Feeling Soapy!

Happy weekend, dear readers! And now for something completely different....

Behold my first batch of handmade soap for 5 years!


As a diversion from knitting, I've started to have a little reversion to the past and thrown myself back into cold process soap making. This used to be one of my major crafty obsessions from the late 1990s - just one of the many building blocks in my crafty journey through life. At some point oil painting took over as my number one obsession, not to menton knitting, and my love affair with soap was put on the back burner...

But recently a series of things have conspired to reignite my soapy urges. First of all, I used up the last of my lovely handmade bars and was filled with regret at having to revert to shop-bought soap. Then a few weeks ago I listened to the soapy episode of the iMake podcast and recalled how much fun I used to have with this, bringing evocative memories of a time when my house smelled like a fragrant pharmacy.

Finally, I discovered my intact (and delightfully anal) soaping spreadsheet, which contains my recipe calculator and detailed notes about all of my previous batches. (Sadly I was not a blogger back in my soapy days, but the spreadsheet meant that I still had a full set of records to refer to - hoorah!) This time around, I intend to supplement my spreadsheet notes for each new batch with a blog post and photos... so watch this space.


These bars are currently 'curing' to firm up a litttle and will be ready to use in a couple of weeks. They're made from a combination of olive oil, coconut oil, palm oil and palm kernel oil - mixed with sodium hydroxide and coconut milk. The yellowish colour is a result of combining olive oil with the warmed coconut milk and the deep hue of one of the essential oils. When the soap became ready for moulding, I added calendula petals for decorative effect and scented the batch with my personal favourite blend of Lavender, Ylang Ylang and Patchouli essential oils. Scent blends are a very personal thing, but all I can say is that this one makes my heart sing. Each of the oils is changed in nature by combining it with the others and, as it matures, this blend becomes reminiscent of light rain on a summer evening.

This week I've been testing the curing of this batch by using offcuts like these to wash my hands.


I've noticed that the lather is geting fluffier by the day and the soap milder. Once these offcuts are fully dried out, I'm going to try something new, by grinding them to a powder and combining with finely ground oatmeal to make a softening skin scrub... (will blog the results of that later!)

For now - if any of you are interested in giving cold process soaping a go, I'd recommend a copy of Smart Soapmaking by Anne Watson - it's a great beginners' guide that demystifies the process beautifully.

Fast and chunky

I spent last week bimbling around the heavenly lanes of Venice, with yarn far from my mind.... until I happened to pass a shop whose window display was a veritable shrine to the colour grey. (Those who know me well are aware that showing me grey yarn is like offering me crack... in fact I probably own enough grey yarn of varying fibres to knit myself a pack of life-sized huskies.)

So - even the presence of a belligerent, tourist-hating shop owner having a fag outside the shop and doing all in her power to block my entrance was not enough to hold me back from the grey fondley goodness. (And in fact she cheered up considerably once she spotted me breezing past the 'fun fibres' and heading straight for the cashmere).

But I was very good and managed to be quite restrained, coming out with nothing other than with two balls of Casma yarn - an Italian branded baby alpaca that is gloriously soft and, in this case, marled in lovely shades of grey.

It was just the thing I needed to make a birthday gift for an old friend of mine and, once I returned home, I found an excellent free pattern on ravelry to complete the project. It's called "simple braided cable scarf", by Madeleine Berrevoets.



The scarf knits quickly on 8mm needles and uses a simple cable pattern to result in an undulating shape. It's ideal for people who like a long, narrow scarf that can be wrapped around the neck several times or one that can be worn long, in the style of a lariat.

Click here for full ravelry details.

And here are a few more pics...

My new favourite podcast

This week I'm pleased to report that I have discovered a new crafty podcast called iMake.

Having listened to the first ten episodes, it has become a favourite for various reasons. For one thing, it makes a nice change to listen to something that is about general crafts - as opposed to just knitting. It keeps making me want to try out new things, or rediscover crafts that I used to do and have forgotten about. For another, it's just rather lovely to put my headphones on during my hectic daily commute and listen to a gentle, enthusiastic voice wittering on about soothing crafty things.

