Help in the Bathroom and Seedling Update

This post is for those that worry about stock piling enough toilet paper for a crisis.

I am also adding in some extras as well.

In the center is a cleansing bottle. Many hospitals give these to new mothers. I have kept mine and continue to use it for cleansing. If you do not have one of these you could use something like a dish soap bottle as the blue one just to the left of center. There are many other plastic bottles that can be used for cleansing yourself after you do your business.

For basic use, warm water does a fine job of spraying off the "cling-ons" and reduces the amount of toilet paper needed. Most of the time you will be clean enough to just dry off.

What if you run out of toilet paper?

It is a good idea to keep old clothing, sheets, and other cloth and cut them into "do rags" about the size of a washcloth. Get a special container to stack them in and keep within reach of the toilet. Keep a pail near the toilet for soiled rags. As long as you use a cleansing bottle the do rags should not have much of a smell. When they do smell add warm (not hot) water to the pail and pour in a small amount of bleach. Let soak for no more than one hour and proceed to washing them to use over.

Now let's talk about the bottle of witch hazel. Why is that in the picture? Well, if a person should have hemorrhoids, adding one ounce of witch hazel to your cleansing bottle and filling the rest with warm water can make you feel better. Just do a quick test to make sure you are not too sensitive to it.

Now on to the bottle of apple cider vinegar. There are certain conditions that the ladies can get that can be very uncomfortable as well. One ounce of Apple Cider Vinegar (please not the white vinegar)  to 7 ounces of warm water to cleanse with can help you. This you must also test for sensitivity. There may be a slight sting, if it stings too much use less ACV to water or stop and see a doctor. Use after each visit to the toilet. This is not for every female problem and if your condition continues after a couple of days or get worse seek medical attention. Make sure you use raw, organic apple cider vinegar for this. And treating at the first signs of an itch is the best. Never use full strength ACV. 

NEVER USE RUBBING ALCOHOL IN YOUR CLEANSING BOTTLE

The hydrogen peroxide is not for the cleansing bottle either, it is used for cleaning blood from cloth bandages and such before bleaching and washing.

If you would rather use leaves of a pine cone to clean yourself when you run out of TP that's your call. I would prefer the do rags.

SEEDLING UPDATE

Between the two seedlings is a very tiny green speck of a new sprout. There are also two red dots between the large plant and the green speck that are pineapple seeds as well.

And I have pepper plants that are sprouting here too.

I put them outside every day that it is warm enough and bring them in at night.

I have also started broccoli, cabbage, and leeks. I will be starting herbs and other things soon. I am running out of counter space.

I need to go work on my garden. Enjoy your day!

Thank you for reading my blog!

Dee Dee

Pre-Filter Your Water

Many people send a lot of money for a good water filter for camping and emergencies. Some of those filters are really great and can filter out the smallest of particles.

I am no expert at water filtration devices. I leave that to my friend Steve Spence at

 http://www.green-trust.org/wordpress/

He has so much information on his site regarding eco-friendly solutions to reduce energy consumption and more.

If you have a Berkey water filter, or any other type of filter, you want it to last as long as possible. A good way to extend the life of your water filter is to pre-filter the water.

In case you haven't noticed this about me, I like to find other uses for things I have.

I have some non-electric drip coffee "makers" that I use to filter so much more than coffee.

I use the white ceramic one for filtering hot bacon grease and for filtering maple tree sap for making syrup. The center is a reusable filter that I am not impressed with and don't recommend. The paper filters are natural non-bleached and thou I like environmentally healthy things, these impart a flavor that is less than desirable. I would go with the bleached ones for making coffee or filtering water.

The dark plastic one is what I have for my survival pack.

It is very durable and light weight and I don't have to worry about it shattering.

I use this to pre-filter water before using my other water filters. If you don't have any paper filters you can either use a clean T-shirt or a clean sock in place of the paper. Even if your clothes are not clean, hopefully you will be running it through a better filter to take out the rest of the nasties. Just think hard before using a dirty sock, please. I can't guarantee THAT won't impart a less than desirable taste. And isn't the point of filtering water partly for a refreshing drink or preparing tasty food?

Okay, just get some good paper filters and leave your socks out of it.

Thank you for stopping by.

Dee Dee

The Firefly Emerges With A Hand Drill

Making a fire may be the most important survival skill one can possess.

I have seen people start fire with a many different techniques, the simplest being a lighter, but I wanted to test an idea I had using the hand drill from my survival pack.

