sassenach

Mt Rider was expressing an interest in learning to knit socks too. Is there a way someone who knows how to do a basic sock and has a camera and can post pics if they know how to break down the steps you take in the knitting, to teach someone they could maybe do a post and teach people interested here on the forum? I have never been able to post pics and I am not all that good with inside pics to make sure they were really clear yet even if I tried to post em , broken down in stages or be able to explain exactly how you do things like the types of casting on and how to join the pieces? She is unable to view youtube videos and really some of them, bless the folks who do those, are not all that sharp visually and maybe we could figure out something?

Michael did you know that traditionally all Highlander Scottish boys learned to knit as well? They were to fix their own socks and help make them when they were working , shepherding sheep and cattle and such. ( if things were slow, they could sit and knit while they watched things).

Awesome CGA. I have no idea what a tri loom is but I know about more standard types of looms. I would like to make myself a straight loom of some decent size but don't have room for it and certainly no room for a floor room or table loom. Can you explain a tri loom to us? LOL, used to pack parachutes and do the oxygen gear and life rafts for P-3's when I was stationed in Iceland while the Nato base was still in US hands. I was waiting to divorce my hubby, separated , dated a few of the P3 aircrew, who were single. Fun memories ! This was many years back. Ended up very recently finally getting a snail mail addy from an Icelandic person I also dated back then. He wants to catch up ( and he thinks all the politics and economic problems are the pits too. ) Found him on Facebook ... hes still as sweet as ever. He worked on the base at the time. He's done ok and just taking care of his parents and working hard where he works now. Good memories. Great duty station despite the rugged climate. good people there. got my draft roll done and working on a dishcloth tonight, knitting.

Is wondering if Stephanie will take on learning to knit socks.. she crochets really well ...but socks are a different thing. * walks off to settle more comfortably to work on knitting....... the door draft sock! LOL

LOL, I am a lefty when it comes to eating with a fork or writing by hand, otherwise I am a righty , I can learn right handed which is the usual way for knitting. Even my dad goofed up and taught me to bowl left handed...... no wonder I had terrible scores.... people tried to teach me left handed knitting and I just couldnt figure it out... I was naturally a righty when it comes to processing it yet have other stuff that makes it more challenging... but I did not figure this out til much later in life. and yep, sometimes I just sit here and play around til I get it to 'work'. So did the lady that will be helping me learn to use the dbl needles and such procedures as it takes to make a basic sock. I was figuring out how to do mittens all by myself at least, but socks need to be perfected so they fit right and help your feet in a shoe wearing situation or they cause injury and blisters or wear out faster as well. what branch of service as a pilot? navy maybe? Now so many of our soldiers overseas are so grateful when folks send socks. But you really have to be a fast knitter and I am not, to make several pair to send at one time. If I could get a pair done in two weeks time I would be happy with myself though.

