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

Baby oh Baby!

I'm so excited! I won a pair of BabyLegs. What you ask, are BabyLegs? Why they are just the cutest little baby leg warmers that you've ever seen. They actually cover the baby's whole leg, and they are available in such up-to-date colors and designs, they can't miss. And they can even be worn by growing children. They even make great arm warmers for grown up kids. I had never heard of them until last week when I was browsing the Brambleberry.com website and found a link to:
http://www.babylegs.net/
I was in for a surprise! I just think these little cuties are so practical at the same time. While I was reading the BabyLegs website I found an invitation to email an entry for their free pair offer. I never win anything, but I thought why not? Imagine my surprise when I got an email from Ben at BabyLegs telling me that I won! I was thrilled.
One of my DGS's classmates recently had a precious little baby girl under some not so nice circumstances and our family has been trying to help her and her family to cope with the situation. I mentioned this to Ben in my email and he is not only sending them directly to baby E., with a gift card from me. What a nice corporate attitude. I have emailed with Ben a couple times and I am so impressed with the way that he and BabyLegs relate to others. I can hardly wait for someone else around me to have a baby so I can give BabyLegs as baby shower gifts. I don't know if I have been living under a rock, or if BabyLegs are a really new and clever thing, but I sure wish they had been around when my kiddos and grand-kiddos were babies. Thanks BabyLegs, for bringing such a great product to market.
Dear reader, if you haven't seen or heard of these cute little things, you gotta go take a look. Ta, D

Momma makes lotion

No pictures, but I am so excited. I made lotion last night. Just a small batch 16 ounces. It is really nice lotion, feels great on the skin and smells pretty good considering that I used a fragrance that I don't really care for. I got it to make a gift basket of bath and body products for a dear friend. She adores that fragrance, and I got about 7 ounces of it so there is sure plenty. It is such a miracle the way you can take water and oil and turn them into lotion. This bath and body stuff is turning out to be so much fun.
Knitting you ask? Well, I have dgs N.'s b/day socks done, just have to stitch up the toes and work in the yarn ends. Yippee! Was hoping to get some 'manly' fragrance oil in time to make him some soap, but looks like that isn't going to happen. I may try blending some essential oils and doing a little batch just to see if I can come up with a manly scent on my own. Hmmmm, how did this 'knitting' paragragh turn back to soap? I'm obsessed with soap! Scary!!!
We are staying close to home this weekend, more bad weather headed our way and we aren't as brave as we used to be. I would like to go out and get some sunflower oil or safflower oil for making some more lotion, but will probably wait until I get groceries next weekend. I meant to get it today and forgot. Duh!
Ta, D

Sweets from my Sweetie

My sweetie brought me sweets and flowers today. Lots of flowers. I love carnations and the red ones smell so spicy, mmmmmm. and those little sweets are little brownie bites with cream cheese icing, yummmm. He hasn't done that since 1970, so it was a surprise. He has brought me flowers and goodies, but not for V. day. Very nice surprise.

I'm still knitting on the sox for dgs N. and the pair for M4A is till in progress. Gonna get off here and see if I can finish N.'s to the point of the toe decrease. Ta, D

More of the same.

Snow and more snow around here. No piccies. But, I do have pics of my latest batch of soap. This is flaxseed/oatmeal/lavender soap that I made especially for rosaecea. DD K. and I both have it and it's really hard to find a soap that we can use without having it eat our face off. My handmade soaps have really been kind to it. I decided to try adding the flaxseed oil and ground flaxseed to see if it would be even better for our skin. I washed my hands with a piece earlier today and it was like washing with silk. I sure hope it keeps that quality after it is fully cured. The lather is very nice, too. The pics are of the soap in the mold and after cutting. It is a pretty earthy looking soap, the pics make it look much nicer than it looks in person. I am still learning how much colorant to put in various amounts of soap and I really wish that I had used just a touch more violet.

The color is much more muted than it appears here. and the uncolored part of the soap is very tan and speckled with the ground flaxseed and the ground oats that I used.

I used about 1/2 cup of old fashioned oats in about 2 cups of distilled water, soaked overnight and then the oat'milk' drained off. To that I added about 1 oz of finely ground flaxseed and soaked that overnight. It needed to be mixed with the stick blender before using in my soap recipe.

I also used 10% flaxseed oil in this recipe, so I'm expecting a really nice healing bar. I can hardly wait to try it out on my face. I will probably try it in the shower tomorrow, first. If it does well as a body soap then we will try some as facial soap. This was scented with lavender essential oil, too.
which I hope will contribute to the skin calming effect that I am hoping for in this soap. Smells great, altho I did go a little light on the lavender to be sure that I didn't use too much of a good thing.

This picture of four of the bars is a more accurate representation of the color, at least on my monitor.

In knitting action: Here is the pair of socks that I am working on for Mittens for Akkol. They will be for a large teen. The kids at the orphanage in Kazakhstan are in need of warm footwear and there is a challenge going on to provide a new pair for each of the 265 children in the home. You can read more about that at:

http://www.mittensforakkol.com/

If you are a knitter and have a little spare wool yarn and the time to put together a pair of socks of any size, please consider this very worth cause. I truly believe the world is changed forever with every kind act that is performed. Won't you consider being a force for good in the world? If you are not a knitter there are other ways to help that are listed on the website above. Thanks for giving it some thought.

these are the b/day socs that I am knitting for DGS N. they are woolease on size 4 needles and in a sort of camo color called 'wood'. Kinda plain vanilla socks on 52 st for a size 9.5 men's shoe size. Hopefully, he won't outgrow them before he gets some good wear out of them. Teen boys feet can grow so fast. As soon as they are finished, I need to cast on for DGS Js b/day socks. that big day of the thirteenth b/day is coming up in March. Gotta go click my needles. Ta, D

Brrrrrrrrrr!!! Snow abounds

here in southwest Michigan. Being near the shore of Lake Michigan insures that we get our share of snow. These pics were taken this afternoon in our backyard.





The fur-babies love to play in the snow. They should have chapped noses. They constantly have them down in the snow, silly pups.

I was hoping that the sun would shine long enough for me to get some really nice pics of the snow glistening in the sun, but the sun chose not to co-operate today.

Great day to stay inside and make soap! And that is exactly what I did.

Piccies in the next post. I gotta get some knitting done and clean up the kitchen from my soap mess, now.

Ta, DJ