The presenter is very easy to listen to, being a softly spoken Guernsey lass. So far she has talked about jewellery making, precious-metal-clay, papercrafting, sewing and knitting (and I can see that later episodes will be covering soap making and other crafts).

If you'd like to listen to her 30-second promo for the podcast, click here

To visit her craft blog and subscribe to the podcast, click here

Skinny Scarf for Sis

My second FO of the weekend is this skinny scarf for big sis. This was an informal little project to use up some leftover alpaca from the Flapper Hat I made for her last month.



To get a skinny scarf, I cast on 16 stitches and knit loosely in stocking stitch, striping every second row with a double strand of Kidsilk Haze & Kidsilk Night. The gradual colour effects were achieved by changing the two colours being held at any one time - starting with two strands of magenta, then magenta + purple, then Purple + blue, then two strands of blue.

Things I like about this include the thick & thin effect cause dby varied yarn weight and the natural, tubular curling-in of the sticking stitch. I also quite like the look of it with the ends tied in knots.

Hope sis likes it...









Full details of the yarns, needles etc. are on ravelry here

Knitting for closet goths

I've been a completatron this weekend! My first little project to share is a fun knit for my friend Morticia, who loves all things skull-related.



This reversible pot-holder is made from Amy Butler Belle Organic yarn. The pattern is called Deathflake and can be found as a free chart on Ravelry, for use with any sort of colour work or double-knitting.

Following my hogwarts bookscarf, I was in the mood for another double-knitting project, so I went with that option and edged the resulting pot-holder with bias binding. I like the fact that, on first glance, this looks rather twee and Cath Kidston-like, with the skull only becoming aparent on closer examination. (Its' perfect for Morticia, who is a member of her local subversive 'Buns 'n' Roses' WI group!)




Full details of yarn, pattern and needles on ravelry here

Just a girl who can't say no

Oh, help me, knitty fiends! No sooner do I have a big, organised de-stash, than I spot something I just can't refuse. This was yarn-lust at first sight...

I've treated myself to two balls of Absolu angora from France. It was hopeless really... not only do I have a weakness for angora, but the idea of yarn that comes in a box was too much for me!

This is 100% angora in a natural grey. (According to the PR material for the yarn, these balls are a limited edition due to the rarity of the bunnies). The weight is DK and, by god, it is as light as air and fondle-worthy beyond description. I’ve also heard on the grapevine that it doesn’t shed as badly as you’d expect from angora. (I guess time will tell on that)

So... what to make?

Ideally I’d like it to become something special for myself - something to caress the neck and maybe a little bit lacey. But I’m entirely open to ideas and have plenty of time to ponder before I’ll have time to knit it. (I have approx 350 yards)

Any suggestions v. welcome…

In case any of you are curious to know more, the yarn is by Anny Blatt and if you're in the UK it can be purchased online from this French supplier. I believe a limited amount is also available in the US from Yarnmarket.

Knitted silk wedding garter

This is a tiny little project that I forgot to blog about a few months ago, so I shall put it here for the record...

At the time I had half a skein of sumptuous, pure silk DK yarn to use up and, following a search on ravelry, I found a nice little knitty pattern for a silk wedding garter, threaded with ribbon.

The pattern is designed for lace weight silk, but I think it also works very nicely in a heavier yarn. More details and link to free pattern are on ravelry here

In praise of French knitting design

Sometimes, when I'm clicking idly through pages and pages of patterns on ravelry in an almost trance-like state, my eyes will fall upon one that suddenly makes my pupils dilate.


Recently I've begun to notice that the ones that do this for me are very often French patterns, such as this beautiful buttoned scarf/wrap/hybrid thingumy from La Droguerie.

(Unfortunately La Droguerie's designs are a devil to get hold of outside France and are fast turning into a shopping list for my next trip to Paris!)

Clearly I won't be the first or last to complement the French on their sense of style, but I do think that this shines through very strongly in the world of knitting design. French patterns seem to me to to excel at simplicity and elegance of design, letting the knitting and yarn speak for themselves.

Here are a few of my recent ravelry "faves"...

