They’re showing up everywhere, like some kind of psychedelically colorful mushroom that grows sock-like over surfaces like trees and scaffolding and even bike racks. Somewhere, somehow, these normal everyday objects have suddenly become ensconced in an odd wooly growth in amazing patterns. The skill varies widely from incredibly new to fantastically intricate, the thickness of the yarn from pencil-lead thin to thick as the pencil itself. Yard Bombing Day is when fiber-freaks from around the world go on a knitting rampage to embrace the world in warm fuzzy comfort. Grab your needles and go forth noble kneedler, and stitch!
Ironically Yarn Bombing Day started as a simple gimmick at a sewing boutique, as part of their style and personality they knitted a sleeve for their door handle, and from there it spread like the mycorrhizal life form we mentioned above (That’s mushroom folks, most fungi… listen this isn’t a botany class, trust us, it’s shroom-like). From there it started spreading to cover telephone poles, put colorful socks on statues, and bike racks, even trees have received a warm and lovely sleeve to see them through the cold winter months.
It’s all done in the spirit of beautification and fun, bringing a fantastically colorful display to urban areas around the world. It’s not even seen as graffiti by most people in the area, but rather an entirely acceptable and attractive form of urban art. And it’s little surprise, with all the amazing patterns that can come out of a knitter’s craft, and the warm and comfortable nature of the fabric. Of course, they don’t use wool because some people are allergic, but it’s still a fantastic time!
Get out there and bomb some yarn! Take out your crochet needle, your knitting needles, whatever you have and get out there and make the world a more beautiful and comfy place with the work of your craft. If you’ve never knitted before, this is the perfect time to start, there are classes all over, and even if there’s not, you can find an organized Yarn Bombing Day activity to get involved in. Believe us, there’s nothing that these fanatical yarn nuts like to do more than introduce more people to the hobby that dominates their lives. If you have a cat, well, even your worst attempts will provide hours of entertainment for them! Do it for the yarn, do it for the cozy bike benches, do it for your cat! Go out and Yarn Bomb!
thanks, helen
Word of the Day
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| Definition: | (noun) The combination of qualities of a sound that distinguishes it from other sounds of the same pitch and volume. | ||
| Synonyms: | tone, quality | ||
| Usage: | The timbre of her soprano was rich and lovely. | ||
Idiom of the Day
admit defeat— To yield to the opposition or accept that one is wrong in some pursuit |
History
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 | An English suffragist and social reformer, Fawcett rejected the violent acts of some of her contemporaries in the suffrage movement, believing that the enfranchisement of women could be achieved by peaceful means. Her efforts as president of the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies from 1897 to 1919 are considered to have been instrumental in earning women over 30 in the UK the right to vote in 1918 | ||
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 | People in Morioka, a horse-breeding district of Iwate Prefecture in Japan, hold the Chagu-Chagu Umakko Festival to honor the god of horses. The parade begins at the Komagata-jinja shrine and ends at the Morioka Hachimangu shrine. Using white ropes, people lead richly decorated horses to the shrines. When they reach the shrine, prayers are said for the horses' well-being and the owners' financial success. Chagu-chagu refers to the sound of the bells that are hung on the horses' heads; Umakko comes from uma, the Japanese word for "horse." | ||
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| In early 2012, a neuropathologist named Daniel Perl was examining a slide of human brain tissue when he saw something odd and unfamiliar in the wormlike squiggles and folds. It looked like brown dust; a distinctive pattern of tiny scars. Perl was intrigued. | |||
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1864 - Composer, conductor and musician Richard Georg Strauss was born.
1880 - Jeannette Rankin was born. She became the first woman elected to the U.S. Congress.
1895 - Charles E. Duryea received the first U.S. patent granted to an American inventor for a gasoline-driven automobile.
1910 - Jacques-Yves Cousteau was born. He was the French underwater explorer that invented the Aqua-Lung diving apparatus.
1919 - Sir Barton became the first horse to capture the Triple Crown when he won the Belmont Stakes in New York City.
1927 - Charles A. Lindbergh was presented the first Distinguished Flying Cross.
1982 - Steven Spielberg's movie "E.T." opened.
