SKIP Club - Doing 1 BB a Week for 2022!

Well.... I just mended 5 holes in a quilt thinking I was using cotton quilting thread and only realized at the end that it was all purpose cotton/polyester. That's what I get for not keeping my sewing materials organized. I'm not going to re-do it because it is a 20 year old quilt and there will be more holes. So next time I will double check my thread before mending it! Regardless I got to practice my whip stitch. Mend a Hole in a Quilt is going back on my to-do list.

Nikki Roche wrote:I cooked quinoa in the Instant Pot for the Food Preservation BB. I've used my Instant Pot half a dozen times, and so far, I'm not impressed. I expected there to be a learning curve, but none of the foods have come out just right and it certainly hasn't made meal prep easier or faster like so many people rave about.

We use an IP almost weekly and have found it works well for some things and not for others. We used it for rice and lentils once only because our rice cooker couldn't hold the amount we needed and the texture of the rice was not great. But it's amazing for cooking dried beans without soaking. We also use it to make whole chicken that is frozen without defrosting. I know some people use their IP for everything, but generally our IP meals are recipes that would take a day or more otherwise. Maybe we're just picky about texture.

Jori Love wrote:

We use an IP almost weekly and have found it works well for some things and not for others. We used it for rice and lentils once only because our rice cooker couldn't hold the amount we needed and the texture of the rice was not great. But it's amazing for cooking dried beans without soaking. We also use it to make whole chicken that is frozen without defrosting. I know some people use their IP for everything, but generally our IP meals are recipes that would take a day or more otherwise. Maybe we're just picky about texture.

I forgot I had cooked a whole chicken in the Instant Pot. That was the one thing that turned out well, which surprised me. I don't like chicken in the crockpot and assumed I wouldn't like the texture from the IP,  either.
Even hardboiled eggs messed up for me (half cracked), and I was told those are foolproof.

I most definitely did a BB last week and most definitely forgot to post it on here. (Fixed the leaky toilet!) At least I took pictures! I'm so bad at keeping my PEP progress updated...

Still haven't done one for this week, oh no!

This week, I replaced the crotch in a pair of shorts. I got a bunch of secondhand shorts/pants all in one go a few years back, and had 4 pairs fail in the past two weeks, so was highly motivated to get this done to avoid being indecent whilst cycling!



We've had very little wind, so winnowing seeds has been delayed a bit. I may have to use a fan if we keep having such still days. Maybe the seed saving badge bit will happen this next week.

L. Johnson -- I like your green woodworking projects! Hope they take up some of your suggestions re: the roundwood badge to give it a bit more flexibility.

Jori -- I have 100% done that before! I have a bunch of secondhand thread--some cotton, some polycotton, and I'm just trying to use it up and replace what I have with cotton. Can be hard to remember to use just the cotton thread, though! It's a lovely quilt, and hopefully will benefit from your continuing ministrations!

Rebecca -- It's not too late! Post it!

I probably can't commit to something so regular as once a week, but I would like to get some badges done and will try to do at least one a month.
Bookmark of PEA badge list: https://permies.com/p/1003758
Bookmark of PEP badge list: https://permies.com/wiki/pep

I started with a PEA gardening badge, but the plants need a month to grow, so the first ones I actually posted involved cottonwood. I went on a walk today and remembered cottonwood bud season was starting! And then I remembered there was badges for medicine and cuttings!
Willow feeder badge: https://permies.com/p/1369665
Natural medicine badge: https://permies.com/p/1369676

Then, after I saw that oiling wood utensils was a badge I did that too!!
Nest badge: https://permies.com/p/1369699

C Lundquist, you're on a roll!

I cleaned my daughter's room yesterday and received the BB for cleaning a rug while I was at it. I'm at BB20! I was hoping to get to BB20 by spring and got there a lot sooner with inspiration from y'all.