I have been collecting yarns and needles and a few good basic knitting and sock making books and have what I need to do just about any kind of knitting as I learn the basics and get more intermediate with stitches and such. I ended up having severe pain in my own hands and we finally have it defined as to the cause which is peripheral neuropathy from type 2 diabetes not just the weakness and pain from fibro. I struggle to learn and get used to needles and yarn and the cat playing with the circular cable ( shes cute about it and stops if you say no or hey thats mine! routine. I went undiagnosed for several years with pre-diabetes and now type 2 formally although I can have mixed symptoms. I am getting a bit better routine going now, getting a bit more regular sleep and trying to limit stressors and the fear factor even as grim as things are in my area and such things continuing to make life more of a challenge. I am working on catching up on spring cleaning . I was far too ill and my doctors that helped me after some fiascos with the regional VA are very concerned. So in the last month , the last couple weeks I am reestablishing things , bit by bit and it all counts. One of the good results are my hands are in less pain and I was even feeling like maybe I can get back to canning again. So maybe now I can start to do that again on simple stuff and have it shelf ready. I am working on more focus too. One of the things now I am finishing up when I sit still and not researching things or doing price comparisons online is knitting with focus. Really simple little lessons but it lets me get used to the circular needles for instance, uses up some odd yarn for a door draft sock, and I can recycle the stuff I will use to stuff it with and it made me sit still and concentrate and gave my fingers and hands something really simple to do. Mentally I want to be able to make my own socks and do well enough that they are truly comfortable and eventually be able to sit down and do a pair as quickly as I can manage with consistency. I am sorry but the dollar store socks just don't cut it around here. Its a useful skill. I am not the only struggling for really basic stuff around here. I know people who don't have a little notebook/laptop and internet due to their own circumstances. I know decent folks who slipped through the cracks at school who can't read well enough to surf the internet. But they can learn and actually have way better memory skills than me. I refer to notes and instructions but the instructions often puzzle me and sometimes the quality of someones video on youtube really isn't good enough or they are just quicker than I can figure out even after repeated study of some little thing you may have to do to complete even one type of knitting stitch so I am very glad that through our own ingenuity and looking at each other for things we are interested in , have some knowledge of , what something useful or fun , that we can teach each other in small groups of interested folks..... and there is one lady who is a peer and she will be teaching us basic knitting and makes a nice sock. Shes slow enough in her nature that I know she will take her time showing me the missing links in my skill level at this point too , I believe. Actually together we are going to help teach basic information and knitting as we go. Ive got stuff here I can share. She actually can make a basic boot sock with regular sport yarn and showed me the grey ones she made for her ex husband who she is friends with. He wears them as a work sock and they were done perfectly. I asked her did he tell her they were comfortable enough but then what are commercial socks made of? Well he has always 'wanted' her socks once she taught herself ... she makes a good product. Socks are vital up here in the snowy north woods and I have the stuff and the books to teach me how to customize the fit for anyones feet. I just needed my hands doing better, my focus is coming back and I am getting enough tasks , a little better and things sorted out in regards to thinking strength than I was certainly able to. I can keep working on rebuilding my life and manage if I have the basics going. We need socks here , so any of us that want to learn to knit socks have that opportunity to work with a skilled person who is patient and can break it down well as she teaches. If some of us pursue a little finesse and fancy stitch work, and be consistent then its a great item and by word of mouth, maybe it will profit us later. Or other little techniques and it could be an income source, minor but at this point , anything good and helpful helps so many of us. Yes I have proper sock yarn blends too but even that needs to be researched if you do it seriously. One can use cotton yarns like sugar and cream too for anklets and slippers too if their feet are pretty sturdy , or if thats all someone has to knit with, it is possible. I find people becoming more innovative and using what is not typically something specialized to get a decent result of a product they can make . So I am excited. I move toward my own independence and meet a need I have for myself in these circumstances from very basic materials I have now. Along with flat work which I actually use to help me strengthen my skills and focus , I hope if successful with socks and mittens with devoting some time just about every day to a project, I can move on to making a sweater than I do not have to roll up the sleeves on! Some of the fancy artsy yarns are just nuts trying to work with them but one may be able to manage weaving projects if they can't manage the needle work to knit or crochet. We are all different in whats comfortable for us if we do fiber arts and sometimes we have to adjust to a new way of making things to use these items up as well because various things affect us. I encourage any of you with something disabling to find a new way to be creative with useful things that can be beautiful too. It feels so good to do something like that. It's something I can do easily when I sit down for a while. It's something productive and useful and as I gain better skill levels it can be lovely. It eases my mind a little to make something nice and useful. It can be developed for bartering and sale later if I am persistent with my efforts. I write this to encourage despite what we feel may discourage us. we can go at it slower but we need to finish it too. we don't need to be shy when it comes to learning more how to use something to produce what we need even though I think alot of us are because its a new idea in itself or we think we don't have time. we can adjust ourselves to meet a basic need that actually is enriching in many ways. this is something that stretches over many types of skills and such things as we find necessary to make living more comfortable and safe and fulfilling. I have a friend who never was taught much at all on basic cooking . She's been figuring out how serious things are and shes wanting to learn. So because she prefers soy protein and its really convenient and she can get past making soy milk all the time, I can share the basic ideas I use to provide soy protein, usually tvp stuff I use for protein in a lot of meals as long as I have it available. It also is easy to store and gets delivered , saving you gas and time money if you place an order and just have to be there for the delivery. Its like the lightbulb is finally going off in my friends head. Bless her.... and we can encourage each other although she has a different lifestyle and does alot of things I cant afford even if I lived there yet shes good at finding bargains and stuff too. Its all these little things that make a difference for each of us. Once Im feeling better and definitely have my housing needs resolved , I can teach on survival stuff and bargain foods and put together some classes on such things.. because now more of my peers are struggling and have no idea what to do and they know I can teach them things. I have folks who will help me. We may even start coordinating some large orders and it will help. I hope we have the time and things hold together enough so we can. Its a service I can help with since I know some basics. I know there are employees that want me to do what I KNOW. I do too. I also realized we are totally sunk in this area unless we order books online now because Borders closed down at the mall in Plattsburgh. I would love to get organized enough to be able to provide a book ordering service for my town. but I need a reliable computer and an Office program updated but I need other real basics first so thats what I am working on for now. A good office area and desk space . This computer I have is old and its suffering and I don't know when it may go out completely.....so.... I will put one foot in front of the other here and work on not only getting back to normal energy and ability, but to keep moving forward and its little things I notice we all need..... and my no knead molasses whole wheat bread is done so let's eat!

