where it all began!

inquiring minds have wanted to know where my blog name came from so here in lies the tale!

a number of years ago i decided i wanted to make soap. after spending a lot of time investigating the subject and overcoming my fear of dealing with lye and the accompanying poison warning signs, i made the leap! now, each and every year, around this time, i make several batches of soap to gift during the holidays. and, this year is no different - in the past couple of weeks i have made batches of lime-coconut, orange-spice, and almond.

i thought i would share some of the steps involved in the process as my science experiment progressed so......here goes!step #1 - i measure out 12 ounces of sodium hydroxide (very scientific, eh?) otherwise known as lye.

step #2 - i combine the sodium hydroxide with 4 cups of cold water. i do this with the windows open, the exhaust fan running full bore, while wearing gloves, goggles and a mask. the fumes are extremely toxic! the neatest part of this operation is that when the sodium hydroxide mixes with the water the temperature rises to well over 180 degrees! science in action - should have paid more attention in high school chemistry class as i know there is some term for this. once the sodium hydroxide dissolves i leave the water/lye mix to cool. step #3 - now i measure out the oilsand place in a pot. i put the pot on the stove on low and waitand wait and wait for the oils to melt (this takes a long time since the oils are over low heat because you don't want them to get too hot!)

step #4 - i spend tons of time checking temperatures of both the oils and the water/lye. both need to be between 100 and 110 degrees.

step #5 - when both have reached the same temperature, i pour the water/lye solution into the oils and begin mixing and mixingand mixing until the solution begins to thicken and saponify (the chemical reaction that binds the oil and lye together to make soap).

when it reaches the stage of thick whipped cream, it's ready for the molds, which are filled in rapid order while the mixture is still pliable!

step #6 - once the molds are filled they are put to bed wrapped in a big wool blanket to hibernate for the next 24 hours while the saponification process continues.

step #7 - 24 hours or so later, the soaps are unmolded and set aside to finish curing for another three weeks.

voila! soap that has a wonderful aroma and good lather that takes you to infinity and beyond!

a sort of 'cosmic comfort'!!

never felt better!

let me introduce you to the feltmaker's dream machine - the wonder washer. a neat little unit that sits on your counter and whirls away felting the heck out of knitted wool. i acquired this little number several years ago when i discovered that my expensive, 'had to have' (it is environmentally friendly) front loader would not allow me to felt! argh!

after putting the hit on my friends for the use of their top loaders, i stumbled upon the wanda at one of the lys, swishing a felted hat. eureka! i had hit the mother lode! i couldn't get home fast enough and hit the net to order one of these for myself! and i'm mighty glad i did as it works like a charm - a couple of 15 minute rounds and voila, felting ecstasy!

i found a great pattern for a labyrinth carpetbag in the ik holiday gifts 2008. i raided my wool leftovers and put together side a

and side b.

an extremely quick knit (i guess it might only have been a quick knit because i have been obsessed with it and have done nothing else!) so, after coffee this morning i abandoned all other tasks and fired up wanda, the wonder!

i filled up the bucket with hot water and a little detergent and stuffed in the bag!
turned the dial to 15 minutes and let 'er rip!

this is the bag submerged in the water...

and here is the bag agitating, like a whirling dervish!

after a couple of go rounds - tada, the felted bag stuffed with plastic bags (thank goodness i haven't recycled them lately but, my, oh my, they seem to multiple way too easily!). the pattern recommended a dandy set of handles. i googled the brand listed and was astonished to find that they were pushin' $40 a pair!! ouch! so, i think i'll check out the goodwill for a handbag and recycle and reuse an old set!

a win-win all the way around! using up some stash while creating a new project bag! and above all, getting to play with wanda again!! :-)

mission accomplished!

here they are! shots of the aforementioned sweaters completed during the month of october.

Number 1 is the 'side to side garter stitch vest' from the tahki book terra collection. it is knit in black cable cotton from elisbeth lavold. the pattern had a mistake in it which i, fortunately, learned about on ravelry before knitting the item. once again, aside from the error, i felt the directions were vague and lacking. as is the case with sewing, i'm glad i'm not a newby knitter or this could have put me over the top! as far as the stitches go, it was pretty boring with miles of nothing but garter stitch! ugh!