1993 - Steven Spielberg's movie "Jurassic Park" opened.
2002 - The television series "American Idol" debuted. The show featured judges Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell.
2010 - The FIFA World Cup opened in South Africa. It was the first time it was held in Africa.
DAILY SQU-EEK
| Picture of the day | |
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Corpus Christi College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1517, it is the 12th oldest college in Oxford, with a financial endowment of £112.6m as of 2015. Corpus Christi has a reputation for specializing in Classics, due to the emphasis placed upon this subject since the college's founding. The college was heavily involved in the translation of the King James Bible.
The pillar sundial in the main quadrangle, shown here, is known as the Pelican Sundial. It was erected in 1581 by Charles Turnbull.
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Rolling Green
Photograph by Beamie Young, National Geographic
A single droplet of rainwater sits on the leaf of a hosta plant, also known as a plantain lily. “The rolling shadows are from a fern growing above,” writes photographer Beamie Young of this photo taken in Maryland.
knit
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Handy Hearts pattern by Stoneybrooke Cottage
Handy Hearts are a FUN way to keep essential tools HANDY so they are there when you need them.
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knit, 6 - 12mths
knit
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knit
crochet
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Preview by Yahoo
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Cool Coasters 1 pattern by Erin Burger
Sizes available 4 1/2″ (11.43 cm) X 4 1/2″ (11.43 cm)
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Preview by Yahoo
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crochet
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Mollie Flowers pattern by Brigitte Read
hook it! add to faves to queue About this pattern Mollie Flowers by Brigitte Read average rating of 4.6 from 117 votes average difficulty from 122 ratings 490 proj...
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Cool Crochet Poncho #1815 (Archive) pattern by Bernat De...
Gauge 18 stitches and 20 rows = 4 inches in sc
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crochet
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Ridiculously-Easy Apple Sauce - Practical Stewardship
Easy Apple Sauce
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Preview by Yahoo
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CROCKPOT RECIPE
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Preview by Yahoo
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SWEETS
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Domesblissity: 3 ingredient Peaches & Cream cupcakes
Cook books, menu plans? Meh! Who needs them? I've just got to look into my overstocked pantry to dictate to me what I'll be cooking.
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Preview by Yahoo
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CRAFTS
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DIY Pom Pom Letters | Bespoke-Bride: Wedding Blog
A simple tutorial which shows how to create these pom pom monogram letters with yarn or wool.
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CHILDREN'S CORNER ... craft, playing
Cut up a tarp with scissors
to make a cheap throwing game
PUZZLE
QUOTE
CLEVER
EYE OPENER
theladyprefers2save
For our family the switch was a no-brainer. Conventional laundry detergent is loaded with chemicals like sulfates, fragrances, phenols, paba, stabalizers, bleach compunds, benzoxazolyl, diaminostilbene, disulfonate, and even worse, 4-dioxane, a polysorbate-20 compound known to contribute to lung distress in newborns and young children. Worse still, some brands even contain petroleum distillates, which are linked to cancer and lung disease.
Fortunately, making your own laundry soap is an easy process, and gives you the peace of mind to know exactly what you are washing your families laundry with! My version of natural laundry soap recipe is awesome all it gives me peace of mind in knowing I am washing my families with natural, eco-friendly laundering products.
I also love the frugality of this product. As I can make a year’s supply of detergent for under $30.00. The best part? This detergent is completely customizable, is allergy-safe, can be made scented or non-scented, is good for both standard and HE machines, and can also be converted into liquid detergent too! With Natural detergent, your not paying for water, your paying for quality laundry detergent.
- Washing Soda (Arm and Hammer Brand available at most stores)
- Borax (20 Mule Team Borax available at most grocery stores)
- Bar Soap (Dr. Bronner’s, Ivory, or other natural, unscented bar soap)
- Oxy Booster (from the Dollar Tree)
- Epson Salts (from the Dollar Tree)
- Essential Oils
- Scent Boosters (optional and from the Dollar Tree)
Please note, though there has been a lot of speculation as to the safety of Borax, through my own research I have found that the ingredient is a naturally occurring mineral made up of sodium, boron, oxygen, and water. Borax is also used in most of the natural soaps commercially available on the market today including Seventh Generation, Mrs. Meyers, and Method. I feel comfortable using Borax, of the mule team box variety, because this product is comprised of sodium tetraborate or sodium borate and not boric acid or hydrogen borate. This is a common misconception in many naturalist forums. Further, Borax is an alkaline, and some even report drinking it in small doses medicinally as an aid in rheumatoid arthritis, to clear yeast infections of the skin, acne, and as a no-poo alternative to shampoo.
