A Colonial knot forms a tight knot that holds up well to wear and can be worked on any type of embroidery fabric. Like its cousin, the French knot, a Colonial knot takes a bit of practice to make, but once you understand the mechanics of the stitch, you’ll find it’s easy to work. Some may even find it easier than the French knot to get right. Making a Colonial Knot To make a Colonial knot, bring the thread up through the fabric and let the working thread rest on the fabric, so it forms a backward ​C....

Many soap purists will say that to truly be “Castile” soap, it has to be made from 100 percent olive oil. Technically, they are right. And while you certainly can make soap from 100 percent olive oil, you may not like the lather it makes. Some will describe it as “smooth and creamy,” but most will describe it as “slimy.” Try it at least once but just know that the lather is different than what you’re probably used to....

While the alternating layers of strips make plywood a very stable material ideal for building tables, cabinets, and utility shelves, leaving the edges of the plywood uncovered can detract from the overall look of the piece. Following are four methods for covering the edges, to give the plywood a finished look. Edge Banding Your home center or hardware store typically sells laminated edge banding that can be glued to the edges of the plywood....

Knitting Chart A knitting chart is simply a visual representation of the knitting project shown from the right or front side. You work it just as you would the knitting project. It begins at the lower right-hand corner and you work across the row from right to left, just as you do when knitting it. If the project you are working is knit flat, the second row will be worked reading the second row from the bottom of the chart from left to right....

MediaWiki is a very complex application and it is heavy on available computing resources. Often times, it is Apache server that chokes available memory and causes the entire MediaWiki installation to crash. It is important to properly configure Apache if you wish to run a largish MediaWiki website. Apache functioning can be tuned using a number of directives. You can set the value of these directives either in httpd.conf file or through the interface provided by your VPS host....

We researched the best friendship scrapbooks, considering quality, value, and style. Our list includes a travel-themed scrapbook for your shared adventures, a design-your-own scrapbook from Doodlehog that’s perfect for tweens, and a chic, photo-centric scrapbook from Kolo Hudson. Here are top friends’ scrapbooks. While regular colored pencils and most markers will not show up on these pages, fret not: this book comes with metallic pens, which show up beautifully against the dark paper and add a unique touch....

“An easel can help you experiment with different sized works, potentially reduce postural discomfort, and provide an easy way for you to take your art practice with you, should you choose a portable model,” says Ashley Mattila, owner of Marcus Ashley Gallery. We carefully vetted the best easels, considering factors like from versatility, quality, portability and added storage. Our top pick, the Blick Studio Convertible Studio Easel adjusts easily for any paint job, has the capacity to hold large canvases, and folds flat for storage....

You’ll find all shapes and sizes of Christmas tree clip art from the simple to the outrageous. Whatever you’re looking for, you’ll be sure to find it here. These Christmas tree clip art images are all free for you to use for any personal project but you’ll need to check the terms on each website if you’d like to use them for more than that. After you’ve searched through all these free Christmas tree clip art images, be sure to browse through my lists of Christmas clip art, Santa clip art, Christmas coloring pages, and Christmas borders....

How to Check for Square In other words, if you wanted to determine if an assembly was square using math, select the face that you want to check for square. Check one corner of the assembly with a framing or combination layout square to make sure that it is a right angle. Then, using a tape measure, measure along one edge from that right angle to get the length, and using a calculator, multiply that length value times itself (or square the length value)....

The temperature needed to transform soft clay into hard ceramic is extremely high and is usually provided by a kiln. You cannot fire pottery in a home oven because ovens do not get up to the high temperatures of more than 1,500 degrees Fahrenheit that you need for firing clay. Greenware is fragile. To start, it must be bone-dry. Then, it must be loaded into the kiln with a great deal of care....

Previous to the decimal conversion, Great Britain had a currency system that used penny and pence (abbreviated d), shillings (s), and pounds (£). Pence is the plural of penny when referring to a coin of that denomination. Before decimalization, 12 pence made a shilling, and 20 shillings made a pound. This complicated currency system operated on fractions and had a separate nomenclature for incremental units, as illustrated below. The English word penny is derived from the Old English word penig, which itself comes from the proto-Germanic word panninga....

Building a wine rack is an easy project that can most of the time be completed in a day or two, depending on how large and detailed you’d like it to be. The even better news is that these free wine rack plans will build you a great-looking wine rack for much less than it would cost to go buy one. The free wine rack plans feature wine racks in all different styles so be sure to look through the whole list....

There’s something just so special about a recipe handwritten and these printable recipe cards will help you do it in style. These recipe cards make great gifts or you can put down some recipes and keep them for yourself. These printable recipe cards work best when printed on card stock. Some can be filled out before printing while others are just meant to be handwritten on after printing so be sure to look for directions on each site....

You’ll find that these tote bag sewing patterns are perfect for the beginning sewist. It’s a great first project because it’s mostly straight-line sewing and easy construction. It’s a great first sewing project and even one that kids can tackle. Retro Striped Pocket Tote Bag from The Spruce Crafts Easy Felt Tote Bag from The Spruce Crafts Reusable Grocery Bag Tote from The Spruce Crafts Oversized Beach Bag from Polka Dot Chair Let’s Go to the Park Bag from Delia Creates Grocery Bag from a Tea Towel from DIY Candy Four Step Leather Tote from Delia Creates Wave Pocket Market Tote from Sew4Home Easy DIY Circle Tote from A Beautiful Mess Drawstring Bag from The Spruce Crafts

Easy Paper Snowman Ornaments from Red Ted Art DIY Paper Noel Christmas Card from The Spruce Birchwood Paper Garland from ETC Papers 3D Snowflakes from Insider Paper Plate Snowman from Easy Peasy and Fun Paper Roll Penguin Craft from Easy Peasy and Fun Make Your Own Winter Paper Lanterns from Lia Griffith Paper Cut Winter Village from Lia Griffith DIY Paper Christmas Cactus from The House That Lars Built Christmas Paper Office Party Decorations from The House That Lars Built

Wear Safety Equipment When using power tools, wearing the appropriate safety equipment should be considered mandatory. The woodworker should always wear safety glasses and hearing protection, but appropriate clothing should also be considered. Loose fitting clothing, neckties, and jewelry are all hazards to avoid when using a table saw. Keep the Area Clean When using a table saw, keep the table and surround area clear of stock, cutoffs and excess sawdust....