The Cut Soap

Here are pictures of the soap cut:  Salted Margarita, I used Dead Sea salt, don't use it cause the soap to weep,  a lesson learned.  The orange one is Sweet Orange and Chili Pepper and it does smell good.

Then I have my attempt at a watermelon soap. The one on the left the red part set up to fast on me and was like ice cream scooping it on top.  The one on the right turned out good the mold was just to small but over all the both smell good and are useable.  

My knitting I can't say much for.  The sweater I've been working on is to small so I will rip it out and start over. It seems like I just can't knit anything to completion.  Getting tired so off to bed. Bye

Soap and More

I made soap yesterday 3 loafs and 1 with Alaura, she wanted to learn how.  It was a long day.  I also so got my bakers rack now I can't wait to fill it and start selling.
Here is yesterday's work

Starting in the front is Sweet Oranges and Chili Peppers it smells yummy.  Then you have Salted Margarita I should have added more scent but the smell is there.  You have Alaura's Avocado Spearmint.  I also made a Watermelon soap which was a total waste of time, I made the trace to thick so the soap setup to fast on me.  So today I remade it and I think it might have turned out OK will have to wait and see.

Here is my rack I want to put a board on top and use it as my cutting station.  I have to get some knitting done which seems to be hurting lately.  Bye 

Update

Not much has been happening in my life.  Been struggling with my knitting not really happy with my projects so they are moving very slow.  Have been making soap but nothing to show sorry.  I've been working in my craft room renamed it Bubbles and Ewe like it.
I have been trying to come up with a logo my sister and I came up with "MARKHAM'S BUBBLES" labeling is got me bogged down I've been working on packaging I didn't realize that there was so much to do just to sell but I have to have it perfect before I sell, I know it's just me.
Got to get ready for work. Bye.

Soap, Soap, and More Soap

I have had so much fun making soap the last few days.  Here is some of the soap that I made before cutting.

From left to right there is: A beer soap, I used Wonder Brewery's Porter. It has a wonder taste of coffee and chocolate so I scented it with those two scents, it smells good.  Loaf 2 is a natural colored soap, the end doesn't look all that good but smell wonderful.  I used lemongrass and lime two of my favorite smells.  Loaf 3 is my attempt of a campfire I think it turned out good.  The scent is fireside, I used the hanger method to make the flames.  Loaf 4 is an attempt to do a Galaxy Clyde Slide, you mix your colors pour them back into your bowl and then pour into your mold.  I scented it with Green Fig and Pomegranate & Black Currant it's still to soft to cut.

Here is the Campfire Soap cut. All soap will be cured in 6 weeks so if you would like a bar let me know.  Well got to get knitting.   Bye for now.

Bad Knitting Mojo

It is so true my knitting mojo has gone down the toilet and I don't know what has happened.  I have started a lot of things can't seem to get them going or I get tired of it. This month I have started 4 different sock and have ripped them out. Ripped out the cowl I was working on that was almost done didn't want to finish so ripped it out.  Started a sweater couldn't get the hang of that pattern rip it out.

Maybe what I have is starting problem I just don't know.  I have cast on another sweater last night so I will see how that goes.  Off to finish cleaning the house,  I know I HATE CLEANING but it did need to be done.  Bye.

If anyone want to sample some soap let me know and I'll send you some.

Here Goes

Sorry I'm so slow at posting but allergy season is upon me and my head is in bad shape.  Going on two weeks on sneezing blowing the nose and watery eyes. How long will this last.  I didn't make out through the second round of Sock Madness I couldn't concentrate on anything harder then plain old knit stitch and then I had to rip all of that out couldn't get anything to go the right way.  I did manage to finish this shawl Slain. Love how it turned out.  You had a lot of short row
in making of this pattern the start point is in the middle of the white sections of one end is longer them the other.

I've also been making soap.  Love how they have turned out. The top one is scented with wasabi, smells green and ginger. The bottom was was so much fun to make it is a hanger soap. You use a hanger and go up and down in the mold to give it the texture, I forgot to add the scent so it is all natural.
That's it for now, Bye.

Knit Knit Now Can You Knit Faster

Round 2 came out on Sunday, of course I was at work and had a road trip planned for Monday.
Came home from work wound my yarn pre strung the beads tried to cast on, didn't work, tried again, still didn't work. Put it to the bag take it with me on the road got it figured out and worked on the cuff.  It now Tuesday,  looked at what I did in the car and didn't like the beads rip it out again.  Tuesday night recast on everything worked out I am now on the gusset.   Here they are I'm using Hazel Knits Yarn.  Love her yarn so very nice to knit with.

