How to Double Your Way to a Million

This is an interesting idea and something which my family and I have often talked about over the years: By starting with a penny and doubling your money just 27 times you will make over £1million!! Click here for the full report.

In a similar vein to most reports of this ilk there are some inspiring words within:

"Stop dreaming about becoming rich or winning the lottery. The world is there for the taking by doers, not dreamers. Dreamers remain broke."

Oh so true! Let's stop dreaming and make this happen!!! But how? It seems to me that each step will require a LOT of creativity and imagination! Any ideas?? Let me know your thoughts and I will keep you posted with my progress!

A Neck Cowl for a Whippet

This neck cowl was knitted for my auntie's whippet puppy (Janie) and is simply a seamless knitted tube. It is a simple progression from the Neck Gaiter, in which most of the techniques required were explained. However, in order to make this neck cowl you will also need to learn to purl, as the ribbing is formed from a combination of knit and purl stitches. You will also need to use the magic loop technique, which is a method of knitting a seamless tube using circular needles much longer than the circumference of the tube you are knitting. This technique is well worth learning! It can be used for small diameter tubes, instead of double pointed needles (which many people dread) and is useful for knitting socks and the tops of hats and for making sleeves of baby garments seamlessly (amongst other things).

Using King Cole Magnum Chunky Multi, cast on 40 stitches onto 6.5mm 80cm circular needles, using the Double Cast On Method (also known as the Long Tail Cast On). This method of casting on will ensure a nice stretchy edge. 

Join in the round, then knit in ribbing using the magic loop technique. I used 4x4 ribbing (Knit 4, Purl 4 repeated continuously), but I wonder if Knit 1, Purl 1 may look even nicer, or even Knit 2, Purl 2... It's up to you! 

The ribbing makes the width of the cowl very forgiving. This size is great for Janie at 3-4 months of age but seems to allow plenty of room for growth. Feel free to adjust the number of stitches you cast on to fit your dog though. It's not only whippets that get cold!

Janie wears a harness, but if your dog wears a collar your may like to create a buttonhole in the cowl for the ring of the collar to poke through. To do this simply continue to work in your ribbing pattern until you reach an appropriate point for the collar and at the end of that round turn your work. You will work the next few rows flat. Repeat the following 2 rows until you have a hole of a suitable size for the ring of the collar to poke through then simply join in the round again and continue working in your original ribbing pattern:

Row 1: Knit 4, Purl 4. Repeat until the end of the round.

Row 2: Purl 4, Knit 4. Repeat until the end of the round. (Obviously, you should adjust these 2 rows to suit the ribbing pattern you have chosen to use).

Continue until the piece measures about 7 inches, but again feel free to adjust this length accordingly. This was knitted to allow Janie growing room before the winter but it looks good on her at the moment too, a little bunched up :-)

Cast off, weave in the ends and pray for some cold weather so that your dog will appreciate your efforts!





 

Neck Gaiter Knitting Pattern for Complete (Total and Utter!) Beginners

I decided that my loved ones would all receive a hand-made Christmas present last year (along with some regular pressies of course!) as a special and personal touch. And so began my first attempt at knitting and a new challenge...

From never having knitted before, I created my first neck gaiter in 2 evenings - great looking and warm for my family, and extremely satisfying for me! And since the pressies were received with smiles all round, I feel I can pass my recipe for success onto you with some confidence!

First of all, you will need a ball of either King Cole Magnum Chunky Multi or Wendy Viva and 8mm 50cm circular needles.

The next mission is to cast on. When using King Cole Magnum Chunky Multi I casted on 65 stitches and when using Wendy Viva I casted on 62 stitches. I used the Double Cast On Method (also known as the Long Tail Cast On) since this method is an entirely different technique to knitting and allows you to master casting on without first having to be able to knit.

Once you have created the required number of stitches, you will need to join to knit in the round. To do this, distribute your stitches evenly around the needle. Hold the needle with the first stitch you cast on in your left hand and the needle with the last stitch you cast on in you right hand. Your working yarn (the yarn connected to the ball) should be attached to the stitch on your right needle. Ensure the cast on edges of all stitches are facing in the same direction. This prevents the stitches from "twisting". Next, slip the first stitch on the right needle to the left needle. Then slip the second stitch on the left needle up and over the first stitch and onto the right needle. Now place a stitch marker on the right needle to indicate the beginning of a new round.