I have been focusing on submitting the backlog of BB that I have from attending the PTJ last summer. I find completing the BBs a lot more fun than trying to properly document them, but once I start getting my BBs in and approved it is motivating. I got my Hugelkulture bed and Ruth Stout composting approved today and was able to submit for my Gardening Sand badge. As soon as I get one more of my pending BBs approved I will be able to submit for my BB40 Badge! I also made a fennel infusion today to help my daughter who has an upset stomach. That will be worth a couple different natural medicine BBs. I'll add that to my to post list. LOL. I have made progress though. Ash's PEP tracker spreadsheet is helping me out immensely.

C Lundquist, thanks for alerting me to the fact that this is the time of year to harvest cottonwood buds for making Balm of Gilead. I've been itching to get out foraging again, and now I know I don't even have to wait until spring. I'm excited to try this.

I did it!  1 badge bit for Jan.  Three hours, 2 1/2 of which was fussing with technology.   I need to get more organized and not use Google Docs for anything unless I'm trying to slow, sink, and soak something.

Happy lunar new year everyone!

Robin Swindle wrote: I also made a fennel infusion today to help my daughter who has an upset stomach. That will be worth a couple different natural medicine BBs. I'll add that to my to post list.

I need some of that fennel infusion! I'm stuck in bed with a stomach bug, ugh.

Good time to post the BBs I'm so bad at posting though, got my "Fix a leaky toilet" one up.
I started an Etsy shop to get the "sell goods" commerce badge, just have to wait until I actually sell a good lol

Time to go peruse the photos on my phone and see if I can find my seed saving ones, they're all over the place and surely buried by many other photos now so it honestly may be easier to just take new ones, ugh.

My goal today is to get the Nest badge by completing 3 BBs this afternoon. Wish me luck!

I hope you are feeling better soon Rebecca!

Nice work on your sand badge Joshua!!!

It was a literal pain taking some last couple of pictures I needed for the seed saving BB, but I did it :)

So I thought I had 3 BBs left for the Nest sand badge .... I actually had 4! I did a lot of BBs a while back and they have since been moved to the straw level. Anyway! I cleaned windows, beat the snot out of an area rug, greased hinges, and whitened whites without bleach!

I'm very tired!

Ashley Cottonwood wrote:So I thought I had 3 BBs left for the Nest sand badge .... I actually had 4! I did a lot of BBs a while back and they have since been moved to the straw level. Anyway! I cleaned windows, beat the snot out of an area rug, greased hinges, and whitened whites without bleach!

Woohoo! What a productive day :D

Hey SKIPees!

I thought I would just let you know that if you're looking to go to any events this Summer at Wheaton Labs that the work trade is open for 2022!

Work Trade PDC/PTJ/SKIP 2022

Ashley Cottonwood wrote:Also, let me know if you have more clever name than "The Skip Club"!

I don't know how people feel about profanity, but I had the name "Badge Bitches" pop into my head the other day and wanted to start a BB club just to be able to use it!

I was in a good groove a couple summers ago, but fell off the wagon a bit. Back at it now and aiming to do one BB a week! I have my next few planned out, but I'm going to need to start looking into how and where I can get some of the bigger ones done (gardening, woodworking, etc).

I'm committing to myself to upload my pics of a badge bit today.  

I did January if I didn't already boast.  Animal wellness check.

Got my BBs done for last week and the week before--plus two extra!--but forgot to post here (whoops!)

Two weeks ago, I cleaned a bathroom.


While cleaning the bathroom, I realised the tub wasn't draining properly, so I cleaned out the drum trap under it--the predecessor of the p-trap.


Made some chocolates and spilled some between the oven and bench, so pulled out the oven and cleaned it thoroughly.


To combat the drought, I've been saving dishpan water all summer, but finally took pictures of using it to water the garden!



Ashley - You're on a roll! Congrats on getting the Nest sand badge!

