgz03EeeP3IPjtq6M3EzHTcDHd5tcXCZizuietcuyDuYwRjQ/s320/20150418_134239.jpg" /></a></p>
This is my latest soap, Lemongrass+Tangerine! (There's a sploosh of mango in there too.) Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8936802370472918474.post-12595297450563875322012-03-05T03:13:00.002+00:002012-03-05T03:13:47.959+00:00calculus in the garden<img src="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/Our%20Plants/iconkorgan.jpg" border="0" alt="KorganIcon" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 60px; height: 55px;">The other day I got a chance to use some calculus for real-world stuff.<br />
<br />
So our yard is one of those that floods when it rains. It's clay and it has trough shapes. There is one main trough shape and I thought that I would like to get it filled up with soil. So how much soil would I need?<br />
<br />
Well I knew I could solve this with an integral. So I went ahead and assumed the curve of the trough was parabolic. Who knows what it was but this was a fair guess.<br />
<br />
I went out and measured the depth of the trough and gauged its length. That gave me my parabolic function. It was something like y=-(13/(36^2))x^2+13. The integral of this multiplied by the trough's length gave me the volume of the trough. So it turns out I need around 122 cubic feet of soil. <br />
<br />
Turns out that costs somewhere around $200-$500. So looks like I'm keeping the trough. :DUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8936802370472918474.post-29644877737243038352012-02-26T22:19:00.000+00:002012-02-26T22:19:36.984+00:00Kitty<img src="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/Our%20Plants/iconkorgan.jpg" border="0" alt="KorganIcon" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 60px; height: 55px;"> Haven't posted in forever but since spring's coming, I will have more content soon. In the meantime, here is a picture of Hugh sitting outside.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/hugh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" width="390" src="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/hugh.jpg" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8936802370472918474.post-5708390205487866902011-09-28T20:07:00.001+01:002011-09-28T20:13:51.227+01:00Hidden Bricks<img src="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/Our%20Plants/iconkorgan.jpg" border="0" alt="KorganIcon" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 60px; height: 55px;"> I was digging around in the yard, and noticed brickwork underneath the weeds just outside the back door. Poking around a bit more, noticed that there was a whole brick path out there. So a couple of hours later, with my trusty pitchfork and sweeping brush, I got it to look like this:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/Korgans%20Garden%20progress/IMAG0485.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="390" width="653" src="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/Korgans%20Garden%20progress/IMAG0485.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/Korgans%20Garden%20progress/IMAG0486.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="390" width="653" src="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/Korgans%20Garden%20progress/IMAG0486.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/Korgans%20Garden%20progress/IMAG0483.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="390" width="653" src="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/Korgans%20Garden%20progress/IMAG0483.jpg" /></a></div><br />
So that's pretty cool.<br />
<br />
For comparison, this is how it looked before: <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/Korgans%20Garden%20progress/IMAG0278.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" width="400" src="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/Korgans%20Garden%20progress/IMAG0278.jpg" /></a></div><br />
O_OUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8936802370472918474.post-46740516165138986732011-09-25T19:25:00.003+01:002011-09-28T20:12:34.704+01:00New Compost Pile<img src="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/Our%20Plants/iconkorgan.jpg" border="0" alt="KorganIcon" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 60px; height: 55px;">Here are some pics of the first compost pile in my garden. Just dumped 3 bags of mowed lawn into it and already it's steaming and rife with happy bacteria :D<br />
<br />
Decided that I'm going to have to build a ton more piles to get the amount of compost I need to initialise my garden. Looks like my current garden project is compost batching.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/Korgans%20Garden%20progress/IMAG0445.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" width="400" src="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/Korgans%20Garden%20progress/IMAG0445.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/Korgans%20Garden%20progress/IMAG0448.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" width="400" src="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/Korgans%20Garden%20progress/IMAG0448.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<br />
So many people in Conway put their lawn waste out like trash. NOBODY composts! Which is awesome for me :DUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8936802370472918474.post-29179872643278638712011-09-12T01:20:00.002+01:002011-09-12T01:21:42.155+01:00Korgan's Garden<img src="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/Our%20Plants/iconkorgan.jpg" border="0" alt="KorganIcon" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 60px; height: 55px;">Finally! We moved house, and I have my very own yard. It was full of long grass and weeds when we moved in a couple of weeks ago. Today, I finally got my hands on a strimmer and attacked that. <br />
<br />