You will now start knitting into the first stitch on the left needle. Once you have mastered this, you just need to keep going! Continuing to knit every round in this way creates stockinette stitch. (On straight needles you would need to knit and purl alternate rows to create stockinette stitch. This difference is because when you are working in the round you will always be knitting on the right side of the fabric).

Continue knitting until the neck gaiter is about 12 inches long. I simply used the entire ball of wool (remembering to leave enough wool to cast off of course).

When it comes to casting off, following these instructions will give you an acceptable result. There will be a gap between the first and large stitches bound off, but since the neck gaiter will roll at the top and bottom (something which naturally occurs with stockinette stitch) this matters very little. However, I'm a perfectionist and for a jogless join I used "Method 2" from the TECHknitting blog. 

All you have to do now is weave in the ends. And... ta-da! You're done! :-)

Since Christmas I have become rather addicted to knitting and you can find me on Ravelry, a social network for knitters.

To neuter or not to neuter...

This is a decision that most dog owners will have to make and I have found a super article entitled the "Long-Term Health Risks and Benefits Associated with Spay/Neuter in Dogs" which helped me to make an informed decision and is summarised below:

"An objective reading of the veterinary medical literature reveals a complex situation with respect to the long-term health risks and benefits associated with spay/neuter in dogs. The evidence shows that spay/neuter correlates with both positive AND adverse health effects in dogs.

Male Dogs
On balance, it appears that no compelling case can be made for neutering most male dogs, especially immature male dogs, in order to prevent future health problems. The number of health problems associated with neutering may exceed the associated health benefits in most cases.

On the positive side, neutering male dogs:
• eliminates the small risk (probably <1%) of dying from testicular cancer
• reduces the risk of non-cancerous prostate disorders
• reduces the risk of perianal fistulas
• may possibly reduce the risk of diabetes (data inconclusive)

On the negative side, neutering male dogs:
• if done before 1 year of age, significantly increases the risk of osteosarcoma (bone cancer); this is a common cancer in medium/large and larger breeds with a poor prognosis.
• increases the risk of cardiac hemangiosarcoma by a factor of 1.6
• triples the risk of hypothyroidism
• increases the risk of progressive geriatric cognitive impairment
• triples the risk of obesity, a common health problem in dogs with many associated health problems
• quadruples the small risk (<0.6%) of prostate cancer
• doubles the small risk (<1%) of urinary tract cancers
• increases the risk of orthopedic disorders
• increases the risk of adverse reactions to vaccinations

Female Dogs
For female dogs, the situation is more complex. The number of health benefits associated with spaying may exceed the associated health problems in some (not all) cases. On balance, whether spaying improves the odds of overall good health or degrades them probably depends on the age of the female dog and the relative risk of various diseases in the different breeds.

On the positive side, spaying female dogs:
• if done before 2.5 years of age, greatly reduces the risk of mammary tumors, the most common malignant tumors in female dogs
• nearly eliminates the risk of pyometra, which otherwise would affect about 23% of intact female dogs; pyometra kills about 1% of intact female dogs
• reduces the risk of perianal fistulas
• removes the very small risk (≤0.5%) from uterine, cervical, and ovarian tumors

On the negative side, spaying female dogs:
• if done before 1 year of age, significantly increases the risk of osteosarcoma (bone cancer); this is a common cancer in larger breeds with a poor prognosis
• increases the risk of splenic hemangiosarcoma by a factor of 2.2 and cardiac hemangiosarcoma by a factor of >5; this is a common cancer and major cause of death in some breeds
• triples the risk of hypothyroidism
• increases the risk of obesity by a factor of 1.6-2, a common health problem in dogs with many associated health problems
• causes urinary “spay incontinence” in 4-20% of female dogs
• increases the risk of persistent or recurring urinary tract infections by a factor of 3-4
• increases the risk of recessed vulva, vaginal dermatitis, and vaginitis, especially for female dogs spayed before puberty
• doubles the small risk (<1%) of urinary tract tumors
• increases the risk of orthopedic disorders 
• increases the risk of adverse reactions to vaccinations"

Cleaning Gravestones

Well, aren't some people just heart-warmingly lovely? We were tending a couple of family graves a few months ago and one of the gardeners who was working on the war graves was kind enough to lend us a couple of watering cans and then came over to impart some words of wisdom...