Cam - I think that name is pretty clever (and funny!), but I like the wholesome vibe that permies has going and am not sure how well it fits in. Good going on getting some BBs done, by the way!

Joshua - Did you get your BBs posted? I know for me taking the photos is easy, but getting them all sorted, edited and loaded onto Permies seems to be a bit more challenging!

Nice work on those photos! Did you even get fresh flowers for the bathroom?

Hello Again!

I was away this week but I'm hoping to get a commerce BB for work preformed over the internet. I just have to figure out how to show proof in a way that makes sense as I got paid in Bitcoin...

I was also wondering if anyone is interested in being an instructor for the SKIP event this Summer? You'll need to have at least BB40 and have been to Wheaton Labs before. There is the free SKIP event in the Spring too! So if you haven't been to Wheaton Labs before this is a great opportunity. If anyone is interested in being a SKIP instructor please let me know and I can help you with any questions or concerns you have.

Here is some more information on the SKIP event: https://permies.com/w/skip-2022

Cleaned cat pee off a chair
https://permies.com/p/1376296

How did the cleaning go? Did the cat pee smell come out? Super curious!

I really hope to get a commerce BB today. I just need some help on how to post information without giving private information, but I think my husband can help with that.

Anyone else going to the BB20 event? I would love to meet ya'll!

BB20 Spring 2022

I'd like to join!

https://permies.com/wiki/40/144616/BB-Certification-Apply-Boast-Certify#1378035  yeah! averaging about a bb a week accepted! have a few incomplete or edge bb so we will keep on trucking!

I got a BB last week for setting up a rag system. I hadn't had one in place before but wanted to try an alternative to toilet paper. I cut up an old towel and found a sturdy canvas bag that we weren't using. It's working pretty great!

I'm a few BBs behind my goal of one per week but this is what I have in the works:

-Finish Baking Two Loaves of Bread. We finally found a whole wheat sandwich bread recipe that works well for our home milled flour. It's a fair amount of work so I'm trying to make one every couple of weeks.

- Make A Map. I read a book recently called The Book of Delights. It was quirky and it made me want to look for more delightful things in this world. So I decided to use this BB to make a map of delights in my neighborhood. It's going to include things like the Best Sledding Hill and my Favorite Plum Picking Spot plus all the Little Free Pantry/Library spots. I'm going to ask to hang it at the community garden, which is just below the neighborhood.

-Natural Medicine Infusions/Tinctures- I have a few calendula and yarrow infusions in the works. These will be ready to finish next week then I hope to make a calendula salve for my hands before gardening season really gets started here.

-Host a seed swap - I've been doing a lot of research on this and have put out an announcement in my community garden to see how many people are interested in attending. Feeling a little intimidated by the details but hoping to put together a great event that can continue in future years.

Yes, my husband and I switched to toilet cloth about a year ago and we have had a great experience so far.

I was able to get a commerce BB for doing work over the internet and getting paid for it. I hope to get another commerce BB next week. I would also like to sew a pillow. I was going to collect cattails for it but I've been sick and the lake that they grow on is a bit of a hike!

Congrats on the commerce BB! Please do keep us posted on the cattails pillow. I'm interested in learning to sew with more natural materials, especially those that are free.

As a side note I hope you're feeling better soon!

Ashley Cottonwood wrote:How did the cleaning go? Did the cat pee smell come out? Super curious!

Yes! It's not my first time round this rodeo. Between cloth diapers and an elderly cat, I've tried tons of urine removal ideas. Enzyme spray is the best thing I've tried! (Works great for soaking cloth diapers too)

I'm hoping to do the organize a dysfunctional closet badge bit soon. Our shoe closet at the entrance is out of control and it's such a valuable space.

Got my grease hinges badge bit this week! https://permies.com/wiki/24/112744/pep-nest/Grease-Hinges-PEP-BB-nest#1377984

Next up I have some textile, commerce, and food things that I just need to make sure I document.