Then I put posts in the ground to mark areas and tied ropes to them. Then, we went and got pallets. I tied them together for a quick compost bin. Here are some progress pics and the plan I sketched up. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/Korgans%20Garden%20progress/gardenplan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" width="400" src="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/Korgans%20Garden%20progress/gardenplan.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/Korgans%20Garden%20progress/IMAG0324.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" width="400" src="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/Korgans%20Garden%20progress/IMAG0324.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/Korgans%20Garden%20progress/IMAG0326.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" width="400" src="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/Korgans%20Garden%20progress/IMAG0326.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/Korgans%20Garden%20progress/IMAG0328.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" width="400" src="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/Korgans%20Garden%20progress/IMAG0328.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/Korgans%20Garden%20progress/IMAG0329.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" width="400" src="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/Korgans%20Garden%20progress/IMAG0329.jpg" /></a></div><br />
I'll be updating regularly with progress pics.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8936802370472918474.post-75620869085023815772011-08-06T00:01:00.001+01:002011-08-06T00:07:27.448+01:00<img src="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/Our%20Plants/iconkorgan.jpg" border="0" alt="KorganIcon" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 60px; height: 55px;">I tried to render some fat tonight from Kroger beef. <br />
<br />
I've done this before and tallow is usually hard and white. You can snap it. What I got from this Kroger beef was not hard at all. It was exactly what the fat looks like in documentaries about liposuction. It was not cow fat. What the fuck is it?<br />
<br />
...and after reading this I'm not keen on trying it again:<br />
"Most of the serious toxins that you read about are lipophilic (or, hydrophobic) and hence will tend to partition into animals’ fat in the wild (i.e. bioaccumulate). Examples include dioxins, PDBEs, PCBs, etc."Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8936802370472918474.post-68658785167968750342011-07-24T01:13:00.000+01:002011-07-24T01:13:45.941+01:00<img src="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/Our%20Plants/iconkorgan.jpg" border="0" alt="KorganIcon" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 60px; height: 55px;">We're moving to a house with a bunch of yard space, and I have a bunch of projects in mind to start as soon as possible. there's a lot of preparatory labour work I have to do, but after that it'll be compost heaps, rainbarrels, wind-powered water pumps (if I can manage it), chickens and bees. Yep. So that starts in a month or so. Finally.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8936802370472918474.post-41914855810525394072011-07-14T15:01:00.000+01:002011-07-14T15:01:02.479+01:00Basil Comparison<img src="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/Our%20Plants/iconkorgan.jpg" border="0" alt="KorganIcon" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 60px; height: 55px;"> This is a pic of our first Basil we had together a few years ago, grown from store-bought seed. Pretty weak looking stuff. The 2nd picture is of the grandchild of this plant. Fucking amazing basil, bursting with vitality. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI_U_paIimUjPXXAlFLx3kTK7OTVE9b24k5jLxCVMF3wcdGEqKcgupcN3kziD7yU9vNlZcprSs78s6SREOi9QR4XrvVkBPyW6DTz_qeaoVkk64ECa3dxo08NQNUq7Ns8FfhjOB4Ev-dxQ/s1600/basil+compare.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="253" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI_U_paIimUjPXXAlFLx3kTK7OTVE9b24k5jLxCVMF3wcdGEqKcgupcN3kziD7yU9vNlZcprSs78s6SREOi9QR4XrvVkBPyW6DTz_qeaoVkk64ECa3dxo08NQNUq7Ns8FfhjOB4Ev-dxQ/s400/basil+compare.png" /></a></div><br />
Keep your seed, people! Stop buying seed! Why are you buying seed! It's seed!!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8936802370472918474.post-73122904067112766892011-07-14T01:45:00.003+01:002011-07-14T02:07:41.968+01:00Backcrossing<img src="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/Our%20Plants/iconkorgan.jpg" border="0" alt="KorganIcon" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 60px; height: 55px;">I intended to write about backcrossing a year ago, back when I was into this stuff. Here's that post. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix-wwm4fxjxEWw_cEkB4OsR4fwd9WvMJFjK7S2rEQ5nUibKXDk1TG0UUTALFt7r6L1Io649VGd1zABcC2C8FLagc6Xk7azI5RgHUGCwZvDvbFQhT3uRMv23DoGzmev6aUBzQLlDMeBCMs/s1600/Scan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" width="390" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix-wwm4fxjxEWw_cEkB4OsR4fwd9WvMJFjK7S2rEQ5nUibKXDk1TG0UUTALFt7r6L1Io649VGd1zABcC2C8FLagc6Xk7azI5RgHUGCwZvDvbFQhT3uRMv23DoGzmev6aUBzQLlDMeBCMs/s400/Scan.jpg" /></a></div><br />
So let's say you have a plant whose traits you want to keep. Let's say that it's bright red or something and you want to continue producing plants that are bright red. (For this example, let's assume our red plant is homozygous, RR) You have this female plant that is bright red but you don't have any males that are particularly special. You need to breed. What's the solution?<br />
<br />
Backcrossing, and it works like this:<br />
<br />
You mate your bright red plant RR with your random-ass male plant whose genotype we have no idea about, but we'll call it xx since it's not red.<br />
<br />
You will get a bunch of heterozygous plants if the xx is also homozygous, and let's assume that it is for now. And let's say they're all red. Awesome. This tells us that red is a dominant trait. Our children must be:<br />
