Q and A time

Mamere Knits Too Much asked , in regard to soapmaking, where'd you start?
Good question. I originally started making soap about a hundred years ago with the recipe on the back of the Red Devil Lye can, using lard or tallow. Well, actually it was the 1970's, but it feels like a hundred years ago. LOL After a few years, I found a book and used a more 'modern' recipe that included coconut oil and olive oil. Ooooh, that was a big improvement. Those 2 oils make a wonderfully conditioning soap.
After I don't know how many years, life changed and work and teenagers took up more of my time and I quit making soap. Until Dec. 18, 2007, that is when I began making soap again. Soapmaking has certainly changed in the intervening years. Now there is soap cooked on top of the stove, soap cooked in the oven, soap whipped in the kitchenaid, soap, soap, and more soap. I still prefer the old way called cold process. But, now I have learned that by putting the cold processed soap, in its mold, in a warm oven for a couple hours and then leaving it in there overnight I can have usable soap much sooner. I love that, I'm really a patient person. But, I want my soap NOW! This process is called CP/OP or cold process /oven process.
Now, we aren't limited to just lard, tallow, coconut oil and olive oil either. Now we can use cocoa butter, shea butter, castor oil, babbasu oil, mango butter, aloe butter.....and on and on. The soaps we make now are so much nicer than soap has ever been before. And there is so much more scientific info around. There are several internet lye calculators that tell us how much lye and water we need to use for the specific types and amounts of oils that we are using. And now there are colorants, and we aren't limited in the number of scents that we can use, well only by our imagination and a little common sense. And living in a rural area no longer limits what we put in our soap. With the internet there is no end to the number of things we can have with just the click of a mouse. The only thing that limits us now is our.....budget. Hmmm, budget I think that should be a 4-letter word.
Now after all that, the way I got started this time around was that I joined several yahoo groups that are soapmaking related. I read all the posts and followed links to info and suppliers and just generally lurked for a couple months before I got all my supplies gathered and also gathered up the nerve to start again. This ain't your great grannies soapmaking anymore. Now, it's way kewl!
Ta, DJ

Fisherman/Hunter Soap Experiment

Yesterday I played with the colorants that I got from Sally. I used some star anise oil, made a big(for me) batch of soap to give the grands with their b/day socks. They are all hunters and fisherman, so I will label half the bars Fishermans soap and the other half will be labeled Hunters Soap.

I like the way the colors came out using them 'as is'. Now that I know what they look like in the soap, I will be playing with them next time to dull them down a tiny bit. Of course, they are not nearly as bright as they appear in my pictures. I don't have a clue as to why my camera picks up some colors the way it does. What appears to be red in this pic is actually a brown with a little bit of a reddish cast to it. In another batch, I will put just the tiniest bit of black in the brown and in the green. And the base has a little reddish cast to it. I put just the tiniest bit of the brown in it. Next time I will use more brown and a tiny bit of black in the base to darken it just a titch and dull it down a tiny bit.

Did I mention that I like the soap the way it is, too. LOL It isn't what I envisioned when I planned this soap. However, I had no experience with the colorants, so I wasn't really sure what I would end up with. This is not only acceptable, it's very nice. The grands and dh will be very pleased with their 'camoflauge' soapies. And they smell good enough to eat. I love black licorice and that is what they smell like.
I love it when a 'learning' batch turns out to be such nice soap.

I am already planning the next batch of soap. I have some grapefruit, orange, lemon, clove, and jasmine that I am going to play around with. Tropical Breeze anyone?

Probably before I do that, I will make an oatmeal/lavender batch to have curing for our own shower and to try out on the fur babies. I have goatsmilk and coconut milk in the freezer for a future play session, too.

Fun, fun, fun, daddy please don't take my soap pot away.

Ta, D

Chocolate Swirl Heart Soapies!

Earlier this week I made this chocolate soap. It looked great in the pot. I took out some plain soap before I added the melted bakers choc. and Dark Rich Choc. fragrance oil. Yummy smelling in the pot.
At very thin trace I poured it into my mold. It thickened fairly quickly so I had to hustle to get the plain soap poured in and swirled. I wasn't real pleased with the swirl job. But, hey I haven't had much practice, either. When this came out of the oven, It was bubbly on top and I thought I might have another failed batch on my hands. I don't really know why the choc. soaps are bubbling on me. But, I have to think it has something to do with the choc. itself. Because none of my other soaps have done it. I was really disappointed, these were planned as part of gift baskets for my girls next month. And I don't have any more Choc. FO. So, I waited and when I took the soap out of the mold, it was really nice soap, just had that bubbly top. I had gotten some heart cookie cutters, so I figured why not play with them, anyway. I got the double heart cutter at JoAnns and the single heart cutters are silicone that I got from Target. I really like them. I got the soap a little on the thick side for the depth of the cutters. But with the help of a tiny little paring knife, I was able to get them cut.
Today, I went to the mart of wally and found a silicone mandolin slicer with stainless steel blade. I wish it didn't have little ridges on its bed, but I am so glad that I got it. It was under $5. and did a really nice job of taking the bubbly tops off my hearts. I will continue to look for one with a smooth surface and a little wider blade. But, I am having fun with this