Another ingredient I use, Washing Soda, sometimes called sodium carbonate or soda ash, is made from common salt and limestone or found as natural deposits. If you can’t find this ingredient locally, you can make your own from from baking plain baking soda for one hour at 400 degrees, and stirring occasionally until the baking soda turns into a grain. with this tutorial.
I also use Zote laundry soap bars, which are made of pure organic oils to help break down organic stains, and Dollar Store Oxy Booster, to boost my blends stain-fighting power. And to scent my blend I use both Epsom salts, sprinkled with essential oils added to my blend, and for added scent boosting scent boosters from the Dollar Tree. Both boosters are optional.
Ingredients in Laundry Soap:
- 3 Boxes of Arm and Hammer Brand Washing Soda, $2.98 each
- 3 Boxes of 20 Mule Team Borax, $2.98 each box
- 4 Bars of Zote Soap, $0.98 each
- 2 Tubs Oxy Booster (from the Dollar Tree), $1.00 each
- 1 2-pound bag of Epson Salts (from the Dollar Tree), $1.00
- 40 drops of Essential Oils per pound of Epsom Salts, price varies
- 2 1-pound tubs of Scent Boosters (optional and from the Dollar Tree), $1.00 each
Materials used to make the laundry soap:
- 5 Gallon Bucket, with lid (on hand)
- Scoop (on hand)
- Gallon Mason Jars (on hand)
- Glass mixing bowls (on hand)
Cost for one year’s supply of natural laundry detergent: $25.82, roughly about $0.05 per load!
Natural Laundry Detergent
Yields 1
My recipe for easy, DIY, Natural Laundry Detergent.
Prep Time
15 min
Total Time
20 min
Ingredients
- 3 Boxes of Arm and Hammer Brand Washing Soda
- 3 Boxes of 20 Mule Team Borax
- 4 Bars of Zote Soap
- 2 Tubs Oxy Booster (from the Dollar Tree)
- 1 2-pound bag of Epson Salts (from the Dollar Tree)
- 30 drops of Essential Oils per pound of Epsom Salts
- 2 1-pound tubs of Scent Boosters (optional and from the Dollar Tree)
Instructions
- In one bowl, grate the bar soap into a bowl. Set aside.
- In a different bowl, add your Epsom salts and 30 drops of each essential oil you are using. Combine the ingredients with a fork until well blended.
- Add the washing soda, Borax, oxy booster, scent boosters, Epsom salts, and grated soap to your bucket.
- Place your lid on your bucket and gently shake your blend until well mixed together.
- From this point, you can store your blend in your bucket.
- We transfer our blend to glass 1-gallon mason jars for easy storage throughout the year.
- Use 3 tablespoons per load for regular wash; adjust accordingly.
To make liquid Laundry Soap
- Put 4.5 gallons of really hot tap water in a 5-gallon bucket
- Pour soap mixture into 5-gallon bucket. Stir well.
- Cover and leave overnight.
- Use 1/8 cup per load.
Cannot yarn bomb in the rain:( Maybe just curl up and watch ET?!
ReplyDeleteFried beef bologna is the only way I ever really liked the processed stuff. I gave up nitrate laden meats years ago and as a vegan 95% of the time for the last 10 years, I only rarely indulge in pasture raised beef hotdogs without chemical preservatives. I like them fried.
ReplyDeleteOh, my knitting lamp needs a yarn bomb. The plastic sleeve that is supposed to give when the lamp is lowered to illuminate my knitting has split in one of the creases to reveal the flexible metal coil that supports the wires to the light. Would someone kindly consider my lamp as a likely target?
ReplyDelete