The Tangled Nest

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Entries Tagged as 'simple gifts'

The Tangled Nest 2012 Holiday Gift Guide

December 3rd, 2011 · 11 Comments

One of the most lamentable things about the corporate takeover of the winter holidays is the co-optation of gift-giving.  Presents under the tree have become synonymous with obscene mobs at Walgreens and Best Buy. In an effort to separate ourselves from that scene, many of us seeking a simple, authentic season have declared “no gift” [...]

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Tags: seasons, simple gifts

Homemade Knitting Needles, Knitting Evangelism, and a Pretty Scarf Pattern

December 20th, 2009 · 7 Comments

For my seventh birthday, my mom gave me a pair of light blue knitting needles and a ball of white yarn.  She didn’t know how to knit, but sent me across the backyard to our neighbor’s house, where the retired librarian Marion Milligan took me under her wing.  Marion taught me to knit and purl.  [...]

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Tags: craft, knitting, simple gifts, Uncategorized

Simple Winter Sewing Project: Hot Rice Bags

November 28th, 2009 · 44 Comments

Warm face, warm ‘ands, warm feet Aow, wouldn’t it be loverly? –Eliza Doolittle Cloth bags of heated grain are great for warming the bed or soothing sore muscles–much cozier than hot water bottles, and a nicer quality of heat.  I kept seeing them in boutique shops with shocking price tags, and whenever I asked what [...]

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Tags: craft, energy use, sewing, simple gifts

Simple Gifts

November 6th, 2009 · 6 Comments

  In the world of eco-hip, we are expected to eschew Christmas hype, and I am as cynical about corporate, commercial, factory-made holidays as the next person.  But I love to celebrate the turning of the seasons, and believe deeply in reclaiming the light, richness, and beauty of  Solstice/Christmas time.  I know that it’s also [...]

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Tags: seasons, simple gifts