The secret to those pristinely white war gravestones is... da da da... washing-up liquid!! Buy the cheap stuff and paint it on really thick with a brush. Wait 5 days or so until it has dried and cracked and then brush it off with a dry brush. Repeat 5 or 6 times a year. Apparently after a year of doing this our gravestones (which were in an unspeakable state despite a lot of effort!) would be looking nearly-new and the lettering wouldn't be affected. Well, it sounded easy, so we tried it... and the proof is in the pictures...

Before:

 After 3 applications of washing up liquid:

 Miraculous!!!!

And yet another tip from that kind gardener... When planting flowers, instead of pouring water into the hole, use lemonade! All that fizz provides wonderful aeration - better than plant food, and a lot cheaper too! Lemonade can also be used in vases for indoor flowers, or use coloured fizzy pop for added decoration!

Helping Charities Needn't Break the Bank!

You want to give to charity, but your pockets aren't as full as your heart is. Luckily, giving money isn't the only option...

Open an ActionAid Credit Card - ActionAid will recieve £15 for each account that is opened, a further £2.50 if the account is used within 6 months, plus 25p for every £100 spent using the card and 25p for every £100 transferred to the card. ActionAid is a partnership between people in rich and poor countries dedicated to ending poverty and injustice. ActionAid works with local people to fight hunger and disease, seek justice and education for women, and cope with emergencies in over 40 countries.

Recycle for MAG - You can raise money for MAG (Mines Advisory Group) and help the environment at the same time by recycling your inkjet and laser cartridges. MAG will provide recycling bags, collection boxes and posters to help you collect and send back eligible items. MAG (Mines Advisory Group) is an humanitarian organisation who work in current and former conflict zones to reduce the threat of death and injury by clearing the remnants of conflict.

Volunteer at Festivals with Oxfam - Oxfam attends the UK’s biggest and best festivals and you can join the team of Oxfam stewards, campaigners and shop volunteers. You’ll see live music from the inside, helping make it all happen. In return you’ll get hot food, warm showers and exclusive staff camping. Better still, you’ll be raising money to fight poverty while you’re at it. Win-win! ;-)

Recycle your Old or Unwanted Glasses - You can donate your glasses to Vision Aid Overseas via collection boxes at your local opticians. Prisoners in the UK have been trained to help prepare the glasses for use in the developing world by cleaning, grading and packing them. The glasses are only dispensed after a full eye examination and great care is taken to match them to the patient.

Donate Your Undies! - In Africa, underwear is prohibitively expensive for most women with prices being as high as 2 weeks' wages for a used pair of knickers, and yet it is the main protection against violent sexual assault. Young girls are less likely to be abused or raped if they are wearing underwear, but a lot of families only have one pair of knickers to share between them! You can help by donating new/used bras and new knickers.

Kiva is a cool charity with a brilliant idea! They match you (and your spare dollars) with pre-screened hard-working entreprenuers in the developing world who hope to create proper incomes by starting their own businesses. All they need is a small loan from you - anything from $25 to $000s. 12 - 15 months later, when that person has a successful business, Kiva will collect the money back in small installments and will pay you back! You can then lend the money out again to someone else if you wish. Kiva is not just about you giving to charity; it's about lending to someone... then lending the same money again, and again, and again... You make a real ongoing difference and you grant people dignity. Cool or what?

Locks of Love accepts ponytail donations and uses them to create hairpieces for disadvantaged children suffering from medical hair loss. Go for that new, short haircut you've been eyeing up, then send them your 10-inch (minimum) ponytail or braid.