<br />
Rx Rx Rx Rx (0% are RR, all hybrids)<br />
<br />
But we also have our parent RR. That's our advantage. We already have one plant that we know is true breeding with regard to the characteristics that we want. So breed the RR parent with all the children and what happens?<br />
<br />
We'll get 50% RR and 50% Rx<br />
<br />
What happens if we mate these children with the RR parent AGAIN?<br />
<br />
We get 75% RR and 25% Rx<br />
<br />
See what's happening? The proportion of plants with the desired trait is increasing. We continue this and we get:<br />
<br />
87.5% RR<br />
93.75 RR<br />
96.875 RR<br />
98.4375 RR<br />
99.21875 RR<br />
<br />
And this is what is known as backcrossing.<br />
<br />
When I say you're mating the parent plant with the children, you will most likely be mating a CLONE of the parent plant with the children. The parent is unlikely to survive for this much time. So you clone the parent plant before each crossing and use that.<br />
<br />
Notes: when you first mate the parent with the child, this is known as squaring. When you mate the grandchild with the grandparent, this is known as cubing. Stupid terms you will find elsewhere online.<br />
<br />
I even figured an equation which predicts the proportions as seen above: if n is the number of crosses, the proportion will be <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHUNQ6YtL8D5KaFslD7MTuGSJLDK2PyHsXWFqnIN0RnlXeiTenWcYyf_7UBM0qarB1NOCGcGTmfb0o9EcFpO0qzXQbJkYumYUCmF_Hd_gvD28g_dAd7fq_to8Fbrkaf-rh0ZhREbHx_LE/s1600/eq.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="18" width="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHUNQ6YtL8D5KaFslD7MTuGSJLDK2PyHsXWFqnIN0RnlXeiTenWcYyf_7UBM0qarB1NOCGcGTmfb0o9EcFpO0qzXQbJkYumYUCmF_Hd_gvD28g_dAd7fq_to8Fbrkaf-rh0ZhREbHx_LE/s400/eq.bmp" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/MFUCKER.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" width="390" src="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/MFUCKER.jpg" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8936802370472918474.post-5514368727255551282011-07-11T01:19:00.000+01:002011-07-11T01:19:40.069+01:003rd-Gen Basil<img src="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/Our%20Plants/iconkorgan.jpg" border="0" alt="KorganIcon" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 60px; height: 55px;">We've been saving the seeds of our basil plant for about 2 or 3 years now. The plant we have now is the grandchild of our first plant. It looks like the most amazing basil plant I've ever seen. It's so vibrant, strong, tasty, attractive. And it has just flowered, so we can keep this line forever.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqXni0ge2mk9vK9Uv1n94vPbqLVMYNTK54SE2-8EyZTrFyw0qB8DxmdOwarvl30XhyQGXQ1jAd5x7hWJ6hqIFrez28YBjMqnhhK-T_ogyi1L_PKYFdysCQdlGFN_Di_1M-bzUk4bsgU6c/s1600/basil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="400" width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqXni0ge2mk9vK9Uv1n94vPbqLVMYNTK54SE2-8EyZTrFyw0qB8DxmdOwarvl30XhyQGXQ1jAd5x7hWJ6hqIFrez28YBjMqnhhK-T_ogyi1L_PKYFdysCQdlGFN_Di_1M-bzUk4bsgU6c/s400/basil.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Save your seeds people! If you grow anything and you're not saving seed, you're an idiot.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8936802370472918474.post-33952859594121827032011-07-09T23:43:00.003+01:002011-08-13T18:31:28.993+01:00Make Yoghurt!<img src="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/Our%20Plants/iconkorgan.jpg" border="0" alt="KorganIcon" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 60px; height: 55px;">Yoghurt is amazingly easy to make. Like, seriously. If you're going to make it though, make large amounts. That way you will save cash. But really, it's cool to have your own batch growing.<br />
<br />
I like tangy yoghurt, I like Greek yoghurt. The other day I was almost out of Greek yoghurt, and I wouldn't be going to the store anytime soon. So I made up a batch of yoghurt, incubated it and when I got home from work I had a bunch of free delicious yoghurt to eat. Blah, just do it. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYgXshFo8rX8tBpBOLOi5AqJZEYY2mOIVc-Pw9xkwpDaBmL3eYev0s6NCoH0lmoRQ5w9QCWijRlb0JUnrBYuqiLn4wNGdIwdj-i2MSd7paciQw6PK7jErjohKzQ5siY2c3lAifR6C9NpQ/s1600/yog2.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="400" width="334" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYgXshFo8rX8tBpBOLOi5AqJZEYY2mOIVc-Pw9xkwpDaBmL3eYev0s6NCoH0lmoRQ5w9QCWijRlb0JUnrBYuqiLn4wNGdIwdj-i2MSd7paciQw6PK7jErjohKzQ5siY2c3lAifR6C9NpQ/s400/yog2.gif" /></a></div><br />
So this is how yoghurt is made<br />
<br />
INGREDIENTS<br />
946ml milk<br />
1 tbsp yoghurt<br />
<br />
METHOD<br />
<ul><li>Heat milk to 180F/82C. The longer you hold it at this temp, the thicker your yoghurt will be.<br />
<li>Let it cool. Wait until it's 110F/43C.<br />
<li>While waiting, boil jars to sterilize. (Or you can just take them out of the dishwasher when it's just finished.) <br />
<li>Preheat storage area. You'll have to keep the yoghurt warm for about 8-12 hours.<br />
<li>Add yoghurt to milk. Stir.<br />
<li>Pour milk into jars.<br />
<li>Cap jars.<br />
<li>Wrap with warm towels, store for 8-12 hours.<br />
</ul>You can incubate it in a crockpot filled with 110F/43C water, set on warm then turn off and put your jars in, cover with a towel. Try to maintain 110F/43C.<br />
<br />
...but what I do is, wrap the jars in towels, put them on top of the dryer in the dryer cupboard, then dry some clothes. Keeps the cupboard warm.<br />
<br />
That's it! You need a tbsp of yoghurt to make about a litre of yoghurt. You can use the yoghurt you make to make the next batch of yoghurt too. I've read that after a few turns of doing this, that you should start with a fresh batch, but that doesn't make any sense to me. If you have a healthy, culture going, then by all means use it.<br />
<br />
