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How to Clean a Bicycle Chain A clean, well lubed chain is the cheapest way to keep a bike running smoothly. This guide covers a straightforward clean with the chain still on the bike, followed by fresh lube. 20-30 minBeginnerSports & Outdoors
How to Cross-Stitch a Simple Pattern Cross-stitch turns a simple grid of Xs into a finished design. It is one of the easiest crafts to learn. All you need is fabric, floss, and a little patience while you find your rhythm. 1-2 hoursBeginnerDIY & Crafts
How to Draw Radius Lines on an Arc Without Its Center An arch, a fan or a curved rail needs lines that all point at the middle. When the middle is off the wall or out in the yard, you can still strike every one of them with a compass and a straightedge alone. 15 minIntermediateDIY & Crafts
How to Find the Center of a Circle with a Compass A drawn curve carries no mark where its center is, and often you cannot measure to it. This is the way the old drawing offices found it, with a compass, a straightedge and seven moves. 10 minIntermediateDIY & Crafts
How to Find the North Star Polaris, the North Star, is the one star in the northern sky that barely moves, which makes it a reliable pointer to true north. This guide shows you how to pick it out on a clear night, and how to turn it into a direction. 10-15 minBeginnerSports & Outdoors
How to Find Your Average First Frost Date Your average first frost date is the anchor for most fall garden planning. This guide shows you how to look it up, and how much to trust it. 10 minBeginnerHome & Garden
How to Fix a Zipper You can often fix a stuck or broken zipper at home. You need basic tools and a little patience. That saves you from replacing a garment that is otherwise good. 15 minIntermediateDIY & Crafts
How to Frame a Finished Cross Stitch Piece Framing your own finished cross stitch gives you control over how the piece is mounted and protected. The results can rival professional framing. The key is stretching the fabric evenly over a board. You must also keep the glass off the stitches. 1-2 hoursIntermediateDIY & Crafts
How to Get Cat Hair Off Clothes Cat hair sticks to clothes and does not want to let go. This guide covers the quick fixes for one garment, the laundry tricks for a whole load, and the habits that stop the hair getting there in the first place. 10-20 min per garmentBeginnerPets
How to Grow Garlic Garlic is easy to grow at home. It does need a cold rest period, a sunny spot, and a well-prepared bed. These steps take you from choosing a site through to curing and storing. Follow them for a generous harvest. 30 minIntermediateHome & Garden
How to Make Compost Compost is dead plant and food matter that has broken down into something dark and crumbly. Dug into a bed, it improves the soil's structure. It helps the soil hold water. It also feeds plants slowly, a little at a time, instead of all at once. To make it, stack dry material and green material in roughly the right amounts. Keep the pile damp. Turn it often enough to get air into the middle. This guide covers a hot pile, one you look after actively. That is the version worth the effort. 1 hour to buildIntermediateHome & Garden
How to Measure Ground Ingredients by Volume Ground ingredients like flour and cocoa powder can be measured by weight or by volume, and the two do not always agree. This guide shows how to get an accurate amount from a measuring cup, and when to reach for a scale instead. 5 minBeginnerFood & Drink
How to Pack a Carry-On Bag Packing a week of clothes into one carry-on bag is mostly a set of small decisions made in the right order. Choose fewer, smarter items first, then pack them so they take up as little space as possible. 1-2 hoursBeginnerTravel
How to Pitch a Tent A tent goes up quickly once you know the sequence, and slowly when you are guessing at it in the dark. Here is the order to work in, from the practice run at home to the last guy line. 20-30 min the first time, 10-15 min once practisedBeginnerSports & Outdoors
How to Plant Tomatoes Tomatoes do well when you give them a little extra care at planting time. Get the basics right at the start. Then you can spend the rest of the season harvesting instead of fixing problems. 20-30 min per plantIntermediateHome & Garden
How to Point a Rope End A whipped rope end is blunt and often too fat to pass through the block it has to reeve through. Pointing tapers the end instead, and covers the taper in a woven sleeve made from the rope's own yarns. Sailors did it as a matter of course and almost nobody writes it down now. 1 hourAdvancedDIY & Crafts
