Showing posts with label Thrifting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Thrifting. Show all posts

Monday, September 28, 2015

Music Monday: Johnny Cash, "Cry, Dry, Cry". Also, the five gallon bucket swamp cooler photo, as promised.

I can't stand what's happened to YouTube.  All the freaking ADS!  And you can't dismiss them anymore.  Like I care about Fast Food, or Cars, or TV shows with Babes who can't dress their top halves properly.  Color me, "So out of here!"


This has the best sound, remastered no doubt, so it's a little thuddy.  But I love this man's voice and the songs he created.  Enjoy it.  RIP June and Johnny





And now for something completely different:  Bee's Bucket Swamp cooler.


Bee says that it works fairly well for a small room that gets pretty warm.  She's going to make a cat toy out of the left over plastic things.  I told her that some people put ice in the water to make it even cooler.  I guess that the stuff out of the freezer can be chipped from the edges and used, too, that is if it's not already being used to thaw and water plants with.  Every drop has to count in parched California!

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Sock patterns, Extreme Reading, Organizing

These are the nine patterns, tentatively, for the sock of the month bags.  The order will be adjusted for the style and colors of the yarns, and indeed some of the colors will change because I found some of the trekking yarn.  Yay! 

1. Broadripple
2. Java
3. Pyroclastic
4.  Breeze
5.  Cinderella
6. Yukon Leaves (because I love that pattern)
7. Queen of Cups
8. Plain Knit Boot Sock (developed from a Regia booklet sock)
9. Muscari

Most are from Knitty Archives.

Reading report:

I started reading the whole series of Tony Hillerman's Navajo Detective series again, after reading Jan de Hartog's very short and beautifully written View of the Ocean, his touching and traumatic biographic of his early life,as well as the story of caring for his dying mother.  I've also started reading Vultures Picnic  by Greg Palast.

Reading Tony Hillerman and Greg Palast at the same time is both amusing and an exercise in high definition contrast.  Palast has been compared to Sam Spade, but he's more prafane.  Hillerman is this graceful developer of characters and back story who lures you in and settles you gently into the scenery. Tony Hillerman writes these amazing books about another culture with fictional characters, and with all the beautiful, clever plot development and likeable characters you would expect.

Greg Palast's writing is like "Raw Story", uncompromisingly the Truth with a capital "T", or whatever you may call brutal exposé, with truly despicable real live players who have done all those dirty, rotten things to people (or whole other countries) that Grag Palast has revealed to his readers.  It's worth your time to know these truths because they are the sort that come back to Bite large chunks out of the American people, without fail.    At least, if you know more about the Vultures, you can protect yourself psychologically from the collateral damage and fall out.  He also has a wicked sense of humor, very ironic, self deprecating, and acidic, which makes his writing more fun than most fire breathing men on missions (read investigative reporters).

Organization report:

Organizing has been temporarily halted because of a cranky spine.  This too shall pass!  I've kept the inspiration levels high by remembering better times when I had the energy of a wolverine and the stick-to-the-task mindset of a badger.  Yesterday found the Christmas tree half undecorated, and three more pieces of the detritus of life in the trash barrel.  These three pieces never will be completely useless to any other creature, human or otherwise, as now anaerobic bacteria will likely find a home in them.

Also, while poking around the Thrifting groups at Ravelry, I've found a new purpose for a tattered old cotton ski sweater.  Yes, some one actually manufactured these for the market here, covering the mild SoCal Winters for people who shiver at temps of 50 degrees.  Anyway, it will be re-purposed into some nicely patterned Dish cloths.  Yay!

Sister was too ill to come to my house so we'll have to settle for the phone this AM.  She can recover better at home.  I'll go see her later, maybe bring something really good to eat.

Speaking of eating!  The Lime chips I fell hard for over the visit from the kids, and have eaten off and on since then have whey, sour cream and milk solids in them.  Be sure to READ your own labels, friends; what CAN I say?  Isn't Eating While Old a good title for a freaking adventure novel?

Speaking f writing books, someone is using Accidental Art, as in Accidental Artist, in a book title now.  Who knew?  Look!  Free lives for the taking, and on the internet, right out there to grab!  Don't use your own brain and talent, use ours!

Oh, yes.  Weather Report:  Houston, we have Clouds!  This will have to pass for the weather report.


That's about all that's fit to print of my life at the moment. 

Monday, September 5, 2011

DIY Acrylic Gel for crafting. Also, new episodes of Hoarders, Gah!

I'm going to find this out if it's out there.  I think that artists used to have a lot more control over their materials and this has got to be very easy to make.  If it's out there, I'm going to find it.  I've already found THIS.  and THIS , although the second is just a Manufacturer's blog about how to use their products.  .  It's a start.  I'm also looking at glycerine as part of the formula for gels.

Sis and I used Mod Podge in the 60's to transfer photos from magazines to canvas or wood, and that was a super thick form of white glue or possible latex that dried clear.  From there to Acrylic Gel can't be all that far, you know? If you know anything about this process, I'd be glad to have you speak up here, please?  

I'm very tired of paying a fortune for small bottles of stuff that I could probably make my self for something like two bits.   It's time to get out those formula books and have a look.  Some might just call me cheap but I think if someone else used to make it before it got taken over in a factory, the know how is still out there somewhere.  

Night night!  I hope to not have nightmares about that last couple of hoarder's shows.  EeeeeK  The dead pets and the other not a pet dead things.  Shudders!

Friday, July 30, 2010

Thrift Store Sweater

 


The question is, do I wear it or frog it for hats or hat and muffler? It's very soft and warm. It's a mohair blend of some sort, and a hand knit.

And, yes, welcome to my roller coaster ride. Up, down, up down... Sometimes I feel that living in the modern world of warfare (WoW) is like being a beautifully dressed Debutante, going to a Huge Ball at a very rich man's house but having to pick her way through the horse crap, gown gathered up in her hands, and shod in very expensive French high heels.

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I messed up my theme.

 And I can’t get the old one back.  Hope this is readable.  Still working on it.  Tried something from the P.C.and that was a  MISTAKE,