Send a Shoebox! - Wrap, pack and send a shoebox full of gifts and goodies and give joy to a child overseas!  In 2009, over 1.18 million shoeboxes were sent to children in disadvantaged situations in Africa, Eastern Europe and Central Asia through "Operation Christmas Child" by adults and children in the UK.

Can you knit? - Even beginners can get involved with the Knit-a-Square project, which is aiming to collect 105,000 squares in 2010 which will be made into 3000 blankets for AIDS orphans in South Africa... Another alternative is the Baby Pack Project which aims to provide under-privileged mothers of newborn babies on the lower south coast of Kwa Zulu Natal (South Africa) with a pack of the most basic items needed for a new-born baby. The project came about when a local lady saw newborn babies leave Ntabeni clinic in Kwa Zulu Natal wrapped in newspaper because the mothers had nothing else to wrap them in! You can help by knitting items to be included in the packs, such as baby cardigans and hooded wraps... Wool can be bought very cheaply at charity shops, and that way you'll be helping another charity too!

"Re-Cycle" your Bicycle! - Re-Cycle collect secondhand bicycles and ship them to Africa where they are distributed and the riders are taught the skills needed to repair and maintain them. Many people in Africa have no access to transport of any kind, and yet transport and development go hand-in-hand. Virtually everything traded, must be transported, and almost everyone needs wheels to get to work or school. Simple, affordable transport generates wealth in developing countries, as well as saving lots of time and back-breaking work.  Walking can take up-to 4 hours per day (collecting water, or walking to school). The burden can cripple a family, hampering work and education opportunities. A bicycle cuts travel time to a fraction, even carrying passengers and heavy loads. Bikes give families the extra time to earn, learn and enjoy life. Donated bikes have also been used to help health/AIDS workers reach remote villages and even provide an ambulance service in remote Namibia.

Host a Child Victim of Chernobyl - The Chernobyl Children’s Lifeline charity bring about 3,000 children a year to the UK for respite care. Volunteer families welcome the children (usually in pairs) into their homes as part of their own family and help to give them a holiday to remember as well as a tremendous boost to their immune systems. It is estimated that one month staying with a family here, eating nourishing food, resting from the relentless radiation and breathing clean air can add up to two years to their life expectancy, and improve their education over the next two years. There is a lot of support for host families and the charity arranges group activities and outings for the children. Each child gets to visit the dentist and optician during their stay and the charity also provides on-going supplies of multi-vitamins and basic healthcare products to the children on their return.

Fun Ways to Make Money Online

Social Networking
Yuwie is a social networking website much like MySpace or FaceBook, but with one big difference: Users are actually paid for the page views that they generate, and for the page views generated by the friends they have referred too! This continues for 10 'levels' with potential monthly earnings of as much as $10,000 if you refer 3 people, who refer 3 people each, who each refer 3 people... all the way down the 10 levels, with each person generating 1000 page views each month. In this way, around half of the website’s advertising revenue is distributed directly and proportionately to its user base.

Another excellent alternative is People String, a new social networking website which has only been on the scene for about 6 months and which pays out 70 percent of its advertising revenue to its members.

Second Life
Believe it or not, it's possible to make money simply by playing one of the massively multi-player online computer games! Second Life allows users to exchange any amount of the in-game currency (Linden dollars) amassed within the game back into real-world funds. Ailin Graef made the headlines in 2006 having claimed that her in-game avatar, Anshe Chung, had generated enough resources to allow her to be classified as a millionaire in reality.

Learn how to profit from your "second life" by reading The Entrepreneur's Guide to Second Life: Making Money in the Metaverse which will walk you through what it takes to launch and run a successful Second Life business and give you the inside tips and know–how you need to join the ranks of successful Second Life entrepreneurs.

Fantasy Stock Markets
At UpDown, users are given $1 million in play money to invest in the real stock market however they wish. Each trade costs $100 to make (virtual money) and anyone who outperforms the S&P 500 Index gets paid (real money). Each month the site dishes out cash to any member who has outperformed the S&P in the given month, and over the past 12 months (or since they joined). The UpDown also pays members weekly for submitting the best stock analyses. Interface-wise, The UpDown is very slick and basically modeled after a real-world trading application. The money comes from real investments the site makes based on the aggregate market data from the site.