Also, any tips for how to hang up a rug to beat if I don't have a suitable railing or clothesline?

Y'all are moving right along! I've taken a break from BBs for the last couple of weeks, but I hope to make up for it next month.

Cam Lee wrote:Also, any tips for how to hang up a rug to beat if I don't have a suitable railing or clothesline?

I saw someone lay a rug over a trashcan, so they beat the back of it and the dirt went into the can. .

Jennifer Pomy wrote:However, I HAVE to get more organized and figure out how to keep track of my BBs and what I want to do. Problem for me is I'm not the most tech savvy person and pen and paper work best for me. I can't wait to get a skip book. I think that's going to work, but sad to have to wait until April. Gonna have to spend some time making a notebook.

I know Ash Jackson also has their BB tracker in multiple formats here: https://permies.com/t/119155/PEP-Badge-Tracker-easier-track

Congratulations everybody!  I’ve completed most of the concoctions for Natural Medicine (straw) and need to post some Quinn list BBs.

Jennifer Pomy wrote:However, I HAVE to get more organized and figure out how to keep track of my BBs and what I want to do. Gonna have to spend some time making a notebook.

Cam Lee wrote: I know Ash Jackson also has their BB tracker I'm multiple formats here: https://permies.com/t/119155/PEP-Badge-Tracker-easier-track

I have used lots of different organizational strategies since I srarted doing BBs. First, I copied BB links into excel. I’ve also tried Ash’s tracker options, and R’s Google Tracker, and several different paper options.  I like the data storage of a spreadsheet or database AND want a more tactile option so I usually had a notebook with one aspect  per page with a  list of all the sand BBs so I could see my progress while focusing on one aspect at a time.

This week I got a commerce BB for cottage industry (renting a tiny house) and I made a pillow from an old shirt and the ribbons from my wedding bouquet! The pillow was stuffed with cattails I collected.





I'm going to see if I can weave a basket from the reeds from the cattails and anther plant I found out on the lake ice.

Here from the daily-ish! This is definitely what I need right now. I’m going to start a button jar today. I’ve also been trying to finish “clean a kitchen” forever and it’s doing me in because it just gets dirty faster than I can clean it! Let’s set that as a goal for a week from now, see if the boost of motivation helps.

Louise Berns wrote:Here from the daily-ish! This is definitely what I need right now. I’m going to start a button jar today. I’ve also been trying to finish “clean a kitchen” forever and it’s doing me in because it just gets dirty faster than I can clean it! Let’s set that as a goal for a week from now, see if the boost of motivation helps.

I'm having the same problem with the kitchen! I cleaned it for my daughter's party last weekend, but it got used before I took photos. I need to take photos after I clean each section instead of waiting until the end!

I have multiple things in the works, just not finished yet. A partially seasoned cast iron pan. An herbal oil that needs to be made into a salve. A brush pile that isn't tall enough, yet.

Late start, but I'm loving this for motivation and accountability.  The last year my SKIP goals kind of went out the window. We have big plans for this spring summer and fall as far as projects go, most revolving around our new addition to the family, coming in late July. 😀  Also joining our urban homestead will be chickens.
So now I just need to document our progress and I think I should get some Bbs accomplished

I'm trying to avoid edge case BBs because I know it adds more work to the permies team. So I thought what better place to ask than in the SKIP club! The slight variations in the natural medicine badges requirements have me uncertain.

I realized that when I harvested calendula I was working off of the infused oil requirement which is "picture of calendula being harvested" and took a picture while picking it in my garden. I had leftover blooms and made the tincture too, and only just now noticed it says "picture of the blossoms, freshly harvested". Of course, I don't take enough pictures and so I have none of harvested, fresh blossoms. I have a pic of them dried and stored in a jar but that doesn't quite work either. Really I need to take more/better action shots of everything I'm doing.

What do you all think? Does the attached photo work for Make a calendula blossom tincture since it works for Make calendula infused oil?