Homemade Lantern, er, sorta....

So. I'm reading this book, The Man Who Quit Money, by Mark Sundeen. It's about this guy who decides that money is just a made up stupid thing and he's not going to use it anymore. It's pretty interesting, although I'm only about 30 pages in.

I stopped reading when I came across this, "Oil lamps arranged on small rock ledges around the cave are a more reliable light source. To make one he simply fills a glass jar with vegetable oil, then inserts a short length of cotton cord into a wine cork, which floats on top. A tinfoil barrier keeps the cork from catching fire, and the wick burns for days."

Oh, easy. I'm totally making one of these. So, without consulting the interweb, youtube, or putting much thought into the idea, I decide to set out and make one.

This craft is slightly dangerous and involves an open flame. Please use caution if you attempt to make one yourself. Please find better instructions, please.

Step One. Find a Jar.

Check.

Step Two. Dig up a cork, cotton yarn, and tin foil. 

                       Check.           Check.          And Check. 

Step Three. Vegetable Oil. Check. 

With supplies in hand I set out to create this easy little lantern. A lantern that a man living in a cave uses as a light source. 

Of course, to set the mood one of the first things I do is cut myself. 

Sure, it doesn't look like much but it hurt ok?

Nevermind that, I tell myself. I throw the cotton into some oil to let it soak for a while, drill a hole through my cork, and cut the tinfoil to size. Then I thread my yarn through the cork, and put the tinfoil around the cork and drop it in, where it sinks to the bottom...

It took some finagling but I just nixed the tin foil and rigged up this wire thing. I thought it looked cuter anyway. 

Of course now I see that the tinfoil is supposed to protect the cork, which makes sense since my cork started on fire every time I tried to light the wick. For some reason I just figured the cork wouldn't burn. It does. Smells good though. 

This is NOT a kid friendly craft by the way. 

Anyway. After it burnt the wick and then the cork the flame just dies out. After several more attempts I give up, and clean up, before the husband finds out that I'm playing with fire. He's under enough stress as it is. 

A quick online search gives me some ideas on how to actually make this work. It appears that I should have at least a 6-ply cord or shoelace, I have 4-ply yarn, and I should cut the cork lengthwise to help it float. Maybe I can tackle these tomorrow. 

For now I'll just have some fun with the pics I took. Have a good, safe, weekend!

Paddle Update

Finally did something with the old paddle I found in a dumpster.


First, I went shopping for iron on transfers. I wasn't exactly sure what I was looking for. I had been inspired by an artist who printed directly onto pieces of old wood. The effect was pretty cool. Sorry, I don't have a pic. Anyway, JoAnn's had some cute tea towel transfers and I thought I would give it a whirl, no idea if it would even transfer to a hunk of wood. 


If you are interested this is what you're looking for: 

Designs were limited in the store, but there are a bunch online. I chose this:

Just follow the instructions on the package. It turned out pretty well. I ended up adding 3 flowers. I may fill in with paint later, or not, I have yet to decide. The paddle now hangs proudly in my home!

Have a great weekend!

Wrap turned Ugly Blanket

So, making my way through my crochet binder and came across this: 

Easy enough summer knit. I pictured myself wearing it around a campfire, roasting marshmallows and reliving old memories. Then I remembered that I haven't been camping in ages, and Missouri summer nights are not like Wisconsin summer nights. They are hot, and sticky, and I would never be able to wear this anyway. So instead of making 2 panels, I just kept on going. I have a huge stash of yarn that must go and it's going in the form of an ugly blanket, er, retro blanket. 

I will be posting the pattern for anyone who may actually want to make and use the wrap. Its really easy, just double crochet the whole way!