summer squash, mushrooms, carrot slices, green beans, corn, and marinating jerky meat to go in the dehydrator later.

the mixed veggies, 4 lbs will fit in a quart canning jar once dried. I put them in pint jars though since I have more of those. I am now drying sliced carrots, just two and a half pounds at this point,but its a start on carrots. I have a busy evening tonight so tomorrow will figure out if I want to can some beans up and what next, like sliced green beans for the dehydrator I guess. Not sure how long it will take for the carrot slices to dry, so shall see how they do. I found out green beans are a diuretic as well, yesterday so thats good to help my hbp actually. I will be doing alot more of those too. they have more vitamins than I realized as well.

I hope everything goes well CN with your surgery and that you heal up good and can do what needs to be done with that.

TMC if I had a place to grow them it would be great. I have read about them before. If I ever get my own place I would definitely do so. It's great that you grow your own that way. Cool idea to get the seeds needed for the next batch. What times of the year are best to grow them in our state? Dried another dehydrator full of mushrooms last night, and doing mixed veggies now. I use these in stews and soups and spaghetti sauce to increase fiber and vitamins and color. They cook up just fine.

TMC, yes I love fresh mushrooms too, but I also like to get them dried and stored. Even in the summer I tend to make stews and soups and throw some in when I do if I don't have fresh. I bought 3 good boxes and use one the next few days for cooking, and the other two in the dehydrator. I figured if I did it that way when I choose a particular food to dry then it would add up faster and I would enjoy some too, currently as I do that. But the big concern for me is that the prices are already very high at my local store so the more I do now, sooner than later , at least I have it then stocked up and can use the dried ones just fine, if it gets way too expensive by Fall. I will rotate them. They are terrific brain food for me and I loveeee mushrooms.

Dehydrating mushrooms today and have to figure out what to dehydrate tomorrow.

OUCH, Annarchy. I hope your hubby's ankle heals up good and soon. Glad you got the washer and dryer! Well my pinching pennies is actually a gift from my best friend who I consider my sister really. Annie sent me her spare magic jack since I have to buy mins for my cell phone and she even paid this years fee for it and helped me set it up. Boy, feels weird to plug in a regular phone, of which I know Miss Macy will play with the cord and probably make it fall off the little shelf where it is. ( I need a better desk situation here but it's going to have to wait a while!) So I have set it up with most of my friends numbers and family numbers and the 911 stuff is reset to my address now. So that was a really nice gift for mother's day. So now I don't have to buy as many minutes for my tracfone and can lower my monthly cost that way for several months. Every little bit helps these days!

bump. with prices going up, are more of you dehydrating things like meat and more produce, like making squash chips and such ?