So here I present to you, with pictures, the results of my test.

Here is the hand drill.

I collected tinder of milkweed silk, birch bark, dried pine needles and shredded soft wood.

The pine needles and shredded wood are in there.

Then I took a twig that was dried, strong enough and small enough to fit into the drill and used my knife to make a point on it, put it in the drill and tightened it in.

Try to find one that is fairly straight.

You can use your knife to make a slight indentation on your flat wood so that the tip of the twig doesn't dance around. Since I used a thin top piece and a thicker bottom piece of wood I stuck some tinder between the two pieces of wood before I started drilling.

Under this top thin wood strip is birch bark. Below that is milkweed silk, pine needles and some wood shavings. I had to push out the milkweed silk from near the drilling point as the silk would wrap around the  wooden stick and insulate it, keeping it from getting hot enough. I held the top piece of wood in place by placing my foot on the far end of it.

You can see how the drill heats the wood and the charred shavings around the beginning of the hole. What I didn't catch on camera is the smoke it made. The stick ended up boring a hole through the top layer and then down to the bottom layer. It did take a few times to get the kindling to finally spark, I spent about 20 minutes with this first attempt.

The birch bark really made the fire take off. It didn't give me any time to capture the smoking before igniting.

I did this test in my garage since it is a windy day and I didn't want to start fire to the neighborhood. After it started I dumped it on the bare garage floor, I sure hope my husband doesn't mind the scorch mark. Ooops! 

Here you can see the several indents on the larger board from moving the drill around. I am not sure which one actually sparked the fire. I am pretty sure that the wood shavings are what caught fire first and then the rest of the kindling made it burst. Be careful with the tip of the drill stick, it gets very hot and can burn you even if it doesn't look hot or is smoking.

An additional note on milkweed silk.

Milkweed silk will ignite almost like black powder, with a burst! Use extreme care when using it for tinder. It also has an insulation property that is said to be warmer than goose down. It was used for life jackets during WW2 as one pound can keep a 100 to 150 pound man afloat for a few hours.

Milkweed is vital to monarch butterflies, so if you are going to use some for kindling please take the seeds off the silk first and spread them where they can grow uninterrupted. I collect the seed pods before they open and release the seeds so that I can contain the seeds and plant them where I want them for the butterflies.

The stem of milkweed is a wonderful source for cordage. It makes a very strong twine when spun right.

The sappy milk is said to be a great remedy for poison ivy.

Kindling will vary on where you are. Get to know some of the native plants in your area so that you won't be drilling for nothing.

So in conclusion the hand drill; worked to start a fire, was fairly fast, was a bit of a lower arm workout, and can be used for more than just the purpose of drilling holes. I am very glad that I decided to get one for my survival pack.

If you have ever used a bow drill for starting a fire, this should be a piece of cake for you.

I hope this has been helpful to you. I find a campfire to be very cozy especially with some fish planked next to it and some camp bread slowly roast over it.

Thank you for stopping by.

Dee Dee

Make a Fishing Can

Being fairly poor and having four little children to raise, my parents did not have it within their budget to buy us all fishing poles, reels, tackle and bait, even though it would put food on the table.

My mother had learned many frugal things from my grandparents and one of those was how to make a fishing can.

She used smaller coffee cans to fit our little hands better, but I am using the larger #10 size cans as I have a surplus of those,

 and where she used an old wooden broom stick for the handle I am using a wooden rod from a closet.

You could even use a small branch for the handle.

When using a regular can opener, the point where the lid last separates usually leaves a sharp burr.

On a hard surface, like concrete, hammer that burr down.

If it still feels sharp use a metal file.

Then take a nail and make a hole near the edge. Pound this over a piece of scrap wood.

This also makes a sharp edge that will need to be pounded and filed.

There it is.

Measure the inside of the can and mark the wooden rod just less than the can so that it can be cut and nailed inside the can like this...

Now all that is left is to tie your fishing line through the hole on the edge and wrap the line around the can. Put your hook or lure on it and you are set to go fishing, that is after you get some bait. Worms, grubs and crickets are great for catching pan fish.

To cast out, hold the line close to the bait or float, toss out underhand and point the bottom of the can in the direction the bait is going, this makes some of the line around the can unravel. To reel in just wrap it around the can.

I keep the plastic lid for the can so that when I am traveling to my fishing location I can put the hook inside the can and span the lid on so the line doesn't unravel.