one. In some ways the soaps look a little 'hand-crafted', but that is really more pleasing to me than if they were perfect and 'commercial' looking. Oh, and I'm really liking this soap, now.
Sunday may bring another batch of soap. Possibly the hunter/fisherman soap that I have been planning and that I need to get done very soon if I am going to give them as gifts on Feb. 23. for DGS N. I'm to the point of the heel turn on his b/day socks, too.
The youngest DGS J. asked for 'manly scented' soaps for his b/day along with his b/day socks. His 13th b/day is Mar. 8. I have ordered 2 manly scent FOs and they should be here mid-Feb.
Today, I used the lavender/rosemary soap in the shower. I love it, it sudsed very well. In fact, I used it to wash my hair. I had volumes of suds. More than I usually get with my regular shampoo. It rinsed well and my hair feels great. My scalp usually itches even before my hair is completely dry. Today, I have gone all day without my scalp itching. Yippee! I'll continue using that soap for a week or so to see if that continues. What a cool hobby! Ta, D

Sunday Soapin'!

Yesterday was an interesting day. I planned to make a 1 lb batch of rosemary soap with some green 'in the pot' swirls and a 1 lb. batch of lavender soap with purple'in the pot' swirls. Then I was planning to swirl the 2 soaps together in the mold. Ambitious, I know. Well, just after I started, we got company. As things progressed, we got more company. I get nervous when I make soap in the company of anyone but my dh. The more company we got the more nervous I got. I finally just colored each batch and did a funny splotch/swirl combo in the mold. I forgot to take pics before I put the saran on and I forgot to bang it on the counter to get the air bubbles out before I put the saran on! So I have pock-marked soap tops. And the swirl isn't that great either. But it is interesting. And it smells divine. Since, it is for our own use I'm not really very disappointed. It will be wonderful for a morning wake up shower. Here it is all cut and ready to cure. Great fun! It's showing up blue on my monitor, its purple in real life. D

Soapin' Saturday!

Up early today and busy with the soap pot. This is a 2 lb. batch of soap made with the 4-oil formula that Zo posted on the Magic Apple last week. I was down with a terrible cold all week and this is the first chance that I've had to try it out. It traced fairly quickly and I probably should have added the ultramarine oxide pink a little sooner. It really did do a fairly nice 'in the pot' swirl. I was a little afraid to take time to take pics after I did the actual swirl. Didn't want to risk it seizing. I just drug my spatula from center to the outside once in each direction and then ladled it into the molds. I have never used colorants in soap, so I wasn't quite sure how much to use. I would make it a little more intense next time. But, it was just for practice and I am pleased with the subtle swirls. I also added .5 oz of Brambleberry 'champagne' fragrance oil. My oven was otherwise occupied this morning, so I put it in a cooler and heated some towels to insulate it. It didn't gel, but there really isn't a hurry so it has time to cure. I opened the cooler to peek and it smells really nice. 2 lb. was enough to fill the six heart molds and enough left over to fill the bottom of a check box. I had lined it, just in case there was a small amount left, glad I thought to do that! Can hardly wait to see what I have tomorrow.
Sunday's soap pot will have a practice batch to get the hang of mixing my colors for and swirling a batch of hunters/fishermans anise soap that I want to make. But, I don't want to waste my essential oil on a bad swirl, so this batch will just be a 1 lb. batch of Zo's 3 oil soap, like I made previously. I really enjoyed playing with the color today and I'm looking forward to it tomorrow.
I also have some old fashioned oats soaking. I will strain it off and use the water for a batch of oatmeal/lavender Winter Skin Soap. I have some oats that I ground very fine to add to that, too. I make play with color and swirling, too.
Knitting is going on in between other projects. Nothing completed since DGD L.s boot/slipper socks. She came over today and I gave her the socks and the batch of fudge that I made for her yesterday. She was a happy camper.
Michigans winter is pretty mean today and will be tomorrow,too. Great times to stay in and make soap and knit. Ta, D

Socks again!