LOL about crunchy towels and hot dogs...... very innovative technique there with puppy power! Not spending a cent, today. May go fishing, have worms now! but the ice on the pond is pretty much still covering 99% so it may take another week of warm days..... its up to 50F now, yahooo! Finally sweatshirt weather for a little while! doing chores since I cannot afford a maid? does that count? Trying to think up some creative work with some good beef roast which really amounts to about a thick cut of steak since I used some already for stew on Friday and it needs to be used up today...... will figure that out shortly I am sure.... taters and beef.... mixed squash and veggies with it sound good? ( 5 lb bag in freezer for now.) Maybe get wild and crazy and make a couple dozen tortillas, lol, now that the kitchen is clean..... beats five bucks at my store here....

Thanks, nice web page for this subject!

have only pennies left. not shopping til tomorrow payday this time, or Saturday since we due in a good foot of snow tomorrow..... lol...... will fish if I can on Saturday at pond if its not totally iced over still....added snow may require that chunk of limestone I have been saving for gosh knows what.. tossed from shore to break a spot open so I can toss in my hook and worm.... bundled up , snow boots...... I can see me now....... yep this is fishing to eat..... not sport fishing, for this year. Prices are getting really rugged already locally. If I catch a 21 inch trout maybe I will carry it in the store on the way home ? Pilaf and salad makings for the sides? LOL. ( the store clerks would crack up if I did that.) I'd just tell them dryly that there is no barcode ...... hehehe .... and go enjoy it for my supper and then some! If I am lucky I should pay myself back for the fishing license very quickly over mere days of fishing so I think that was a very wise investment since I can fish within walking distance here and there's plenty to go around . Hardly anyone fishes anymore. Trout season opens tomorrow, catfish and perch always.... bass this summer.

Thanks for bumping this up Cat! ANewMe was just asking me about how I make candles and I have used toilet paper rolls,but you really have to be sure you have either the stearic acid powdery stuff to add to soy wax if you want stand alone candles. I loved Amishway's post too, on dipping for taper candles. Love the explanation on setting it up for kids to do too, how neat! If you buy a slab of wax at michaels its likely not pillar wax and they rarely carry stearic acid. I had to order mine online. Also if you are not real careful as you insert wicks if they are not secured first center bottom like the shampoo bottle method, which is a great idea for some big candles, your wick can wobble and get too close to the side of the mold and you get a melt down with that too. I am going to use the soy up mostly with tuna and cat food cans and make 3 wick candles that way. I think my cat will respect those better with him getting up on the table surfaces if I do light one. He will likely notice it better. I have saved alot of these cans after carefully cleaning them and removing the labels and glue. So they are simply utilitarian but will fit in a day pack and such too for BOB's. I realized the used toilet paper rolls make a nice size stand up candle and with the right wick, the pillar wax should be great to use, but when you peel off the cardboard, sort of like the store bisquits you tear open diagonally they will often be rough textured so they are not 'pretty'. But its for emergency usage mostly, although some I do color and scent to use once in a while. I found putty around the bottom of any mold on a new clean cookie sheet from the dollar store helped hold in the wax better than masking tape. femo clay maybe if you have some laying around might even work. Discard after use. It would be nice to afford the molds, I only have one for a five inch pillar, not real big in diameter. I used it recently along with the paper rolls and some tuna cans, and put it in the freezer too soon and it came out shiny smooth but crackled, which I hear are something some folks really like and sell now. I don't know if it will hold together as I have not decided to use it. A cold water pot beside the dipping pot is a great idea. It is a long process no matter what methods you will use and requires infinite patience. I would not use the microwave however. Wax is combustible, and if it gets too hot it will catch on fire. Also any old candles or wicking can have metal in the wick or in the bottom of the candle and you might not realize it. If you need to clean out old votives and other candle glass containers, when you put them in an old pan, heat the water up, the wax will float up after it melts off the surfaces and you can salvage it.

