October 7, 2007

Today I made a batch of emu oil soap with spearmint and eucalyptus essential oils. A couple of weeks ago I made some with lavender essential oil, it'll be ready soon. I also made a batch of shampoo bars in Black Coffee. No latte scents in this, just pure fresh brewed coffee. I've also got Rosemary Mint and Voodoo Berry shampoo bars curing, as well as a big batch of my Ultimate Oily Skin Soap! I'm slowly putting together some gift baskets for the upcoming Holiday season, they'll be filled with fun assortments of soaps, creams, sprays, exotic oils and little hand knit and crocheted bath goodies.

Dishcloth Dress

Dishcloth Dress
Originally uploaded by TheHomeBody

This was the September 2007 Mid-Month KAL (Knit-A-Long) at the MonthlyDishcloth yahoo group. You never know what you're making until you're done, so it's a lot of fun. Actually, it's given me some ideas for other things.

My New Knit Picks Harmony Needles Review

Originally uploaded by TheHomeBody

First of all, they are beautiful. I've never had anything but the slightest urge to invest in any sort of interchangeable circular needles in the past. I like to knit with wood or bamboo and all the interchangeables that everyone seemed to love were always made of metal, so I instinctively knew they weren't for me. Then I see these little beauties in an email one morning, click the link, and 10 minutes later I'm buying two sets of tips (4 and 6) and a pair of 24" cables (they come in sets of two). I wait about a week for them to arrive, and I immediately tear into the box, screw the tips onto the cables, tighten them with the little tool that comes with them, cast on and start knitting. They are as lovely to knit with as they are to gaze upon. The wood is smooth and warm and slick but not so slippery that stitches fall off when I'm not looking. (By the way, I'm not a new knitter, just a loose one.) The cables are incredibly flexible and the stitches glide across the cable joins as if they weren't even there. Suddenly, I have a need to replace every circular needle in my collection with these. I've already tried to order more tips in more sizes but they're temporarily out of stock. It just may be my perfect needle and it appears I'm not the only one who feels that way. I'm so excited, I almost forgot to mention - the only negative comment I have aside from the fact that I'll have to wait to get more is that it would be nice to have the sizes stamped somewhere on the needles. I plan on having a lot of these and I can see right now that I'm going to get them mixed up. (Is this a 4 or 5? Where did I put that needle sizing gauge checking thing anyway?)

Going Camping

Gotta get packed, we're headed for the mountains! Kings Canyon Sequoia National Park, where it's a lot cooler than Vegas and the green isn't neon. I love camping, and I'm not sure why since it usually involves me cooking and I don't generally enjoy that. The toughest thing is I just can't decide which projects to take along.

Pagoda Knit Cloth

My own design, this pretty little pagoda was knit in Sugar 'n Cream color Sage Green.

My First Feather and Fan!

I thought it would be a great way to show off the pretty colors of the new Sugar 'n Cream Stripes yarn.

Soaps of the Day

I haven't made any soap in weeks, it's just been too doggone hot. It was a tiny bit cooler today, so I made a big batch of emu oil soap and a batch of shampoo bars in Ocean scent, a new fragrance I just haven't been able to keep my nose out of. (I can't wait for these - some of these are going in my personal stash!) I wanted to make more, but by 11 I had big sweaty spots on my t-shirt and I called it quits. Time to watch a little tv and relax with a little knitting.

Knit Claddagh Washcloth

Pretty, yes? It took forever... I used Lion Brand Cotton Ease yarn in Lime (Love this yarn, so soft and smooth...) and a pattern I bought at Knitwits Heaven.

Knit Frog Dish & Spa Cloth

Isn't he cute? There's a little boo-boo on the border, I never saw it until I went to block it and then it leaped out at me. I can't remember where I found this pattern, but there are a ton of links to fun animal dishcloths to be found at the address below. Warning! First you try a few free ones, next thing you know you're buying patterns for things you never thought of turning into a dishcloth. Start here!

Green Irish Tweed type Soap

This is my Green Irish Tweed (House of Creed Type) fragranced soap. It has top notes of lemon and French verbena, middle notes of Florentine iris and violet leaves, base notes of mysore sandalwood and ambergris.

Legend is that this fragrance was originally created for Cary Grant and has been worn by a number of celebrities, including Richard Gere, Clint Eastwood, Robert Redford, Stevie Wonder, Quincy Jones, and Naomi Campbell (yes, women like to wear it also).

Packaged in an earth friendly soap box and fully labeled, this 4 + oz bar of green, hand made, hand cut, natural cold process soap is stamped in gold with the SOAP. It's made with rice bran oil, coconut oil, olive oil, shea butter, castor oil, fragrance, and chromium green oxide (mineral colorant).

Solid Shampoo Bar

Solid Shampoo
Originally uploaded by TheHomeBody

This is the solid shampoo bar that I make. It's not soap, like most of the bars being sold as solid shampoos. This one smells like fresh air, clean water and sea salt, so I call the fragrance Ocean. It's made of mild cleansers and good things like panthenol and avocado butter. You can read more about them here:

Solid Shampoo

Sunny Days Hand Knit Cloth

knit-cloth-sun
Originally uploaded by TheHomeBody

100% Cotton of course. The designs on these show up better in person.

Knit Butterfly Spa Cloth

knit-cloth-butterfly
Originally uploaded by TheHomeBody

100% Cotton yarn, knit and purl stitches. You can see the opposite image on the back. I'm having fun making some spa cloths/dishcloths with designs.