Storey's Curious Compendium of Practical and Obscure Skills: 214 Things You Can Actually Learn How to Do

Ever wanted to understand how chickens communicate? How to capture a swarm of bees? Properly sharpen a knife? Navigate by the stars? From Storey Publishing’s vast library of expertly-authored how-to books comes a compilation of valuable skills covering every area of interest and presented through colorful how-to illustrations and custom photography. Drawing from the worlds of farming, gardening, building, cooking, preserving, crafts, and natural medicine and body care, Know It ALL celebrates the diverse ideas and experiences that enable a self-sufficient lifestyle. The wisdom in these pages covers the small, the substantial, and everything in between, including how to tell a sheep from a goat; how to pour a beer for great foam; how to field dress a deer; how to predict weather by the clouds; how to put a bike chain back on; how to darn socks; and how to build a homestead from (and in) the woods. Some skills are purely enriching, like learning to sketch nature or teaching a cat to jump through a hoop, while others can be lifesaving, such as knowing how to dismount a horse in an emergency or how to find fresh water when water is scarce. Whether readers are casually curious knowledge-seekers or deeply invested in living more independently, Know It ALL opens the mind while teaching just about anything anyone could ever wish to do themselves.