Read Bungalow Magazine and The Craftsman Online

...and less Apollonian than The Craftsman. What both publications have in common is an expectation that the reader is not just a consumer but potentially someone capable of taking up a chisel or sewing needle and making something. This DIY ethos was, of course, part of the anti-industrial agenda of the Arts and Crafts movement. One can hope that this spirit will catch on again in our disposable age. Save...

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We Grew a Cocktail Avocado!

This morning Kelly alerted me to the latest avocado news making its way around the internet tubes. Apparently a chain of grocery stores in Great Britain, worried about the lack of knife skills in our young folks (ugh), is marketing a seedless “cocktail” avocado. What is a cocktail avocado? Some deep Googling revealed that they aren’t some new variety, just un- or under pollinated Fuerte avocado. Since we have a Fuerte tree in our backyard, I deci...

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Saturday Tweets: Watermelons, Drill Bit Storage and Unicorns

...ticating #watermelon from feral bitter wild cousins; Greeks & Italians for making sweet! https://t.co/VUIDJWRMQx pic.twitter.com/uxGB57Z9P5 — C. S. Prakash (@AgBioWorld) July 7, 2017 So you have a construction or repair job coming up. Which should you use, screws or nails? The short answer is… https://t.co/VyOFohr5CS — Hobby Farms (@hobbyfarms) July 7, 2017 How tech giants like Elon Musk can actually fix LA’s transportation problems https://t.co/W...

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Epic Rants and Raves

...early 20th century literature. As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve been slowly making my way through all of Gustav Stickley’s Craftsman Magazine (I’m reading the 1905 issues this week) as well as Moby Dick (never read it in school), May Morris’ Decorative Needlework and the writings of John Ruskin and William Morris. From these tomes I’ve bookmarked a few epic rants that I suspect Root Simple readers will appreciate. First, as quoted in The Craftsman,...

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108 Artist/Maker Federico Tobon

...and chisel. Scary kickback video. Budget bandsaw repair. DIY belt sander. Making your own bandsaw. Sewing a big bag for bees. Cool Tools knot tying card. Clicker Training for Cats by Karen Pryer. You can follow Federico’s work at WolfcatWorkshop and he’s @wolfcatworkshop on Instagram. Make sure to sign up for his newsletter. If you want to leave a question for the Root Simple Podcast please call (213) 537-2591 or send an email to rootsimple@gmail...

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