I also make some soap on Thrusday with Gena here is a picture of the cut product.  The hard part is to wait the 4 - 6 weeks to use it. It smells so good, I used Lime and a Coconut Citrus Sorbe I'm calling it My Lime in the Coconut Mix it all up.  That's about it for now, Bye.

Waiting for Round 2

This is the part the I don't like about Sock Madness the waiting in between rounds.  I know that this is the longest wait, teams have to be setup, the email check, then the specs are posted and finally the pattern is released. My problem is what do I knit on just finished a shawl, needs to be blocked.  Want to knit a sweater but it is more lace so I don't want to start that. So I decided to do a cowl.  I picked out Sallah cowl out of Knitty 2012, winter issue.  This is a fun cowl, using 2 different needle sizes, a 5 and a 10. Pick out that skein of yarn that you love the colors but what do I make.  My big problem is which side do I like better.

     Top picture is right side and the bottom is the wrong side.  What do you think?                                                                        

Got to get ready for work, Bye.

Time Has Slipped From Me

I can't believe how fast time seems to slip by.  March is almost over and Easter is upon us.  I have been working on my Sock Madness round 1 socks. I managed to finish them in time but it was not easy.  Started on  March 1st and had til the 14th to finish them. Should have been no problem, yea right, seems I had one problem after another. Started over 3 times till I got yarn I liked.  Got down to the heel, doing a sweet tomato heel from Cat Bordhi.  Got through it and I thought the CC yarn was in the wrong place, rip it out. Begin heel again omg dropped a stitch, couldn't pick it up, rip it out. The third time, I actually read the pattern, note to self PLEASE READ, I got through it and finished 

it.  The second sock had no knitting problems, I had life problems.  A migraine that lasted 3 days and had trouble concentrating on anything. Had to work extra shifts and lost power for a day. What else could go wrong got it done on the 14th just in time for the deadline.  I do like how they turned out and I use 10 year old stash yea me.  Well off to work, Bye.

It's March and You Know What That Means

It's Sock Maddness time.  Yes it's that time of the year when you you knit like a crazy lady with nothing else to do, that would be my dream. But alas it is not so I just try to knit as much as I can and hope my wrists don't hurt to bad. The first pattern came out today and I have started it. The pattern is toe-up and a toe pattern I haven't done, I like how it looks. I'll post a picture soon.

Here is the picture that I have promised:

 Here is the Wisp by Cheryl Niamath I used Universal Yarn Amphora in the colorway Dusky.
I knit it on US 10.5.  This was a great and easy knit the pattern called for a lighter weight yarn but I think it turned out well.  And is now residing at Wear on Earth in Lynden WA

I reblocked my Campside Cardi by Alicia Plummer  I used
Blue Moon Fiber Arts BFL Sport.  I had 2 skeins but only used maybe a third of the second skein. The colorway was
Mermaid Tears.  Like how this turned out and will get lots of wear out of it.



I also finish a hat and mitts I used madelinetosh pashmina in her Modern Fair Isle colorway.  The hat was by tincanknits called Gather I wanted something very easy but I still wanted to learn a new stitch love how it turned out. Picture to come later. Falling asleep till next time, Bye.

Life in General

Not a lot to report this week. No commented so I get to use the soap. My knitting has been plugging along.  Finished a hat, had some yarn left over so decided to make some mitts, I've got one done and am working on the second one.  Started a scarf for Wear on Earth my LYS in some new yarn there,  the yarn is from   Yarn, Amphora a Acrylic, Alpaca, Mohair blend not on of my favorite blends.  The pattern is Wisp from Knitty summer 2007.  In not going to add the buttons just going to knit till I run out of yarn. Will post picture hopefully tomorrow. That's it for now off to bed, Bye.

Want Some Soap

Giving away a bar of soap leave a comment and you could win a bar of this soap.  This was fun to make and smells good.   I'll pick a random number generator next Wednesday Feb. 17.  Good luck.

A New Month

Where has time gone seem like the new year just started and it is a month in.  I must have slept through it, I know I didn't but it sure feels like it.

I have finished my Campside Cardigan will post pictures soon.  I have started a baby cocoon or snugly called  Confortable it's a French pattern and that is the translation.  I found the translation into English and using it.  I'm making it for one of the girls I use to work for, her baby is due in April so I should be able to get it done before then.  