Beef chunks in quarts.

Gee, yea, the edit button is gone! Wow..... we need that! Ok. thanks Mt Rider........ how far are we going? and yet, thinking more, you want at least enough food to get you through on basics as much as possible til First fruits from gardening will come in. Wow. Im not even there yet! Ok...... I admit. I will cheat, but thinking hard on quantities will be a good mind exercise. I am actually only beginning to really grasp that and how much I use say in a few days or a week depending on what I am fixing for myself out of homecanned or dried foods. Also since I have been baking some, I have a better idea how much flour and bakin powder and salt and sugar I need. ( I spent a long time renting only a bedroom and gettin back to cooking for myself and realizing how much it takes, and the screwed up schedule I have most months can make it difficult for me to get everything I really need, so its beena challenge, but now I am getting more keen on it and that will help. Be a good math exercise, lol. I will work on that , hopefully by sometime tomorrow. And I do think I will just consider certain 'thangs' in my environment , um, er, resources! lol... well its, um, innovation! And Im clearing out in the wagon anyway. ( Not that I am a stealer in real life at all. nope, not me! I hate thieves...) seriously, I will try and do enough math on several types of items and make a list to post. Good ideas about a medicine wagon. Does anyone have splints? I do have a snake bite kit, now that I dont need one for this scenario! ( But do for my region! ).