Number 2 is the february lady's sweater. the pattern is available on ravelry - well written and a fast and easy knit - again, miles of garter stitch in the top area but a fun and simple lace pattern for the body and sleeves. The absolute best bargain with this little number is the lack of seaming since it is a knit in one piece from the neck down! blessings to ez for originally designing this one!
it is knit out of a gorgeous tweed in blues/greens from plymouth. i was forced to make two trips to foothills yarn and fiber in the beautiful hood river valley to get an adequate amount of yarn to finish the sweater. it really was a tough assignment! especially the parts when i was forced to fondle beautiful new alpaca yarn!

Number 3 is 'juliet' from zepher style. i used ggh 'aspen' yarn that i snagged at the abundant yarn and dyeworks end of summer soiree. another fast knit since the yarn is a bulky number. and, once again, another visit to the land of the garter stitch and, of course, knit from the top down so no seams to sew! can't beat that!! the sweater seems to be a hit as i've experienced a lot of swooning!

so, what's next you ask? actually, whether you ask or not, i'll tell! it's time to begin my yearly adventure in soap making. so...out comes the oils, lye and delightful essential oil aromas. let the wild rumpus begin! until next time...bubble, bubble, toil and trouble!

it's in the bag!

it's been a looooooong time comin'. i picked up this fabric at fibers in motion in multnomah village so many months ago. it spoke to me! not the least bit surprising to me with the fabulous rich color combo! the fabric is from the designer series called 'jane's hothouse garden' by jane sassaman for westminster fibers. if you have never seen a quilt by jane, give her a google - when you've seen one, you'll never forget her and her style and use of color!! va-va-voom!

as usual, the fabric sat in it's bag (i'm not a person who limits their fabric purchases to specific projects, to say the least!!) waiting for that magic moment. lo and behold, that project reared it's head on the cover to the july '08 issue of threads mag - july, mind you! after moving the bag of fabric and the mag around 'my hole' (my beloved's description of my studio!) for many moons, i decided that enough was enough on a dismal, dreary, rainy fall morning. what better way to pick up one's spirits on such a dank day than with bright, vivid color! and so the adventure began.

i must say that the pattern, as is the case with many patterns i seem to come across, was lacking 'big time' in directions. once again, 'thank you, jesus', i'm glad i'm not a beginning seamstress or i would have been extremely frustrated! after multiple re-readings of what brief notes were included and deciphering sparse pictures, i was on my way. and, voila, above is the result - a delightful new knitting bag!

as is usually the case, it took longer to construct than i had anticipated but isn't that the way it always seems to go! and alas, as usual, some activities of daily living (i.e. cleaning, vacuuming, cooking) had to take a back seat - oh, soooooo sad! but, i guess i can apply the old adage that no creative person wants to see on her headstone: "she kept a neat house!". i'd rather have a bright new bag!

YAHOO!!!

praise the lord and pass the ammunition!!

it's a new dawn!!!

knit on!!!

prolific!

prolific adj 1 producing many offspring or much output. 2 [often foll. by of] abundantly productive.

and apparently, on hindsight, that is exactly what i have been this past month! not in the offspring area (heaven forbid!!) but in the knitting area! my heavens, i have cranked out a couple of sweaters, a couple of vests, a sock, and a couple of lace shawls! wow!! since i am absolutely the world's worst photographer, i'm waiting for assistance with sweater pictures but here is my latest shawl. it is the evelyn clark pattern 'flower basket' from fiber trends, knit from some wonderful handspun blue faced leicester in the colorway 'autumn' from abstract fiber.com. i scored this delicious find at offf - i passed it in a booth at least three times (it kept calling me!) before i stepped up to the plate and made it mine! it soooo says fall to me!! i love it! casual and dressy at the same time! oh, so versatile!!

and i must say, this lace knitting business is really something!! it is soooo cool! and it really moves along once you get the hang of the respective pattern!! i could be in deep, deep trouble!! every time i look at yarn i am seeing lace patterns! yikes!! i think i'm in love!!