Coeurs et Flocons

Confortable

Etole la Droguerie

Bonnet et cape Kalea

Cardigan/Brassière Caresse Point mousse

Of course, once I have faved the patterns, there is the issue of translation. Personally, I am not quite confident enough in my French skills to translate patterns to the level of accuracy and exactitude that knitting requires. But I'm delighted to report that I have discovered the Excuse Me group on Ravelry, which is populated by brilliant, bilingual people willing to translate patterns to and from a whole range of languages. Thanks to this group, I now have a translation ready for Confortable, which I hope to make very soon.

Seamless baby hippo

The more toys that I knit, the more I appreciate designers who go for a seamless construction.

My first experience of this was making Elijah by Ysolda Teague. At the time I found it quite fiddly to pick up stitches for limbs on an already-stuffed body, but the end result was wonderfully neat and professional-looking. On the converse side, the Polly Dolly I made a year or two later was frustratingly seam-heavy, and I think it does affect the eventual look of the toy to have seams up the back of arms and legs.

Today I've just finished making a cute little hippo, designed by Bobbi Padgett, for a baby boy due in April. Like Elijah, this is an excellent pattern for people who are comfortable knitting on DPNs and hate sewing up seams. For example, the arms and legs are placed on a holding needle until it is time to integrate them with the body, the yarns change-overs are simply done by picking up stitches and the head has an interesting use of short-row shaping.

I've given a link to the pattern and more details of my yarn (and small modifications) on Ravelry, here.

For now, here are some pics!

De-stash update

Just a quickie to let you know that I have posted off all of the yarn today (phew!)

I used second class postage for the UK parcels, so hopefully they will reach you before next weekend.

De-Stash Giveaway Results

Wow, thanks to everyone who expressed an interest in my random act of de-stash. The closing date for yarn requests has now passed and I had a lot more takers than I was expecting, with some of the yarns proving very popular indeed.

So... as promised, I have resorted to pulling random names out of hats.

Congratulations to those of you who will shortly be on the receiving end of yarn! I'm sorry I could not send a ball to everyone who commented (but never mind - I may well have a book destash sometime in future!)

The lucky yarn recipients are as follows:

Yogic Knitter will receive 4 balls of Jaeger Natural Fleece

Trinitystar will receive 8 balls of Sublime Kid Mohair

blottedcopybook will receive 3 balls of undyed Lopi

Lintilla, Fifelass and Darth_Tigger will each receive a ball of Patons Divine in Oatmeal

Bitbat, Miguida and Champy will each receive a ball of Patons Divine in Grey

Warboyswitch will receive the two matching skeins of sari silk

Atropinesulfate will receive the other skein of sari silk

Sarah will receive three balls of Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk

Katie Will receive 3 skeins of cream natural mohair

Vicki will receive the mixed bag of mohair oddments

Scusi - I am pretty sure I have a few oddments in grey and black that I can send you for your donkeys :-)

Sushidog - I also have something extra to send you., which I failed to list as part of my destash post. (This is partly because I will NEVER say no to home-made crunchies!)

Happy knitting all,
Susie F

De-stash giveaway / RAK

Good evening fellow crafters, would any of you interested in being on the receiving end of a yarn-related freebie?

For those of you who do not already know, I am due to produce a small human being in June 2o11. And now that Christmas is over... I am starting to look at my small residence and wonder how on earth I will fit in a baby and all of its paraphernalia, amid a sea of yarn, sticks and other crafty clutter.

So, inspired by the trend for random acts of kindness, I've decided to de-clutter and offer some of the excess yarn out to you lovely readers on the interwebs, where I am sure it will be appreciated. If you'd like any of the yarns listed below, please leave a comment, specifying which yarn(s) you are interested in and leaving a contact email address.

For the sake of fairness, I will set a closing date of 6pm Wednesday, GMT. If I get multiple requests for the same yarn, I will select names randomly from a hat. If you are selected, I will contact you privately for your address and then post the yarn to you completely free of charge. (Please note - although I am willing to post overseas, you may get charged by customs!)

OK - here are the yarns...