We caught many pan fish with these. They are good for dock, boat or river fishing where you don't need to cast far to catch fish. I have even brought in a decent sized Northern Pike with this. The fight can be tricky at times as a big fish can snap your line if there is too much tension.

Another plus to the fishing can is that you can transport it very easy by car or have a smaller one for your back pack. You can keep some of your gear inside it as well or small containers of worms or crickets for bait.

I have seen people use pop or beer cans to fish but they don't have a handle or the other advantages of  this fishing can.

Where I live children under 16 don't need a fishing license so this is a great way to get them outside and they are so happy when they catch fish!

Remember to teach them to keep only what you will eat, to respect other people fishing near by and never leave garbage in or around your fishing spot. Leave it cleaner than how you found it. That can help hide a good fishing spot as well.  If it doesn't look like anyone has been there some people think there may be a reason no one fishes there.

I hope you enjoyed this post and found it helpful.

If you do, please share it.

Thank you for stopping by.

Dee Dee

Pics to Ponder - Chain Link

Be advised, not all materials shown are what is needed for this project, but alternatives are shown just for representative purposes.

I am posting these pictures as a favor to those that wanted to see what I was talking about.

It's a HANDy little thing that can connect to large chains together. You may need to get a larger size if your "chain" is too big to fit in this link.

You can replace the yarn with rubber tubing and the denim with leather to make a field tourniquet to help control bleeding. The link can be placed over a feminine pad over the wound and the tubing wraps around the body part involved.

The pouch is to put the stick through to tighten or loosen so the tubing does not get damaged.

Nod your head now because you understand!

Thank you for stopping by. It's been a treat. I really enjoy our little visits.

Dee Dee

Boats Are More Than You Think

It is really nice to be able to get out on the lake and enjoy nice weather, do some fishing or just take in the air. I don't have a boat yet but I am considering getting one. Hopefully a sturdy row boat.

A row boat, though they can be quite heavy, can also provide shelter.

If placed upside down over a small dug out area that is wind protected by hills, supported with dirt or rocks, it can help protect you from wind and hail that other structures, like a tent, won't provide.

Use the anchor to help hold it down and also secure it at other points.

What got me thinking about this ( I know I can be a bit much, excuse me) was the possibility of a polar shift and the possible effects of the comet that we will be seeing from Sept. to Nov. this year. I have read some very alarming views on this, so in my head, instead of panicking, I look at how to solve the problem. Since not everyone can build an appropriate high tech shelter, this might be an option. The poor man's shelter. Besides, if it floods you can turn the boat over and row out of there.

 If you have a larger group you could opt for a pontoon as long as it has a metal floor, but the curved surface of a row boat is better.

Don't shelter near anything that can become a debris hazard like trees and loose rocks.

And if that mean old comet does cause problems, try to help others. We will all be in the same boat. And in the meantime, hiding under a secured boat during a storm can save you some welts. Just don't be touching the metal as I can tell you from first hand experience lightning does not feel good.

Thank you for stopping by.

Dee Dee

What We Don't Remember

Most people can't remember when you dialed a phone that a local number was 5 digits, or that there were party lines and if someone was using the line you had to wait and others could listen to your conversations. I have had young people ask me how to use a rotary phone. Yes I still have one!

Fewer people remember a time when there was no indoor plumbing and you had to use a hand pump outside to fill buckets to bring in for drinking, cooking and cleaning, and had to walk out in the middle of the night to the outhouse.

Fewer yet remember that turning on the light meant lighting an oil lamp or candle.

Oh this magical thing called electricity! Look what it has done to us.

We travel faster. We talk faster. We live faster.

Is this really a good thing?

Yes, as I sit here using electricity talking to you now, and you use electricity reading this, it makes us all hypocrites if we think it is a bad thing. But let us look at how it has affected us for a moment both good and bad.

The good.

We can learn more faster with a keystroke, finding solutions to problems that we may not have been able to come up with on our own.

We can stay up as late as we need to and not worry about the oil running out in the lamp and not being able to see through the darkness.

We can talk to loved ones whenever we want to by pushing a few buttons.

Our lives can be extended by machines.

Our food can be brought to us from farther away, faster than ever, and taste fresh.

We can listen to music without having a musician anywhere near us.

We can have clean clothes faster and easier than before.

We can preserve food easier and keep leftovers longer.

Water comes to us, in our homes, to drink, cook and flush away what we discard.

Speaking of discarding, our garbage just goes away.

Travel is much faster.

We can see sights around the world without even being there.