WOW, gulfcoasttruth! What a wonderful experience and how kind the people along the way were. One of the things I want folks to think about, is that when these very heavy wagons are moving, no one steps down from them or tries to get up on them, because they can fall and get run over. This will lead to broken bones and internal injuries, and yes, you get a runaway wagon, and its going to be a mess, like what happened to that one wagon. You had some major assistance getting over certain difficult places along that trail but usually, they rigged ropes and tackle, pulley systems and used weight and strength to get over the really tough inclines on these western trails all over the West. When it rained, you had bad mud and by hand , the wagons had to be pushed, dug out and pulled by maybe a double team of mules or oxen as well, with every able bodied grown person helping out and getting massively muddy and dirty as well. One of the things in the military is that we are taught to take care of our feet. If your shoes get wet , using those burning tabs inside the boot actually helps if its so humid they wont dry, fresh spare socks, which you wash out at night and hang to dry overnite. If you have enough water between places to do any washing. We also have the benefit of the hygienic wipes now and that cuts actual water use down. In the military, you tend your feet, some of us may want to be checking them at each break, doctoring any soft or sore or blister areas properly and watching others. We mostly have soft feet because they are protected so much now by smooth surfaces and shoes that are very durable. Starting out walking all day long is rugged at first. But you do get used to it. I really enjoy the movement of walking and its glorious outside now so I enjoy my walk even more and I see how different it is outside. But I am still not able to walk all day, admittedly although I would like to get back to at least half that as a matter of course and am thinking of getting a foldable manual treadmill so I can get into walking when its too cold outside to keep building up my legs and feet again this winter. I consider exercise that is consistent extremely important right now because I know I am not capable of that at this point and there may well come a time when I have to do some extremely long travel if things keep going badly for us and get alot worse to get to where my son lives, several states away, in any kind of weather and conditions as it would be. My walk last weekend and the one before that of about 3-4 miles after being totally a computer chair potato for so long sure tells me how tender my feet are. Add fibro for effect, too. It takes me about two solid days right now to get over that pain, but on the journey, you would not have that and would have to keep walking. The real reasons most folks walked was that it took extra weight off the livestock hitched to the wagons to pull them over the terrain. As well as the discomfort of being knocked around going over rough territory on a daily basis. We are lucky that there are so many roads now. You might be able to take a few rides to give your feet a break as you adjust but it puts alot of strain on the mules or oxen. It would be really difficult to pack canned goods ( home canned in jars). The weight alone is difficult for the mules or oxen. Horses would only be good for individuals who would be scouting ahead, safety and hunting further off as needed. Or for disabled folks. Most folks don't even have horses anymore. Pulling the Conestoga is too much for horses on a long term basis and they will wither away, so mules and oxen are better and eat less particular feed. Back to jars, perhaps foam rubber from pillows or if you have some stored could be cut out to house jars in crates or boxes that would stand up to the lengthy travel. Something like bubble wrap would eventually lose its ability cause the bumps and such would cause it to pop too much, or extra linens or straw in the crates for them... but it limits the amount of room you have to store everything unless you have a couple extra wagons like Stephanie would have with so many in her family old enough to drive the wagons. Some in her party will be having to deal with the livestock on the ground and encouraging and controlling the teams on the ground. Children learned early how to drive wagons too, for the most part as it was an integral part of their lives from the start back in the pioneer days and on the farm. Me, I would have one wagon... and honestly wouldn't want one of the really long ones and I am thinking my dry supplies that I have been gathering that are condensed so well will be my best choice and a minimal amount of canned foods. I know I am still lacking in having a bunch of seed too and thats a big spot to fill still for me. For me, it would be difficult to choose which books to take, but I have several technical books and college algebra books that tell in great detail how to do the problems so it would be useful for teaching others algebra, which is useful in many things like constructing things on a practical basis. Just don't ask me to teach it, I have a hard time fathoming that kind of stuff and figure out what materials I may need by a simpler process I can understand. I have certain books on things that I am interested in that are helpful to others as well , although they are not something some folks even understand, but their purpose is good and useful as it deals with Eastern methods of healing and I would take those too, along with a good selection of other instructional books. I wish I had a collection of the emergency health care books like surgery in case of emergency and such and a much bigger supply of herbs and supplements to aid myself and others with, and a much bigger amount of antibiotics to treat different illnesses and infections. I wish I had some good anatomy and physiology books and such too... but I know I need to stock more food and utter basics right now. Inflation is just around the corner and I have a limited budget each month now. I would be doing alot of snaring of small game along the way and probably hurrying through chores and trying to fish any water ways we came across to supplement and if it was warm seasons, foraging during the day if I could share the driving of my wagon with someone else on the journey. I have paper and pens and pencils and some art supplies too and those would be brought along for journaling and education purposes, and drawing out plans for building projects once we get to the place we settle in. I would take sewing supplies and make extra towels and a bunch of hot pads for the camp cooking because cast iron and campfires are hot to work with. Sewing and materials and buttons and notions to make more clothing by hand. The electric sewing machine would be carefully packed into a wooden crate and brought in hopes that we would have electricity again, one day. My knitting supplies and knitting books