I'm Back

No piccies today, but I am shocked at how long it has been since I last posted here. I have spent the last several months with one illness or another. Won't bore anyone with details. I have done hardly any knitting and a little soapmaking at intervals. I will come back soon and post pics. I recently joined Colins Sock KAL and I'm hoping to get my swatches knit soon and try to keep up with the group. DJ

Snow, snow, and more snow!

We had ourselves a really good snowstorm Friday. these pics were taken yesterday.

My poor little Bitsie girl was past her little tummy in snow even in the areas that had been blown fairly clear of the snow.

Pudgie forges the trail and Bitsie follows. They both think their parents were snowplows. Aren't they cute in the nice warm sweaters that their 'momma' knitted for them? It sure keeps the snow and ice balls from forming on their chest and upper legs.

These brave daffodils are freezing their little petals off! They thought spring was here, silly things.

Today was cold but sunny and made for a nice ride to DD#1s for a big family dinner. I started a pair of socks for the kids in the orphanage at Akkol on the ride there and back. This is what I got done on them. I'm using some donated wool that is about sport or dk weight and size 3 circ. needles. Cast on 56 st. 1x1 ribbing followed by k3, p1, for the remainder of the cuff. these will be 11.25 inch in the foot length, another pair of bigguns.

And I have been making soap again. these are sunflower soaps that I colored with red palm oil at 20% of the total oil. They are actually a nice pumpkin color. Not what I was after, but a very nice color. I've made 2 batches since then with less red palm oil and the 3rd batch was perfect. When it comes out of the mold there will be pics. This soap is for DD#1, for her b/day gift basket of bath and body goodies. Now to see what else I can get done before her b/day on april 9.

Ta, DJ

Another big sock finished

I finally finished the big socks that I was knitting for Mittens for Akkol.
44 sts on size 8 needles, using 2 strands of Patons Classic Merino held together.
2 inches of 1x1 ribbing and the rest of the cuff was K2,P2,K4,P1,K4,P1,K4,P2, K2 on the first half of the sts and then repeat on the second half of the sts. until cuff is 8-9 inches total length. Foot is 11.5 inches from back of heel to tip of toe. yes, they are bigguns! Now to cast on another pair with just one strand of the same yarn. And still working on DGS J's b/day socks. Gotta get a move on with those. Ta, D

More Soapies

I made this batch tonight, after watching the last 3 videos of 'Pride and Prejudice.' Love those videos. I've seen them so many times, but will watch them again before I return them to the library.

Mmmmmmm, Bamboo & Teak fragrance oil in a 5 lb batch. And yes I used the right sized mold tonight. It soaped like a dream. I had plenty of time to play with the swirling. Maybe too much time, really. It is hard to stop. I was in danger of creating mud by the time I stopped. It is just so much fun.







DH is giving the fur babies a bath right now with the Lavender/Oatmeal/Flaxseed soap that I made a couple weeks ago and says it really lathers up well. And makes them smell good, to boot. The old man is getting to be a soap-sissy, lol.
I have to admit that it tickles me that he enjoys my soaps, tho.
Gotta get some knitting done now. Ta, D