We get our news instantly.

Even our food  is planted, harvested, processed and put on our table with little effort to us.

But what exactly have we sacrificed?

What kind of changes would we see if it all stopped?

Well, things would be far from cozy and you know it!

However, we would find some things would happen that we might not expect.

The bad.

All of this technology has actually driven a wedge within families. Everyone is so wrapped up in their own little electronic world that the people that should matter the most to us are being pushed aside. We don't talk to each other like we used to. We don't use our creativity and push our talents. We don't spend as much energy on really learning things. Literally the list of what we have lost is endless. We just don't remember it.

Without TV, computers, ipods, phones, stereos, lights, running water, flushing toilets, stores, ATMs, credit cards, checks, automobiles, stoves/microwaves, AC/furnaces and the many other things we enjoy, what happens?

Well, for those that have never lived without, I guess you would be crying a lot. Most would not have jobs to go to. So you sit at home (if you are lucky enough to be home) and do what?

Just because you no longer have an employer it does not mean you won't have work to do. It will just be a different kind of work than what you are used to, and most likely harder.

If there was an EMP event you would see large groups of mostly young people (we are now seeing as "flash mobs") start looting stores. Foolishly grabbing up those high end electronic devices which are never going to work even when the power comes back on.

Some that are a little brighter, will hit the grocery stores and clean out the shelves there.

The ones that are a little smarter will have their packs on and will be on their way out of the city, some with no clue where they are going.

Some will have made arrangements with others out in the country to have a place to go to.

I know that there will be many people in remote locations that will be well stocked and very well armed (at least in the USA) that will most likely have ambush plans in place for intruders.
There will be several smaller towns and cities that will be organized and send out many armed citizens to help protect their area farmers against raiders, and also to work the fields.

The mobs will not be tolerated and strangers will not be trusted.
So I recommend that if you are in a bigger city, to make friends with your neighbors and the farmers that are farther out from you and make a plan to go there to help defend the farms or offer some other service to them (such as spinning fibers or churning butter) in exchange for food and a place to set up shelter, and to do that soon! Don't wait.

Children and Teens would soon get bored out of their minds without their little electronic baby-sitters.
If there is no one to guide them we will see a whole new kind of "rat" as we see with the "flash mobs". If you value your child please grab them now and get them under control, otherwise you are just raising worm bait.

I just can not stress enough that if you value your children, family or even yourself, you owe it to them and yourself to show them the importance of being compassionate, trustworthy, self-reliant and a hard worker. To find ways to solve problems through thinking. To learn how to not make matters worse.
Tough times do not demand tough talk. Just action.

We may have to rely on technology of the past that we no longer remember and it will be a hard adjustment for everyone. Even for those that have studied and lived it, because we will have to factor in those that do not know these things and only have the ways of the streets to fall back on as they will either need to be turned from those ways or be "left by the wayside".

 Even if it isn't an EMP it could be a social or financial collapse (as was seen in Argentina) that can do the same thing to us. We must be prepared to share our knowledge to help others and bring people together, and also to be ready to defend our families and communities against those that are a threat to us, and to try to distinguish who is that threat.

We must not let ourselves be divided by petty differences. That only makes us weaker.
Your beliefs, thoughts, feelings, skin color and preferences can be different from mine, but at the end of the day, if we work together in peace, we all go home and live in peace.

So work on being a peacemaker. There is much more to gain from that. I felt at this time that this is a very important topic. Some of you may not understand, others will. If not  now I hope it is not too late.

I am off now to work on more projects. I can't wait until the camera comes home but more so that sweet one that is using it.
You all stay cozy and thank you for stopping by!
Dee Dee

Stinging Nettle, Yes, Food

Stinging Nettle, which is also referred to a itch weed, started out to me on the same scale as poison ivy. I was wrong. Not only is it a good weed to grow just outside of windows to detour windows from being used as entry and exits, it turns out that it has a place in the kitchen as well.

The first time I tried Nettle I steamed it and ate it much like you would spinach. I found the texture was hard to get over.

I had no interest in trying it again.

After doing some research I have found recipes for Nettle pesto, soups and even making a pasta with it and I will be testing some of those when I can. There are hundreds of recipes for this plant.

It is said that Nettles are very healthy for you. I have heard differing reports on the benefits.

A word of warning. It is called itch weed for a reason. Use gloves until you blanch the leaves and eat a small amount to make sure you have no allergies to it. Blanching is best done in salted boiling water.