I had dinner with my boys and Dad tonight.  We celebrated their 28th birthday one day early,  I have to  work tomorrow night so this was just easier for all of us.  It was good to get together Dad and Chris talked politics, one a democrats and the other a republican was an interesting conversation.

That's it for now got to get some shuteye, till later Bye.

Look What I Made

I made my first soap of the year, I LOVE how this soap turned out and it smells so good.  I used the recipe from Soap Queen Currant & Cranberry .   The scents are Pomegranate and Black Currant and Cranberry Fig they are making the house smell so good.  The lather it has so far is great and I don't know if I can wait the 6 weeks to use.

I have finished my test knit Tumwater Falls Cowl a easy to memorize and knit.  Glad it is done.

Now I'm working on my cardigan which I'm almost back to where I ripped out and my socks. Well got to get back to knitting, bye.

Read the Pattern

Talk about total brain farts, here's a good one.   In my last post I stated how I made an error and had to rip out.  Well I did and got it back on the needles started knitting away.  Didn't have the paper pattern but I had my tablet.  Open up the program and discover there is pattern repeats, what you say.  I must learn to print in color or make sure that the pattern repeats are highlighted.  As you my have guessed I had to rip it out to where I split of for the arms right around 12 inches of knitting, lesson learned. Off to bed till next time, bye.

Here's my WIP's

Here is a photo of my WIP's. The top one is the Campfire Cardi, made an error in the last chart had to take it off the needles so a great time to take a photo.  The cowl is a test knit that I'm working on. I'm almost done having trouble on the bind off but I will work through it.  The green sock is one done and on the last one.  Not like the original but it looks ok.  Well that's it for now till later this.                

Knitting WIPS

Here's my weekly check in:  I'm still working on my socks almost done with the first one. I haven't bee n putting in the time that I should, decided to do a test knit and that has taken up my time.  The test knit is a cowl pattern , it is almost like a fan and feather pattern.  It took me 4 try's  to get the right yarn or one that at least worked for me.  Attempt 1:  using a mohair based yarn I really do dislike mohair,   2nd attempt:  with a yarn that I had wound up still in the same color as the first one.  I did about 2 inches and realized I twisted my knitting so off the needles and into the garbage.  3rd attempt:
Back to the stash found another caked yarn a brown with splashes of green in it, I can use green beads great. Just didn't like the color off the needles it goes. For my last attempt I pull out another caked skein and this one is working out. I have till the end of the month to finish it so I should be able to get it done.

I did finish a pair of fingerless gloves this week, I'll post a picture later this weekend.  My cardigan is coming along. Well my brain is getting tired and I do need some sleep. Have a good weekend and  GO HAWKS!

New Year WIP's

The New Year new WIP's,  I'm working on a cardigan "Campside Cardi" knitting it with Blue Moon Fiber Arts "BFL Sport" in Mermaid Tears.  The yarn isn't as soft as I would like but it is knitting up very nicely.  I'm not very far into in to it, here is a picture of the yarn.

As always I have a pair of socks on the needles.  I'm knitting the pattern "Da rast der Blocker" the pattern is in German and the author doesn't plan on translating them into English.  She has how ever taken beautiful pictures that do show the pattern quite well.  So I have decided to copy them the best that I can.  I'm using Cascade Silk Heritage its been in a ball forever and needed to be use. The stitch definition is showing much better on this yarn then my first yarn.

I'm so much happier now with the results now.  I've learned to follow my gut if you are not happy with the yarn and how it looks RIP IT OUT and then you will be so much happier.

I've also gotten into making my own soap and lotions.  For our employee Christmas party a couple of the gals I work with helped to make all kinds of goodies.  Here's a picture of them. I have had so much fun make all of these item.

Have a great weekend. Keep crafting and knitting till next time Bye.

I haven't post in ages

O.K. It's been ages since I've posted so I thought lets give it a try again.

My knitting has been going strong here is a picture of 2015's work.  The top picture is my work for the year.  I think I did pretty good, with 3 sweaters a few hats, couple of shawls and then there is my socks.

 So here is a picture of the socks that I have done for the year.  Now if I could count the ones that I almost finished but not quite and have gone to the frog pond.  That seems to be growing I guess I should ripppit party one day.  On the needles now I'm working on a sock of course and I have the Campfire Cardi working I'll post pictures of them later. It's getting late so off to bed. Till next time.