Btw, the iPhone sucks fucking dicks for taking pictures. iPhones are lame, guys. Worst phone ever.<br />
<br />
--edit: made more yoghurt today (4th Aug 2011), did it with about 1 minutes work total, and took a bath while I waited for the milk to cool. This time, I shook up the jars to get that yoghurt dispersed in the milk. Checked on it 8 hours later and it was super thick. Success! Shake your jars!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8936802370472918474.post-89767504544094734322011-07-05T17:27:00.005+01:002011-07-05T17:53:32.352+01:00Rope and Leaky Watering Can<img src="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/Our%20Plants/iconkorgan.jpg" border="0" alt="KorganIcon" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 60px; height: 55px;">Found out my watering can leaks, a month ago or so. Took advantage of this: tied up the can above our basil pot and now it has a drip feeder. <br />
<br />
Note: This isn't a perfect solution. It wets the leaves which is almost never a good thing, but it's been hot outside so I have no concern about mould growth. Other than that it's great and it's nice to be able to quickly fill up the can and walk away letting it get on with it. And it's nice to use rope. And it looks unusual.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbW1R2KFzrDhrgK6Br0A3akLWSbWGyWzTcmv5OU1mCysU01sDfe6bonDhB_eK-mM9J915cto9fssJP40kZQmePD3cM3vuJczka2dLzJB-IgZMRSprTX-CmUCeucWU4vxr10pUO5vqhHPU/s1600/photo%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="400" width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbW1R2KFzrDhrgK6Br0A3akLWSbWGyWzTcmv5OU1mCysU01sDfe6bonDhB_eK-mM9J915cto9fssJP40kZQmePD3cM3vuJczka2dLzJB-IgZMRSprTX-CmUCeucWU4vxr10pUO5vqhHPU/s400/photo%25281%2529.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXfB95LqohsyXdyQis62dYkEX1PIifXgkw7ftiCEd3W1C_zyCkoAF9gQM7dbyXuFvd_iW76TSNOluhFTbW7h9Mae8nH10eF_2zIQ6B7xCg2K7vfHGNwPLaq-9PDPVuLAZWpPUNy903zW8/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="400" width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXfB95LqohsyXdyQis62dYkEX1PIifXgkw7ftiCEd3W1C_zyCkoAF9gQM7dbyXuFvd_iW76TSNOluhFTbW7h9Mae8nH10eF_2zIQ6B7xCg2K7vfHGNwPLaq-9PDPVuLAZWpPUNy903zW8/s400/photo.JPG" /></a></div><br />
Rope is attached to bars with an Evenk Hitch, can is pulled up with a Trucker's Hitch (with a #1058 loop), finished off with wraps. I usually never use wraps because they're such a hassle to undo even though they look good, but I can get away with it this time because I'm using the Evenk: if I need to take this down I just pull on the end.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8936802370472918474.post-8748849164949811162011-06-09T14:52:00.004+01:002012-03-06T18:36:14.703+00:00Knot Godhood<img src="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/Our%20Plants/iconkorgan.jpg" border="0" alt="KorganIcon" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 60px; height: 55px;">A while back on the <a href="http://igkt.net/sm/">IGKT</a> forum, I made a list of knots to learn, with the idea being that it be used for teaching purposes, and to enthuse rope newbs. <br />
<br />
Here is <a href="https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B23o7cPslnV8VmswV1pBZndUdU9zeTJVSnVwZnNsUQ">the document</a>.<br />
<br />
The preamble gives you the idea:<br />
<blockquote>You are beginning your journey from unskilled peon to Knot God. The journey may be long and challenging, but each technique you learn brings you closer to Knot Godhood. Only by unanimous decision by the Council of Knot Gods can the title of Knot God be bestowed. Those who wish to become a Knot God must commit the Knot Code to memory and appeal to the Council. Once you become a Knot God, your status as such may not be revoked unless by unanimous decision by the Council.</blockquote><br />
The Knot Code follows after that, which includes a list of 112 knots including hitches, loops, bends, splicings, lashings, coils and bindings.<br />
<br />
It makes a fun challenge out of something that may be tedious and dull if you're made to do it.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8936802370472918474.post-56622243874603291002010-12-10T21:38:00.002+00:002010-12-10T21:48:36.946+00:00Xmas Scarf<img alt="KorganIcon" border="0" src="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/Our%20Plants/iconkorgan.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 55px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 60px;" />Here's a scarf I've been working on. It's about 5.5 feet. This is a bad picture taken with a webcam. I lost my camera.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/KNITTING/redscarfbig.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/KNITTING/redscarf.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
If you're a member of <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/">Ravelry.com</a> you can find the pattern <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/a-scarf-askew">here</a>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8936802370472918474.post-56076160119251763222010-10-31T03:51:00.001+00:002010-11-03T05:51:45.769+00:00Happy Hell Night!<img alt="KorganIcon" border="0" src="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/Our%20Plants/iconkorgan.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 55px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 60px;" /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/pumpkins/whitspumpkin3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/pumpkins/whitspumpkin3.jpg" width="319" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/pumpkins/mypumpkin1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/pumpkins/mypumpkin1.jpg" width="319" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/pumpkins/bikeskull.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/pumpkins/bikeskullsmall.jpg" width="319" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8936802370472918474.post-54796166238142684782010-10-14T19:25:00.004+01:002010-10-16T16:00:22.756+01:00Wild Berries<img alt="KorganIcon" border="0" src="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/Our%20Plants/iconkorgan.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 55px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 60px;" />What's this?!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I found these berries growing wild at the side of the road. I don't know what they are. Do you? (Click for larger image.)<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/Arkansas%20Wild%20Plants/DSC01229.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="231" src="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/Arkansas%20Wild%20Plants/DSC01229small.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