I thought I should post a pic of the socks that I knitted for dgd L. She was 22 yo yesterday. Yes, I am that old. Errrr, NO, I'm not that old. LOL I had her mother when I was very young and her mother wasn't much older when she had L. thank goodness that trend has changed. At 22 she isn't even interested in having a family yet. Smart girl. Plenty of time for that. Anyways, these are my standard woolease boot/slipper socks for a size 6.5 womens shoe. they are a heathery pink/rose color and I hope she will like them. I'm going to make a nice batch of homemade million dollar choc. fudge tomorrow to go along with the socks.

These brown socks with the blue 2-row stripe are being made with Patons Classic and will be 11.5 inch foot length. these are my first pair of the year for Mittens for Akkol. I hope to make 50 pair this year for M4A. I'm already behind on that goal. but when we get into the smaller sizes, I will be able to make 3 or 4 pair a week to catch up. These are 56 st on size 5 circs. 1x1 ribbing for 2 inches then switching to K5, P2 for the remainder of the cuff, which will be at least a total of 8 inches long. I think that our goal is 600 pair, so I need to get busy with the sock knitting. Care to join us?! To find out how just go to:
http://www.mittensforakkol.com/
Don't knit socks? That's O.K! The kids at the orphanage need mittens, hats, scarves, sweaters and vests, too. Mostly animal fiber is the key, it's just plain warmer in their frigid climate. Come join the fun.
And I'm happy to report that FedEx finally turned loose of my fragrance order from Bramblberry in WA. Ummmm, wonderful scents. Can hardly wait to begin using them. I'm also happy to report that my last 2 batches of soap are curing very nicely and appear to be very nice soaps.
I've also received my colorants from Sally in TX and will be ready to make camo hunters/fishermans soap as soon as I get some time to play.
Brambleberry sent me a sample of 'champagne' fragrance oil with that order and I am die-ing to make some pink champagne heart shaped soaps with that. I ran to JoAnns last night and got the mold, now to the fun!

Tomato Soap and more

Here is my lovely tomato soap just after being poured into the mold and covered with Saran. Gorgeous color. Then we have the resulting soap logs. The soap looks a little vein-y. I don't know what is causing that, but it lathers well and feels nice. It is for the teen grandkids. I am told that it is good for acne. I added lemongrass and tea tree essential oils, too. I would have used a bit of lavender EO, too, if FedEx wasn't holding it hostage somewhere between CO and MI. I added a Tablespoon each of ground sundried tomatoes and oatmeal at trace. It smells good and I hope that vein-y look is just something peculiar to the curing process of this particular soap. I did just make it last night. It isn't separated or greasy, that's a plus. We'll just have to wait and see what happens. Patience, dear heart.

Then we have a little one pound batch of what I am calling Zo's 60/20/20 Soap. Nice creamy soap, beautiful rich lather and such a pretty pale cream color. Love it.

I fear that my knitting blog is being taken over by soapmaking. Oh, my!

I'll have to lay off the soap before long and then I will be back at knitting more. I am spending moments here and there working on DGS N's birthday boot/slipper socks.

Gotta go put a big pot of cheesy potato soup in freezer containers and get that out of the way and cleaned up because I have the urge to make of couple more little batches of Zo's soap tonight, yet. I feel like a mad scientist, what will she put in this batch? LOL Ta, DJ

Soaping Saga...continues......

Well, I held my breath and dove right into the re-batching! Here is what those 2 bars looked like before I started. They look like nice soap, but they felt so greasy and still had some little pockets of oil.

So-o-o-o, I chopped them all up and put them in a bowl over some nice hot water, added some very strong coffee and started in.

Here is what it looked like after I took the cleaver to it.

Hmmmmm, after heating for hours, yes hours, it looked like this. That is just glare on top, it wasn't white. Sort of like really, really thick mashed potatoes, but way brown. The only time that it wasn't like a thick gloppy mess of mashed potatoes was whenever I added some more strong coffee to the mess. And that evaporated off pretty fast, in my opinion. It never did really melt.
I got tired of waiting, took a little glop of it over to the sink and washed my hands with it, it lathered up a nice creamy lather. So, I added enough coffee to loosen it up a little and gradually sprinkled and stirred in 4 tablespoons of fresh coffee(really fresh, I had to open the can) one tablespoon at a time. When that was done, I bit the bullet and slopped/glopped it into my pre-lined mold and smushed it into the corners the best that I could. Slammed it down on the counter several times and hoped for the best.

Here is what it looks like now. Sort of looks like deep dark chocolate brownies, doesn't it! I'm happy enough with the way it worked out, so far. I would prefer not to re-batch, tho.