How to Read a Cross Stitch Chart A cross stitch chart is the map for your whole project. Once you can read one, the stitching itself becomes easy. This guide explains what the grid, the symbols and the markings mean. It also shows you how to place your first stitch in the right spot. 10-15 minBeginnerNeedlework
How to Read a Tape Measure A tape measure tells you more than whole inches, once you know how to read it. This guide covers the sliding hook and the small lines along the blade. 5 minBeginnerDIY & Crafts
How to Repot a Houseplant Repotting gives a crowded houseplant fresh soil and room for new roots. This guide covers when to do it, what pot and mix to use, and how to move the plant across without hurting it. 20-30 min per plantIntermediateHome & Garden
How to Roll Coins for the Bank Loose change is only worth something once a bank will take it, and most banks want it rolled. This guide takes you from a jar of mixed coins to neat rolls you can hand over the counter. 30-60 minBeginnerMoney
How to Set Up a Litter Box Most litter box trouble comes down to the setup rather than the cat. Get the number of boxes, the box itself, the litter and the spot right, and the rest is upkeep. Here is how to arrange all four, and how often to scoop. 30 minBeginnerPets
How to Start Tomato Seedlings from Seed Tomatoes are easy to grow from seed indoors. Starting your own also gives you varieties that no garden center will ever sell. The work spreads over a couple of months, but the hands-on time is small. You sow the seeds, give them light and water for a few weeks, then move them outdoors slowly. 30-45 min to sow, then 6-8 weeks of daily tendingIntermediateVegetable Gardening
How to Store Fresh Basil Do not keep basil in the fridge. It turns black and goes limp in a day or two. For the next few days, treat it like a bunch of cut flowers on the counter. To keep it for months, freeze it in oil instead. 5 minBeginnerFood & Drink
How to Tie a Bowline Knot The bowline makes a fixed loop at the end of a rope. The loop keeps its size under load, and the knot is still easy to untie afterwards. This guide covers how it is tied. 5 minBeginnerDIY & Crafts
How to Tie a Chain Sinnet The chain sinnet is a quick way to gather a long rope or cable into a short, tidy chain that will not tangle. It takes seconds to make, and one pull takes it all out again. 5 minBeginnerDIY & Crafts
How to Tie a Constrictor Knot The constrictor knot is a binding knot that grips hard and is meant not to let go. On very slick line or a polished surface it can slip rather than bind. This guide shows you two ways to tie it, plus how to release it when the job is done. 5 minIntermediateDIY & Crafts
How to Tie a Double Overhand Stopper Knot The Double Overhand is a stopper knot tied in the end of a rope. It is a plain overhand knot with one extra turn, and that extra turn is what gives it its bulk. 5 minBeginnerDIY & Crafts
How to Tie a Stopper Knot A stopper knot is a small knot you tie in the end of a rope. It stops the end slipping through a hole, a block, a device, or another knot. The figure-eight is the knot most people mean by a stopper. It is quick to tie, easy to recognise, and good enough for everyday jobs. This guide shows you how to tie one. Then it shows you how to check that it works. 5 minBeginnerDIY & Crafts
How to Tie a Strangle Knot The strangle knot holds something round shut. Use it on the neck of a sack, a rolled-up mat, or a bundle of poles. It is two turns and a tuck. It lies flat instead of bunching up. The tighter you pull it, the harder it bites. 5 minBeginnerDIY & Crafts
How to Tie a Tie The Four-in-Hand is the knot most people learn first. It is slightly uneven, easy to remember, and right for almost any collar. 5 minBeginnerFashion & Style
How to Whistle With Your Fingers A finger whistle is loud enough to carry across a field, and it costs nothing but practice. This guide takes you from an empty mouth to a clean, piercing note. 10-20 min a session, over about a weekIntermediateEducation
How to Winterize a Garden Winterizing means getting your garden ready for winter. It takes a few visits, not one afternoon. Time each visit around the first frost date in your area. This guide shows what to do before, at, and after the first freeze. It helps you protect your plants, soil, and tools through winter. 3-4 hours totalIntermediateHome & Garden