update: This plant has been identified as a Peppervine (Ampelopsis arborea). It's in the grape family (Vitaceae).Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8936802370472918474.post-22553905129604541622010-09-24T22:40:00.006+01:002010-10-14T20:36:05.508+01:00double splayed loop in the bight (ABOK #1100)<img alt="KorganIcon" border="0" src="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/Our%20Plants/iconkorgan.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 55px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 60px;" />This is an excellent double loop knot. Buff your brakes off, lazy.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
If you already learned the <a href="http://betterthangranite.blogspot.com/2010/09/linemans-loopalpine-butterfly-loop.html">lineman's loop/alpine butterfly loop (ABOK #1053)</a> then you already know most of this knot too. <br />
So why not go ahead and learn it? Click on images for larger images.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/ROPE/linesman1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/ROPE/linesman1small.jpg" width="277" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/ROPE/linesman2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/ROPE/linesman2small.jpg" width="305" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/ROPE/linesman3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="301" src="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/ROPE/linesman3small.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/ROPE/linesman4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="227" src="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/ROPE/linesman4small.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/ROPE/linesman5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/ROPE/linesman5small.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/ROPE/1100p1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/ROPE/1100p1small.jpg" width="243" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/ROPE/1100p1b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="311" src="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/ROPE/1100p1bsmall.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><a href="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/ROPE/1100p2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/ROPE/1100p2small.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
Instructions, if you need them:<br />
<ol><li>Make a bight.<br />
</li>
<li>Twist the bight.<br />
</li>
<li>Twist the bight again.<br />
</li>
<li>Fold the top loop down.<br />
</li>
<li>Feed it into the centre loop from behind.<br />
</li>
<li>Feed the left and right loops into the centre loop.<br />
</li>
<li>Pull the centre loop downward.<br />
</li>
<li>Tighten and dress the knot.<br />
</li>
</ol>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8936802370472918474.post-49213657525390815252010-09-24T17:00:00.003+01:002010-09-24T17:16:54.595+01:00Lineman's Loop/Alpine Butterfly Loop<img alt="KorganIcon" border="0" src="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/Our%20Plants/iconkorgan.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 55px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 60px;" />The Lineman's Loop, also known as the Alpine Butterfly Loop (ABOK#1053), is used a bunch in climbing to make a loop in the middle of a rope. It's a good default loop knot. Despite its popularity, I couldn't find a good, specified breakdown online of how it's made. So I made my own. Here it is. Click on images for larger images.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/ROPE/linesman1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/ROPE/linesman1small.jpg" width="277" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/ROPE/linesman2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/ROPE/linesman2small.jpg" width="305" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/ROPE/linesman3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="301" src="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/ROPE/linesman3small.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/ROPE/linesman4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="227" src="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/ROPE/linesman4small.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/ROPE/linesman5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="210" src="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/ROPE/linesman5small.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/ROPE/linesman6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/ROPE/linesman6small.jpg" width="298" /></a></div><br />
Instructions if you need them:<br />
<ol><li>Make a bight.<br />
<li>Twist the bight.<br />
<li>Twist the bight again.<br />
<li>Fold the top loop down.<br />
<li>Feed it into the centre loop from behind.<br />
<li>Pull tight and dress the knot.<br />