would be taken as well, they are easy to learn from and give great examples of how to work with it all to make it very nice and neat too. One could work on that skill sometimes on the journey as well. Also teach it to others. My knitting looms would go as they are simple to use and make things quickly. I would bring quite a few novels and such books too because books are big entertainment and help literacy stay alive when you have nothing electronic and the chores are done and they stimulate the mind and heart as well, certainly all my bibles and any thing Christian oriented in the way of literature. Still there would be alot of decisions have to be made about what are favorites or the best of the best when it comes to my bookshelves. I would carefully pack and waterproof my family photos and albums and I would pack away securely my flashdrives and discs holding pics and documents. I need to get a printer and make up notebooks of hardcopies of so many things from MrsS, still, for instruction and recipe books. There is such a variety of knowledge. I would have to make more bolts for the crossbow and be very careful with what arrows I have for the compound bow and try and make more arrows. I totally lack firearms but have more hand to hand type weapons and those would all be going and I need to make sheaths for some of them, like the machete and would get used to carrying that. I have my moms jewelry for bargaining purposes once we settle, or for supplies if possible on the way. There is alot I am still lacking, but there are also many things I would be able to take that are here already. I have enough cooking pans and such and utensils and table ware but I have no metal plates and wish I did. I would probably carve a plank for a durable plate and bowl. Like the old trencher set up , the bowl is in the middle and is deeper than the plate surface. I also do have metal cups at least and messkits that do provide somewhat durable eating ware and extra small pots and pans at least and those certainly would go. I have wire for snares and can remember how to set simple traps and snares and usually review them on youtube occasionally or with the help of someone who does remember more clearly if I have a blank brain about a certain part of snare building at the moment. I have a single burner coleman stove and some propane cannisters ( small) and those certainly would be good for inclement weather or no wood available for a campfire to cook on. I would bring all the plastic and tarps I have and rope and cord ( parachute cord, string , twine). I have a few games like checkers and cards and there would be a small game bag going in the wagon. I would bring enough well padded wine making supplies as you can use bread yeast for it if you must and I have that. Wine can be used in cleaning wounds and surgery if you have nothing else to use. All my tools and nails and screws would be packed up to go in a bin. Its not much but its better than nothing. I dont have gardening tools and know I am lacking in that and would have to borrow them to work a new garden as my back couldnt take just using the Army shovels as little as those are, when we settle somewhere, well, if I had to, I would use them. ( I live in a place I cant garden at, although I know I could swipe them from MHA, lol... but thats a twelve mile trip......but I do know where they are and there are full propane tanks for the gas grill there too.... can we swipe stuff???, LOL.... ) I have soy wax in a big block and I have tuna cans and wicking and would be making up all of them as 3 wick emergency candles. I have some other candles too that would be used and candle holders that are small enough to pack carefully and use and a couple oil lamps and several quarts of lamp oil that would all go. The linens and the blankets and sleeping bags and all the BOB and day packs I have would be utilized for BOB and for kits, like hunting and snaring gear and the first aid day pack, all stored and ready to grab out of the back of the wagon or by the seat in front to grab right away. I have one fire steel and wished I had a spare and a couple bic lighters right at the moment and matches, they all would go. I would keep the blankets in plastic bags to guard against dirt and the linens, one sheet would become a sleeping bag liner or bedroll liner as it will help keep the blankets from getting dirty and sweaty and smelly and can be washed in a stream or boiled in a pot over a fire. Bungee cords would be great! I have some and wish I had more. They would certainly be used for anything they can help with. Ive got a bigger french press now, that came in my amazon order and it supplies enough coffee for me for a morning breakfast fire. Im thinking the coffee grounds would be good for Wormguys worm bin along the way! After they are used up of course. Five gallon buckets would be great but you will want some padding under and around them because wagon hauling is a bumpy experience and you don't want the cracking to pieces and ruining the food supply, so my extra big zebra stripe blanket, fleecey stuff would be used for that and washed when I got to where I settle. A small innovation but seriously needed to secure the buckets. If i had rubber matting I would use that. Like the playground, garage flooring stuff, if any of you have that, would be terrific to line the bottom and sides of the wagon with. Or storing sacks of grain underneath might work if you have your small livestock and mule feed with you would help alot in that part of packing it. Cut grass would work in a pinch too. ( I just am trying to brainstorm some innovations with what there could be to work with. I've got plenty of grass hay fields around me to go cut some grass from or swipe some of a round bale for that purpose, feed for the mules ya know? Well I still have enough money to buy a bale too, so that would at least be more honest. ) LOL. If you had some mountain bikes those could be tied to the side of the wagon and used for scouting and hunting trips that were some distance away from the wagon train too. For herding the loose livestock too.. Also alleviate sore feet as people get used to walking or its just easier for them. I do not have one and would be responsible mostly for getting my wagon forward most of the time anyway, so this is just a thought for others. Ok, I better toss this out there , its plenty long anyhow! Good luck ! be creative !!!!

Mt. Rider, is this just stuff you have now or can you just say what you estimate you need if you are short of what the supplies would really be as some of us are on a shoestring and things come slower to us? or havent been prepping that long yet to have accumilated all that much? I like this scenario and I agree, no snakes, although that certainly is realistic as a danger and PCS has been personally stricken and I pray she is recovering better and better each day! We probably would not have antivenom in our own first aid kits generally anyway.