Soaping adventures

I couldn't wait any longer to soap with the new fragrance oil that I got from Lezlee. It is called Inis and puts me in mind of Irish hills. So, I decided to make a green swirled soap with it. I didn't want to use my green oxide, so I was trying to figure out what to use that was natural and with help from some online soaping friends, I decided on ground parsley. A quick grind in the coffee grinder pulverized it very well.
Here's a pic of the slab after I took it out of the mold earlier this after noon.
It was really an adventure for sure. Pulverized kelp was the other choice for coloring it. Decided not to risk having 'fishy' smelling soap!
Parsley looked the most promising for this batch. So, that is what I did. But, I felt like Lucy! (Where is that Ethel, when you need her?!) I like to use oat water in my soaps and I usually use it half & half with plain distilled water. This time I forgot and just measured out straight oat water. Ugh, when I added the lye, it clumped up and scorched in the bottom of the bowl. Oh, man! I had to dispose of that batch of lye and start over. Fortunately, I had more oats soaking. This time I did that right. I'm so glad that I took the advice that I have often seen and put my FO in the base oils. About 10 seconds or so of stick blending and I was at light trace. Blast! I hurried and threw in some ground oats and blended a few seconds. Yow, I'm afraid I'll get soap on a stick blender if I don't get a move on! (That's no small feat for this fluffy person.) O.K., grab the ground parsley and throw it in and hand stir. Ick! Doesn't look great. Ummmm, grab the ladle and a little container and slop some soap in it, quick toss in some gr. parsley and mix, mix, mix. Yah, that's good. Sling it into the pot and do a fast "in the pot" swirl. Oh boy, not really great. Well, no time to cry now. Get it over to the table and start dumping this 3 lb batch into the.....uh.. .er...Oh no, its the 5 lb mold. Can't do anything about it now, just keep pouring, girl. Hey, where did the swirl go? Man, oh man the swirl is gone. Smooth it down and check the depth. Not quite enough, but it will have to do. Throw it in the oven and try to stop shaking. And DON'T cry over it.
I've talked myself out of being upset, now I just think it was funny.
My men don't care if it has nice swirls or if it is the usual nice thick bars. They will love the scent and I ain't tellin' them what it shoulda-coulda been. Bwa-ha-ha-ha- ha! BTW, it's a pretty light not-quite-granny smith apple color. I likes it, I has to, I can't change it now.

I'm happy to report that by the light of the next day, it is a subtle swirl, more like 'veining' and is perfect for this scent. This pic of the cut bars is a little darker than the actual soap. It is closer to the color of the pic of the slab, above. It smells wonderful, looks so kewl, and I'm a happy soaper today. Whew!

Ta, DJ

More socks.........

DGS N. loved his new socks, shown here. they were knit on size 4circs, 6 sts to the inch using WoolEase. Cast on 52 sts, 1x1 ribbing for 8 inches. I used a regular heel flap and turn and gussett. Knit the foot to 8 inches from the back of the heel and then did the regular toe decrease. He wears a size 9.5 mens shoe.

And here is the handsome young man who received those socks. He just got his first National Guard uniform. Didn't get a chance to take the tag off the hat before I took the picture. Isn't he a cutie. I hate that he has joined the military, because I know where his going to end up after basic training. I hate that he will be in harms way. First he has to graduate. He goes right to 'basic' after graduation in May. His Grandpa and Grandma are going to miss him terribly and worry like crazy.

This is the next pair of socks for the kids at the orphanage in Akkol. size 8 needles, 2 strands of Patons Classic Merino and 44 sts. I inch leg and 11.5 inch foot(I hope). I consider this the home stretch, now that the gussett decreases are done.

And here we are looking at the beginning of the b/day socks for DGS J. that are due on march 8. Fortunately, the party will be a week or so later. Ahhh, a repreive!

I am switching from WoolEase to Encore for the family's boot/slipper socks. this will be the first pair in Encore. I love Encore and really like the way it feels as I knit it. It has the wool content that WoolEase has, but is a better quality yarn in my opinion. It seems to wear a lot better and that is what I want.

We had a very nice time at DD #1s yesterday for N's b/day. And later I will post pics that I took of her newly remodeled hair/nail/tanning/waxing salon.

Big Socks, Pair # 1

I finally finished the first pair of socks for Mittens for Akkol for this years challenge. These are 11.5 inch. I am working on the largest size needed. I did that for last years challenge and it worked out really well. I can knit a pair of small socks in about 1.5 days but these bigguns' take forever. So, it seems to work best to get the big sized socks done first. I used Patons Classic Wool Merino for these in dk. brown with an unknown blue for the stripe. Size 4 circs. and 6 st. to the inch. Cast on 56 sts.
I have another pair ready to start the heel. This next pair is done with 2 strands of Patons Classic on Size 8 circs. I hope to finish the heel flap tonight. Gotta get DGS J.s b/day socks cast on too. He will be 13 on march 8. Gonna have to really push to get them done. If you'd like to support Mittens for Akkol and help orphans in Kazakhstan just check out the website below:
http://www.mittensforakkol.com
The need is great and you can make a real difference with even the smallest amount of help. And there are several ways to help, even if you are not a knitter.
I hope you will give it some thought.
Gotta go. Ta, D