</ol>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8936802370472918474.post-41349477102030399942010-09-20T19:42:00.058+01:002011-01-12T23:26:42.919+00:00Rope & Knots<img alt="KorganIcon" border="0" src="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/Our%20Plants/iconkorgan.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 55px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 60px;" />You can do a lot with rope. If you have a mechanical problem in the garden or your house, I'm pretty sure rope can handle the strain of the problem. <br />
<br />
I think it's good to know how to work with rope. I think Urban Homesteaders should know how to work with rope, specifically.<br />
<br />
Knots categorise pretty readily. There are bends, loops and hitches.<br />
<ul><li>bend: to join two ropes together.<br />
</li>
<li>loop: well that's obvious.<br />
</li>
<li>hitch: to attach a rope to an object, usually a post or a ring.<br />
</li>
</ul>There are thousands of different knots. They've evolved over roughly a squillion years. Some have more than one name. Some are called knots when they really should be called hitches, that kind of thing. If you come across a knot that has more than one name, just remember the one that you prefer.<br />
<br />
There are plenty of beautiful dorks out there who know hundreds of knots. I know enough to give me options. Here is a list of good knots to know:<br />
<ul><lh>HITCHES</lh>
<li><a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Round_turn_and_two_half_hitches.png">round turn and two half hitches</a><br />
</li>
<li><a href="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/ROPE/CLOVEHITCH.jpg">clove hitch</a><br />
</li>
<li><a href="http://www.tollesburysc.co.uk/Knots/Anchor_hitch.htm">fisherman's bend/anchor hitch</a><br />
</li>
<li><a href="http://www.animatedknots.com/rollinghitch/index.php?Categ=climbing&LogoImage=LogoGrog.jpg&Website=www.animatedknots.com">rolling hitch</a><br />
</li>
<li><a href="http://www.netknots.com/html/buntline_hitch.html">buntline hitch</a><br />
</li>
<li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constrictor_knot">constrictor knot</a><br />
</li>
<li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Timber_Hitch_HowTo.jpg">timber hitch</a><br />
</li>
<li><a href="http://www.realknots.com/knots/hitches.htm#cow">cow hitch</a><br />
</li>
<li><a href="http://www.layhands.com/Knots/Knots_Hitches.htm#LarksHeadHitch">pedigree cow hitch</a><br />
</li>
<li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prusik">prusik knot</a><br />
</li>
<li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marlinespike_hitch">marlinespike hitch</a><br />
</li>
<li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taut-line_hitch?oldid=0#.231855">tautline hitch (ABOK #1855)</a><br />
</li>
<li><a href="http://www.animatedknots.com/klemheist/">klemheist knot</a><br />
</li>
<li><a href="http://www.pettigrews.org.uk/lm/page029f.htm">stunsail halyard hitch</a><br />
</li>
<li><a href="http://www.divingandmarinecentre.com/downloads/draw%20hitch.avi">draw hitch</a><br />
</li>
<li><a href="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/ROPE/magnushitch.jpg">magnus hitch</a><br />
</li>
<li><a href="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/ROPE/LIGHTERMANSHITCH.jpg">lighterman's hitch</a><br />
</li>
<li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ground-line_hitch">picket-line hitch</a><br />
</li>
<li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sailor%27s_gripping_hitch">gripping sailor's hitch</a><br />
</li>
<li><a href="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/ROPE/iciclehitch.jpg">icicle hitch (the CORRECT version)</a><br />
</li>
<li><a href="http://notableknotindex.webs.com/haltersiberian.html">Siberian hitch </a><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwvNoxKi428">(fast method)</a><br />
</li>
</ul><ul><lh>LOOPS</lh>
<li><a href="http://www.layhands.com/Knots/Knots_SingleLoops.htm#Bowline">bowline</a><br />
</li>
<li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bowline_on_a_bight">bowline on a bight</a><br />
</li>
<li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artillery_loop">man harness knot/artillery loop</a><br />
</li>
<li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Figure-eight_loop">figure of eight loop</a><br />
</li>
<li><a href="http://www.layhands.com/Knots/Knots_SingleLoops.htm#PerfectionLoop">angler's loop</a><br />
</li>
<li><a href="http://www.tpub.com/content/administration/14067/css/14067_59.htm">french bowline</a><br />
</li>
<li><a href="http://www.layhands.com/Knots/Knots_SingleLoops.htm#DoubleDragon">double dragon</a><br />
</li>
<li><a href="http://betterthangranite.blogspot.com/2010/09/linemans-loopalpine-butterfly-loop.html">lineman's loop/alpine butterfly loop (ABOK #1053)</a><br />
<li><a href="http://betterthangranite.blogspot.com/2010/09/double-splayed-loop-in-bight-abok-1100.html">double splayed loop in the bight (ABOK #1100)</a><br />
</ul><ul><lh>BENDS</lh>
<li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reef_knot">reef knot</a><br />
</li>
<li><a href="http://www.englundmarine.com/useful_info/knots.shtml">surgeon's knot</a><br />
</li>
<li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheet_bend">sheet bend</a><br />
</li>
<li><a href="http://www.videos.sailingcourse.com/double_sheet_bend.htm">double sheet bend</a><br />
</li>
<li><a href="http://www.animatedknots.com/carrick/index.php">Carrick bend</a><br />
</li>
<li><a href="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/ROPE/alpinebutterflybend.jpg">alpine butterfly bend</a><br />
</li>
<li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fisherman%27s_knot">fisherman's knot/Englishman's knot</a><br />
</li>
<li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeppelin_bend">Zeppelin bend</a><br />
</li>
<li><a href="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/ROPE/Huntersbend.jpg">Hunter's bend</a><br />
</li>
</ul><ul><lh>LASHINGS</lh>
<li><a href="http://betterthangranite.blogspot.com/2009/10/truckers-hitch.html">trucker's hitch</a><br />
</li>
<li><a href="http://www.ropeworks.biz/reader/JsqarLSH.pdf">Japanese square lashing (links to .pdf)</a><br />
</li>
