nuts about soap

so, here's my little bit of eco-conciousness for the week (or so)...............
for all those of you who don't like modern laundry detergent, or those who want something a little nicer for the skin, or just want something that actually works better............

have you tried soap nuts??

yes, giggle...........a friend gave me a bag of these things..........here's her website, which has a link to order soap nuts directly.......... http://www.vikinggirlsworkshop.com/ ..................check out her other stuff too, she is a wonderful craftsperson in just about anything she puts her mind to, but specifically things dealing with the norse culture.........

i know it sounds weird, but these things are compost-friendly, rather hypo-allergenic, and have little or no smell to them, so are good for chemical sensitivity..............

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sapindus is the wikipedia article on the soap tree.........

later........it's a busy week, so off to bed!!

blacksmith guild of va hammer-in........

so, we're off this weekend......... http://www.blacksmithguildofva.com/ ............
this is a really great group of folks, holding the second annual hammer-in.......which for the uninitiated, is a gathering where big smelly dirty guys get together and hit metal, and learn about hitting metal, and teach others how to hit metal..........
i love my peer group..........
they have lots of links to other blacksmith sites, check out their page........


on another note, trying to figure out how to upload my camera onto the computer.........as soon as that happens, i have a picture tutorial thingy about how i made a really spiffy knitting bag, with internal bags for various yarns...........as soon as i figure that out, i'll be set........
and soon after, i'm hoping to have another up about making a nostepinne from a banister peice thingy..............
sorry about the technical terminology, blanking this morning..........

laters all..............

oh yeah, and if anyone finds research about fibro and dark chocolate, drogo wants to know.......he just wants me less cranky, and if he gets to share, it'll make his life a little sweeter too!

research

most of these have been posted before........i figured i'd post them here, where they are easy to get to in archives (versus where i had them before, in myspace, where you can't get at the archives unless you are a member) .............sorry to anyone who has read all this before........
i will try and post more of the new ones later...........this week has been interesting.......(if by interesting i mean that we slept alot and dealt with a case of bugs, yeah it's been interesting).....................
i also have a bunch of websites on tribal bellydance..........i'll get those up asap.........

if you have something that might be interesting, comment me..........if you have something you think i might wanna research, comment me..........i might blow you off, but then again, whatever piques the interest.............

GENERAL
There are a few that apply to the other categories later on down this page……….
-first off, artcyclopedia at http://www.artcyclopedia.com/ ……….look up a time period or nationality or both, see what you can see……….
-then, the web gallery of art……. http://www.wga.hu/index1.html ………I’ve never gotten the hang of it, but I’m told it’s an invaluable resource and to keep trying back…….
-then, something I’ve just found, but is really cool………. http://ibs001.colo.firstnet.net.uk/britishlibrary/index.jsp ……….it’s the british library, hooked to the british museum………again, search and ye shall find……..

-I’m gonna skip all the silly stuff, but if anyone is curious, I’ve got documentation on period cotton, and burn testing, things like that………..just write and ask………

VIKING
-first off, the Viking answer lady ……….. http://www.vikinganswerlady.com/ ……….good starter info………..
-next, gelfling……… http://www.gelfling.dds.nl/wardrobe2.html ……….this wardrobe is superbly done…….she has links to patterns and other info on each specific clothing page……..good photos………
-and then, the godmother of sca Viking research………thora sharptooth’s articles……. http://www.cs.vassar.edu/~capriest/vikresource.html ………they are a little much to wade through, but it’s all good info………

MID-EASTERN
-dar anahita……… http://home.earthlink.net/~lilinah/courtyard.html ……..quite a bit of good info……..laid out rather uniquely………I’ve got a few other things in this list by her, just in much different places…….she has done quite a bit of research……
-also by by the same author…….. http://www.geocities.com/anahita_whitehorse/ottofemcloth.html ………some good pictures……..
-also by the same researcher…… http://home.earthlink.net/~al-qurtubiyya/16/kultur-16.html …….lots of pics……..very well done…….
-then, by cariadoc….. http://www.pbm.com/~lindahl/cariadoc/islamic_clothing.html ……….lots of words, just wade through…..
-garment myths, also anahita……. http://home.earthlink.net/~lilinah/Library/MEMyths.html ………also cultural myths…..lots of good info…..
-next, http://willofyre.com/OriginalSite/Clothing/periodmideastgarb.html ……..do’s and don’ts…….mistress safia……..long, but informative…..a little bit opinionated…..
-http://sca.raqsstorm.org/ottoman/ottomangarments.html …………a listing from inside to out of what an ottoman would wear…….
-then, http://www.sca.org.au/collegewar/ottoman.html ………a list of ottoman links…….at least some of them work, haven’t checked all of them……..
-some pictures……. http://ilaria.veltri.tripod.com/mideastwomen.html ………semi-decent closeups……..
-red khaganate…… http://www.geocities.com/kaganate/clothing.html ……..steppes people, but some of the patterns overlap…….
-seljuk/Levantine women’s garb…… http://www.levantia.com.au/clothing/turk_woman.html ………….in order, from skin out………no pics, but decent info…….
-decent info, pics in all those words…… http://www.roxanefarabi.com/ ………lots of info……
- http://www.kismeta.com/diGrasse/OttomanCostume.htm ……..can be donwloaded in PDF format………from a book………pics and info……….
-another guidline……. http://www.geocities.com/sayiddatahira/persian.html ……..persian specifically……
-and the best of all, a decent site for miniatures………the topkapi palace site….. http://www.ee.bilkent.edu.tr/~history/topkapi.html ………lots of good info…….

WELL, GOOD LUCK!!