4 balls of Jaeger Natural Flece in Granite This is a super-chunky pure wool yarn that would knit up into a nice chunky wrap or scarves. Ravelry info here: http://www.ravelry.com/yarns/library/jaeger-natural-fleece





8 balls of Sublime Kid Mohair Blend in Black This is a soft, non-itchy mohair in DK weight. Ravelry info here: http://www.ravelry.com/yarns/library/sublime-yarns-kid-mohair-blend




3 balls of chunky wool lopi (undyed) This was sold as unbranded yarn, so there is no ball band or Ravelry info. The vendor described it as pure wool lopi. I think it would knit up very chunky and would probably felt, if desired.



3 balls of Patons Divine in Oatmeal This is a very soft, super-chunky acrylic mohair. It feels nice against the skin with no itch factor whatsoever and a single ball will make a large, chunky neckwarmer. (If there are multiple takers, I will be willing to let these go as single balls). Ravelry info here: http://www.ravelry.com/yarns/library/patons-divine

3 balls of Patons Divine in Charcoal Grey As above, this is a very soft, super-chunky acrylic mohair. It feels nice against the skin with no itch factor whatsoever and a single ball will make a large, chunky neckwarmer. (If there are multiple takers, I will be willing to let these go as single balls). Ravelry info here: http://www.ravelry.com/yarns/library/patons-divine


3 skeins of sari silk (mixed) This is made from recycled Indian saris. It's a little rougher than silk yarn, so I think it is ideal for bags and purses. I can't remember where I got it, but here is a link to Ravelry info about a similar yarn: http://www.ravelry.com/yarns/library/hipknits-recycled-sari-silk




3 balls of Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk (2 cream, one black) This is a supremely soft yarn in aran weight, that would feel lovely against the skin. Ravelry info here: http://www.ravelry.com/yarns/library/debbie-bliss-alpaca-silk-aran




Mixed stash of mohair yarns (various colours) This mixed lot includes 3 full skeins of natural mohair in cream, a couple of vintage balls in silver/grey, some soft hand-spun in black, and a range of other oddments including some acrylics in bright colours. In honesty, I'd say a lot of these are going to be too itchy to wear against the skin but they'd be ideal for doll's clothes, knitted corsages, toys or other small projects.



I hope you find something to take your fancy!

Wreath of Roses

A double post in one day? Well I suppose it makes up for leaving it 4 months between posts!

This time I thought I would post some details of a fresh wreath-making class I attended yesterday in Chiswick. The class was given by a new company called I Made It Myself, that runs crafty classes in West London and was held in a lovely airy venue just off Chiswick High Rd.

I went with my friend Alice, and we were each given a choice of red or white roses. (We both chose white, because of the colours of our front doors, but the red ones were equally beautiful).

When we arrived, we were each given a wreath frame filled with pre-soaked oasis. From there on, we had great fun learning how to cut and arrange the foliage into the frame before embellishing with our choice of roses and other decorations. We also learned about watering the wreath to keep it fresh until the New Year.

Those who chose red roses were given dark glossy foliage to play with, while the people using white roses were given beautifully-scented eucalyptus. There were also loads of embellishments available, including berries, ribbons, sparkly accents and even some robins and doves. But because of the simplicity of the white roses, Alice and I both chose natural accents of blue thistle and ivy berries. (For one time only, I think I may have embraced the concept of "less is more"!)

We both came out with beautiful wreaths, and mine is now hanging on my front door...

Here are a few pics taken during the class... and a pic of my final wreath hanging on my front door!

Flapper hat and iPhone Mitts

Hello knitty fiends, I thought I would pop in and show a couple of small FOs that I completed recently.

The first is a hat for my sister. Given the cold, snowy spell we've had, she asked if I could make her a winter hat. She wanted a 20s-ish beanie with a flower, and stipulated that it must not be too tight (a note for British people: she specifically asked not to look like Benny from Crossroads). In terms of colour, she was keen on dark grey, with a dark pink flower.

After searching ravelry for a bit, I decided on a free pattern by Marnie MacLean called Fun Flapper Hat. It is a quick knit in chunky yarn. I used Rowan Alpaca Cotton, which has a soft, fuzzy halo but turned out to be lovely and non-itchy, thanks to the cotton.