<li><a href="http://www.layhands.com/Knots/Knots_Miscellaneous.htm#Gleipner">Gleipner Knot (awesome new knot)</a><br />
</li>
</ul>You might want to learn all of these. You might only want to learn one from each category. But I would recommend trying a few from each category to get the idea. As well as the decorative knots, there are fishing knots, lashings and bindings, whippings and splicings. If you're looking for areas to apply what you learn then check out climbing sports, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoj%C5%8Djutsu">martial arts</a>, survivalist stuff and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_bondage">shibari</a>. I would recommend a couple of books. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Know-How-Wiley-Nautical-Steve-Judkins/dp/1898660980/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1285010696&sr=8-1">Knot Know-How</a> is one of the better books that got me started fast. It doesn't bog you down and it will teach you the basics very quickly. On the other hand, if you want to know almost everything about knots, their history and applications, then you want to get your hands on a tome called <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ashley_Book_of_Knots">Ashley's Book of Knots</a>. This is an encyclopedia of knots with historical info. It's an awesome book to browse through and open in random places. You can get that on Amazon too, but if you'd rather spend that $50 on food or weed (very wise), then there is a <a href="http://www.kickasstorrents.com/search/ashley%20book%20of%20knots/">torrent</a> file of the book online so you can read it for free.<br />
<br />
If you know absolutely nothing about knots, start at the top of any list and work your way down. The ones at the beginning of the lists are the easiest. But to be honest, most of these are easy. If they weren't, I wouldn't remember them.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8936802370472918474.post-50323230021249004052010-08-28T05:19:00.014+01:002010-08-28T09:28:35.947+01:00I will turn your money into soap<img src="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/Our%20Plants/iconkorgan.jpg" border="0" alt="KorganIcon" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 60px; height: 55px;">Want soap? Awesome handmade soap? Want to pay a suspiciously low price for this awesomeness? Want to give me your money? Well now you can!<br /><br />Contact me and I will get you set up. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Q: How much does them there soaps cost?</span><br />A: you can buy 100g (about 3.5 oz) for around $2.81. You will not find handmade soap for this little. Handmade soaps typically go for around $4.00.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Q: Wow that's the greatest price I ever did hear!</span><br />A: Pretty awesome, eh?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Q: How do you sell it so cheap?</span><br />A: The truth is, the mark up on those $4.00 soaps is ridiculously high. I want to make a little cash for myself, but I also want to give people access to good handmade soap for a fair price.<br /><br />Here are some interesting things you can do with soap:<ul><li>You can wash your butt.<br /><li>You can wash someone else's butt.<br /><li>You can wash your hair.<br /><li>You can wash your face.<br /><li>You can wash you dog's face.<br /></ul><br />Here are some good things about my soap:<ul><li>The price is awesome.<br /><li>It will clean you. You will feel clean. You will squeak.<br /><li>My soap contains only yummy stuff like honey, oatmeal, that kind of thing. No synthetic colours or scents (unless you request them.)<br /></ul><br />You can order as much as you like, you can request a custom soap, you can boast that you get your handmade soaps made custom for a ridiculously low price.<br /><br />I make soap in 2kg batches (about 4.4 lb), and a batch costs around $56. A 2kg block is like 20 bars of soap. You can order one of those. You can order a single bar. You can order as much as you like. <br /><br />Don't know what to order? Contact me, and I'll make my standard Honey Batch. Then you can give me money and take the soap home and wash anything you want.<br /><br />So go email me!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8936802370472918474.post-8544828151261801622010-08-02T21:17:00.007+01:002010-08-14T04:18:22.091+01:00Arkansas Wild Plants #3<img src="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/Our%20Plants/iconkorgan.jpg" border="0" alt="KorganIcon" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 60px; height: 55px;">Here is the third of the Arkansas wild plant posts. I post another five pictures of wild plants here in Arkansas and you try to identify what they are, leaving your information in the comments. Click on images for larger images. Nobody reads this shit. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/Arkansas%20Wild%20Plants/wildplant66.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 389px; height: 292px;" src="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/Arkansas%20Wild%20Plants/wildplantsmall66.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/Arkansas%20Wild%20Plants/wildplant07.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 399px; height: 532px;" src="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/Arkansas%20Wild%20Plants/wildplantsmall07.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/Arkansas%20Wild%20Plants/wildplant30.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 399px; height: 532px;" src="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/Arkansas%20Wild%20Plants/wildplantsmall30.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/Arkansas%20Wild%20Plants/wildplant28.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 399px; height: 532px;" src="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/Arkansas%20Wild%20Plants/wildplantsmall28.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/Arkansas%20Wild%20Plants/wildplant02.