Thank you for stopping by.

Dee Dee

Survival Storage 2

Part of what you store should be portable by vehicle or trailer.

By trailer, that could be either one that pulls behind your vehicle, one that you hitch to a bicycle or four wheeler, or it could be something you pull like a wagon or garden cart.

This would be something that you could grab if you have 15 minutes to evacuate. You want to be sure you first get your important documents, your BOBs, your family and some "tools".

It is best if you have them stored where is won't get too warm and put them out of sight. Some people will have a box under their bed, but I believe in putting them in other places. I use the same type of boxes to store some yarns and fabrics and other misc. items as a diversion. If you are a fan of labeling boxes put a misleading label on it like "Stuffed Animals".

The boxes you see are filled with freeze-dried foods, water, MREs (meals ready to eat), and drink mixes. But you can also store other types of food as well and if you do, try to do so as a meal planning thing. Not just a cans of meat, veggies and fruits, but a plan of what to make out of them. Add a bag of rice, some dried beans, seasoning, a bottle of cooking oil and you are well on your way to a more comfortable meal. Unless, of course, you forget to pack a can opener. You will also want to make sure you have a mess kit with you so you have something to boil water in.

I am a firm believer of never having to go to a shelter of any kind for any reason. I can make my own shelter. That's another story.

Thank you for stopping by,

Dee Dee

Survival Storage 1

When storing foods you want to make sure the climate is best to prolong the shelf life of what you are storing.

I store a great deal of foods in my basement where the temperature stays below 65 degrees F most of the year. Sometimes as low as 45. I have a dehumidifier down there because we live in swampy forest land where mushrooms could sprout without spores.

In the first picture on the top shelf I have a non-electric water distiller (which I am not very fond of the fact that it was made in China as they have a different standard of stainless steel and it show signs of rust), it can be used on a woodstove, campfire or grill and supposedly can distill up to 16 gallons per day.

Next to that is a Wonder-clean laundry washer which worked fine until the plastic screw parts stripped and I had to deal with that and the rubber gasket didn't last long either. I bought a plunger type of washer and a washboard and found they do a better job.

Then I have a water filter that should be able to filter most any water, but I think I would first run it through a coffee filter, then through that and into the distiller.

Next to that is an Easy Bake oven (which I plan on turning into a dehydrator) and a food mill for processing some fruits and veggies.

On the second shelf is a non electric grain mill, meats, salad dressings, soups, bullion, misc. and some veggies.

The next shelf down is emergency candles meats, vegetables, and fruits.

Then fruit juices, coffee, condiments, oils and pickles. Below that is work gloves, pails of grains, and water.

In another area I have freeze-dried foods which include powdered milk, butter, sour cream, fruits, vegetables, meals, peanut butter and more. Water jugs filled with water for cleaning. I also have outdoor fuel lamps and fuel and some cooking stoves.

In another area I have more grains stored in canning jars, yeast, canning jars, lids and rims, instant potatoes, steamer and crock pot (not that those would work if we lose power). When the jars of grains get used up they can be used for canning other foods in.

This is just a part of my storage. I built this up slowly, usually in the summer when my energy bills are lower. I have a system to rotate what I store and I work on new recipes so that I use what I store.

I also have a smaller chest freezer that gets filled with garden goodies when things go well. This year won't be one of those years. Then again if we have a major power outage losing so much food with a larger freezer would really hurt.

I do have a fall back plan with wild foods and dehydrating/smoking foods. I have extra sugar and salt for preserving some things.

I started all of this with a very tight budget working with coupons and sales items and growing my own foods as well. 2 years ago I grew over 100 pounds of beans and 20 pounds of strawberries as well as an assortment of other foods.

I even grow foods that I don't eat but others will so that I can trade if need be.

The key is to buy what you can as cheap as you can and built your supplies as you go, keeping in mind what you use. The reason I have posted some recipes here is so that you will be encouraged to work with more items in your food storage.

Some things, like celery, are best to be purchased as freeze-dried so that they will last longer.

If you have any questions, please comment so that I can address them.

I will be adding more on storage items soon.

Believe it or not, these things can make you really cozy when the rest of the world does not feel that way.

Thank you for stopping by.

Dee Dee

Thistle=celery

My garden has been neglected for the past couple of years due to an injury and now I am faced with more pain in trying to clean it up.

So I decided to use some of those nasty thistles for a treat.

You will need work gloves and some of those thorns will go through leather so be prepared to suffer a little.