Because I am a "more is more" sort of girl, I added not one, but three flowers, using varying shades of Rowan Kidsilk Haze held together and a little bit of Sublime Baby Cashmere Merino Silk. The rim of the hat is crocheted with several strands of yarn held together.

My ravelry bud Kittycrochet kindly agreed to model the hat for me before I posted it off to sis in Brighton. I think she did a great job of her photoshoot. (More details on ravelry)




The second FO is a pair of mitts for me. Much as I love my beautiful elbow-length leather gloves, every time I want to use my iPHone on the go I it causes hand freeze to have to pull them off completely. So wanted some gloves or mitts that would allow me to free up one or more fingers without the rest of the hand getting cold. (In truth I also wanted an excuse to use another ball of the Sirdar Crofter that I had in my stash, as it does such a lovely job of fake-isle.)

I found a great pattern on ravelry for Mobile Mittens that pretty much hit the spot. (I did make a few minor modifications, and have given full details on ravelry.) But here are a couple of pics...

Men Who Knit

I've noticed recently that a lot of people are still - even in this day and age - flabbergasted by the idea that there are men who knit.

This reaction always seems funny to me because, in my little world, male knitters and designers are an entirely mainstream concept ...and have been for years. Apart from the fact that my last two posts were little other than me fangirling all over Jared Flood, I also love Martin Storey's designs, not to mention Franklin who writes the amusing blog The Panopticon. (And hell, what about Lord Kitchener...? And the fact that British knitting forums are always well attended by men?)

So- y'know. Mainstream.

Anyway I'm only going on about this because it's an excuse to link to an amusing little blog post that I just read on Slip Slip Knit about men who love knitting.

The post included this fabulous picture from the 1940s. (If you click on the pic, it will take you to directly to the slip slip knit blog post from whence it came...)

Posh yarn and Tactile knitting

Last week my universe converged in an unexpected way when Knit Nation turned up at my work... in my very own office building. A place usually overrun with students and academics was suddenly awash with knitters. (For me it was a dream to watch the ground floor of my building get converted into a giant yarn store!) I also spent a few pleasant lunchtimes sitting outside with my newfound knitting homies.

So... the universe clearly wanted me to purchase yarn, and who am I to argue?

Especially when luxury yarn such as this is pushed under my nose...


This is Knitwitch "Seriously Gorgeous" cashmere and silk, in 4ply weight. It pains me that I cannot post a touch-screen version of this photo, because the yarn really has to be felt to be believed. It is SOFT!

The lighter shade is called Silver Seas, and is a pale, silver-grey with occasional streaks of aquamarine. The darker one is called Winter Sky, and is primarily a slate grey, with occasional streaks of deep red.

Since I bought these I have spent quite a lot of time rummaging through books (and almost every 4ply pattern on ravelry) for a suitable pattern. I was seriously considering a lace pattern for one or both of these, until it came to me that the beauty of this yarn really lies in how it feels. I think it wants to be something simple.

Then the fact that the two colours complement each other made me think about stripes. So with that I abandoned my pattern search and cast on 38 stitches.... and started striping.


I am calling this my "Seriously Soft" scarf and I think it is going to be my favourite thing, come Autumn. Until then I hope it will make a good, mindless, project to work on while watching TV. A few rows in, I like the way that the stocking stitch curls in at the edges. I think this is the sort of thing I would wear at a weekend, when it is just beginning to get chilly, wrapped several times around my neck.




Moving on... those of you who like to knit socks may be familiar with the German yarn phenomenen that is Wollmeise. Not being especially into socks, I was introduced to this phenomen at Knit Nation, when I saw 1000 crazed knitters go into scrum-mode at the Wollmeise stall.

I think the craze is due to the amazing colours, and when I finally got near the stall, I could see why. We're talking about every colour of the rainbow, pure and bright... in 100% merino 4ply and lace weight. Very nice indeed... so I bought two skeins (Lavenden and Fuchia). No idea yet what I will do with it.



Well that's all from me... will report back later when I've done something.