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 399px; height: 532px;" src="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/Arkansas%20Wild%20Plants/wildplantsmall03.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Here are Arkansas Wild Plants <a href="http://betterthangranite.blogspot.com/2010/08/here-are-bunch-of-pictures-that-i-took.html">#1</a> and <a href="http://betterthangranite.blogspot.com/2010/08/arkansas-wild-plants-2.html">#2</a>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8936802370472918474.post-66086408197771632192010-08-02T20:57:00.008+01:002010-08-14T04:17:05.731+01:00Arkansas Wild Plants #2<img src="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/Our%20Plants/iconkorgan.jpg" border="0" alt="KorganIcon" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 60px; height: 55px;">Here is my second post on wild plants I have found in Arkansas. I will post another five images and hopefully you can identify what it is. If you can identify the name of the plant or the family of the plant, give your information in the comments. <br /><br />You can click on images for larger images. Here goes.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/Arkansas%20Wild%20Plants/wildplant37.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 399px; height: 532px;" src="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/Arkansas%20Wild%20Plants/wildplantsmall37.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/Arkansas%20Wild%20Plants/wildplant06.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 399px; height: 532px;" src="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/Arkansas%20Wild%20Plants/wildplantsmall06.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/Arkansas%20Wild%20Plants/wildplant05.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 399px; height: 532px;" src="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/Arkansas%20Wild%20Plants/wildplantsmall05.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/Arkansas%20Wild%20Plants/wildplant08.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 399px; height: 532px;" src="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/Arkansas%20Wild%20Plants/wildplantsmall08.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/Arkansas%20Wild%20Plants/wildplant40.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 399px; height: 532px;" src="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/Arkansas%20Wild%20Plants/wildplantsmall40.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Here is Arkansas Wild Plants <a href="http://betterthangranite.blogspot.com/2010/08/here-are-bunch-of-pictures-that-i-took.html">#1</a> and <a href="http://betterthangranite.blogspot.com/2010/08/arkansas-wild-plants-3.html">#3</a>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8936802370472918474.post-66317074465321268592010-08-02T17:14:00.013+01:002010-08-14T04:15:15.448+01:00Arkansas Wild Plants #1<img src="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/Our%20Plants/iconkorgan.jpg" border="0" alt="KorganIcon" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 60px; height: 55px;">Here are some of the pictures that I took in Arkansas of all the wild plants I found growing in an abandoned plot. I don't know what most of them are. <br /><br />I will post a few of these pictures periodically. I want to know what their names are or, at the very least, which families they belong to. Click on images for larger images. If you can identify these plants, please leave info in the comments.<br /><br /> <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/Arkansas%20Wild%20Plants/wildplant04.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 399px; height: 532px;" src="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/Arkansas%20Wild%20Plants/wildplantsmall02.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/Arkansas%20Wild%20Plants/wildplant39.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 399px; height: 532px;" src="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/Arkansas%20Wild%20Plants/wildplantsmall39.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/Arkansas%20Wild%20Plants/wildplant55.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 389px; height: 292px;" src="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/Arkansas%20Wild%20Plants/wildplantsmall55.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/Arkansas%20Wild%20Plants/wildplant35.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 399px; height: 532px;" src="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/Arkansas%20Wild%20Plants/wildplantsmall35.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/Arkansas%20Wild%20Plants/wildplant03.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 399px; height: 532px;" src="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/Arkansas%20Wild%20Plants/wildplantsmall04.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Here are Arkansas Wild Plants <a href="http://betterthangranite.blogspot.com/2010/08/arkansas-wild-plants-2.html">#2</a> and <a href="http://betterthangranite.blogspot.com/2010/08/arkansas-wild-plants-3.html">#3</a>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8936802370472918474.post-62011897440434802702010-08-02T00:39:00.001+01:002010-08-19T01:35:14.880+01:00Buffalo Gunn<img src="http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv314/korganwhitney/Our%20Plants/iconkorgan.jpg" border="0" alt="KorganIcon" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 60px; height: 55px;">Just made this video. I thought that Tim Gunn from Project Runway and Ted Levine sounded similar. <br /><br /><object width="400" height="321"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Sx5s2D3uPao&hl=en_US&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Sx5s2D3uPao&hl=en_US&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" height="321"></embed></object>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0