I used a combat knife to chop the thistle and remove most of the outer thorns. I am at war with these weeds so the combat knife just felt appropriate.

You need to peel as much of the fibrous outer skin off that you can leaving the tender and soft inside core.

This is very much like celery and can be eaten raw or cooked in a stew.

All in all, this was not an enjoyable task. I found that I did not get enough of the fiber off when I cleaned it. The taste is very close to celery and when mixed with ranch salad dressing it was good. But it was a lot of squeeze for the juice.

Thistle is something that I would add to a wild stew to add fiber to the diet. In a survival situation or just when you don't have much money for groceries, this can help you stretch your pantry supplies.

I really have to say at this point that I am glad I planted asparagus though. I picked some tonight and had a plate of steamed asparagus with salt and butter.

Now THAT was cozy!

Thank you for stopping by.

Dee Dee

GOOD Tools!

My life has been a journey and not all of that path has been cozy.
Sometimes our own little realities bring us to a fork in the road and we must choose which path will be in our own best interest. I stopped for a moment at one of those forks and thought long and hard. How do I escape? Could I walk out that door with nothing and survive? I didn't think it was possible, but yet it had to be. People had been living with very little at the beginning of time and they kept going.
I needed to learn how to keep going.
So learn I did.
I bought a basic wilderness survival video and memorized it. Then I went to the library and read everything I could get my hands on regarding survival. I bought more survival videos and books. I secretly practiced what I had learned. Then I thought, "how can I make surviving a little more comfortable?" I had more learning to do.

I learned more knitting and crocheting stitches, how to make cordage, how to join wood for framing and furniture, to make a thatched roof, to make cooking utensils. Everything I could find on basic living skills, I tried to learn and memorize.

Knowledge is the most important tool you can have and with that, yes I can survive with just a knife, or less.

The first picture is what I always carry on me. A good folding knife, a magnesium fire starter and a flashlight.

The next picture is a mini kit, which I keep close by me in a water tight case to grab and go fast! It holds a whistle, mini flashlight, small fishing kit, knife sharpener, fire starter and a mini Swiss pocket knife.

The 3rd picture is some of what I carry in my GOOD (Get Out Of Dodge) AKA BOB (Bug Out Bag).
Snare wire, mini tools, fishing tackle, fixed blade knife, compass, pocket chain saw, sewing needles, small brass safety pins, hand drill (which can be used to start a friction fire), tri-fold shovel and work gloves. I forgot to show my safety glasses. I would love to add to this list of tools and I will as I can.

What I can tell you, with what I have and know, is that I will never have to go to a "shelter" that the government has set up and that's okay because they would never allow me in with my gear, and I could leave my home at a moments notice and I would be just fine.

I also keep some knitting needles and crochet hooks in my big bag as well because as clothing wears out, I'd like to be able to make more. This here would be a really nice and fairly complete set and it is very portable.

I really wish I had a set like that!

Knowledge is power, learn what you can now, and know that a man or a woman can survive on their own.

Thank you for stopping by, please feel free to comment or leave questions.
Dee Dee

What if The World Comes to a Halt?

There are a few things that could bring the way we live to a halt and flip our lives upside down for a while. Most people don't want to think about the possibility of that happening and I really feel that is a mistake. For those who are religious, you may argue the point that God takes care of the birds and so on, but then didn't He have Joseph advise the Pharaoh to store enough food for 7 years?
For the more science minded people, think about it on a more basic level of how much you use and what you have.
The main things to consider in an emergency situation is 1. shelter 2. water and 3. food. In that order. Part of sheltering is what you are wearing. Animal hair like wool may be the best thing you can wear. Cotton will kill you. It does not keep you warm if you get wet. If you look at knitting and crocheting as a hobby maybe you should look at it again. You should re-evaluate it's value. Your clothing can mean the difference between life and death when you are subjected to the elements. Frostbite or hypothermia could leave you either needing an amputation or severely incapacitated and unable to perform basic everyday tasks necessary to survive. Tell me when you are stranded in your car in a snow storm how much you value that $2,ooo stereo in you car over a warm wool pair of socks that you wouldn't even pay $40 for.
When there is no machine to make your socks, sweaters, hats or scarves how much will it be worth to you to have someone close to you that knows how to make them? Is your day's wage worth more than theirs when your life could be what is at stake? Will you keep buying cheap stuff that can kill you because want to save a dollar? Why not save yourself instead?
Thank you for reading my post.
Dee Dee