My Finished Product!

Hello folks:

I have not blogged in a while, because I said I would show you a finished pair of fingerless gloves I was making for my mom on her birthday coming up.

It took more time than I thought. I am doing so very much that I did not finish this pair until last night – too late to take pictures. So, I took some pictures this morning, and I wanted to show them to you today.

Remember I said the site of the pattern is at http://crochetme.com/print/3063 . Christie Pruitt is the author of the pattern for what she calls Lacy Fingerless Gloves. I think they are more beautiful in person than on a picture, that’s for sure.

Other news:

I am having a free shipping sale at my eBay store through December 1. I am listing new products by the hour.

I have listed some new items in my Etsy store that are no where else. You may want to check out the two sites, if you so wish. :)

As always, thanks for stopping by. Kathleen

Ordeal of Tooth Extraction No Fun

Good Morning, bloggers:

I have already wrote this story once, and I lost the whole thing due to an error on the part of this website. That teaches me to write the story first on Word, and then paste it here.

Well, anyway, let me write it again. It was an ordeal. I had two extracted, one pulled out and the other cut out (due to the stitches I feel on that side). Two teeth, one on each side of my head and of the upper teeth…one infected and one abscessed.

The Doctor surgeon asks if I want anesthesia. I think there is no way I’m going through this without it!

I wake up with gauze sticking out of both sides of my mouth. And, for some reason, I think I have a lot to say, with a lot of gauze in my mouth. Well, you get the picture.

My dearest friend drives me home. It is an hour drive, and it is the Longest Drive! I asked my friend to pull over twice to pull up that anesthesia from my belly (if you know what I mean :}). No pain but I was very nauseated from that anesthesia.

I crawled into bed soon after I am home, with my friend pulling off my clothes along the way to the bedroom. I crash for two hours.

Two days later, I am better but not great….but, definitely better. I feel a healing rather than a persistent problem. I think, though, the one that was cut out will heal more slowly than the other. It sure pains me more. And, nothing like the look of teeth missing in the in the mouth!!

While I am recuperating (yeah, right), and resting (LOL), I am crocheting the cutest pattern for wristlets or fingerless gloves I could find on the internet. I am making them for my mom on her soon to be birthday. ♥

I found the pattern at this site: http://crochetme.com/print/3063 . I thought they were so elegant looking. I am making my mom’s in Blue Sky Alpaca Silk in a coppery brown color. This yarn is so soft against the skin. I might edge it in a hand painted silk yarn, or edge it in the Alpaca Silk. I have not yet decided.

I hope to have the pair finished by my next blog. I will show a picture of the finished product. It is my first attempt at fingerless gloves, and I am enjoying the process.

In the meantime, you bloggers have fun. Please leave comments if you wish, and come back to check on my crochet project the next time. Thanks for stopping by.
Kathleen

The Changing of the Guard

Hi:

I don’t want to turn this blog into something political, but I am going to say that I am so glad the elections are over!

There has been tension in my home since the campaigns began. I have heard this for a lot of other households, as well. There is still a wait-and-see attitude; but the time for trying to convince another to see it a certain way is past. And, I, for one, am very glad about that.

It had been a long campaign, and never did it feel so long as when I realized it was over. It is like a weight being lifted off the shoulders, and that I may breathe easier now. I wonder if you feel the same.

And, my guess is that everybody has a wait and see attitude about our new president, Barack Obama. But that may be said about every new president we have had. And, my guess is that some party or other has always predicted doom when it is the other party in power. And, yet, here we are still.

I, personally, think we did something noble when we elected our first African-American president. It was inevitable sometime along the way, and I am glad it is sooner rather than later. And, historically, the African-American got the vote before the Woman did.

Woman will have to be a president, too….sometime along the way!
:)

Isn’t this fun?

Kathleen

Did you know that basil makes a strong spicy cup of tea that wakes a body up? It is delicious with or without a drop of honey, and the drinking of it promotes being alert! A plant on a windowsill also deters houseflies.

Breezy News

Good morning folks:

I have been getting ready for my 3 day Christmas craft show that is this weekend. It is in Kingsport, Tennessee at the Civic Auditorium, a big deal around here. I'm introducing a couple of new products...aromatherapy sprays in 2 ounce aluminum bottles, natural perfume oils, and a cuticle oil. I will be putting them up on my sites next week.

I operate two stores online, and they are more fun than any computer game I have ever played. I don't know if I'm winning or not (!), but I am sure having a lot of fun.

The above pledge sticker can be found on http://www.etsy.com/ front page. I took the pledge as I think everyone at etsy is doing. You can take the pledge there or just by clicking on the above sticker. We have over 2200 pages of sign-ups! Wow! I have been doing this for years, but it is harder now...I have a 13 year old boy. He has his own mind about what he wants for Christmas. I believe it is dirt bike gear. Maybe he can get that another way.

It almost feels like a comfort that the election/campaigning is over. Like there is room in the brain for something else. Whew!

I'll be back Monday morning with a report on the Craft Show. These shows are almost over, and I will be able to regroup and come out again next year with more inventory, some new products, and a better way to display it!. We got a greenhouse this fall, and I cannot wait to jump in there this winter, too.

Y'all have a great weekend whatever you do. And, I'll be back Monday. Thanks for stopping by. I'd love to have your comments.

Kathleen

Howdy Folks:

The big thing in skin care today seems to be shampoo bars. Well, since I make some of these babies, I thought I might take this opportunity and speak about them, too.

I began making shampoo bars 4 years ago. I did the research, because I am into making my own recipes. I had already learned different oils do different things in the process of becoming soap.

I have read many shampoo bars are not very lathering. This does not have to be. There are quite a few good oils out there that create the lather we enjoy so very much.

There are three good oils for that big bubbly lather that does not last long. It is called unstable lather. Coconut, Babassu, and Palm Kernel are the oils. If someone is allergic to nuts, Babassu oil can take the place of coconut. Babassu is a higher end oil in the price bracket, though, than Palm Kernel, but they are both from a palm tree.

If the shampoo bar has none of these, then that big, bubbly lather will not happen. And, all three oils will harden the bar, make the unstable lather, and help the bar become soap more quickly. They do nothing for the hair, however, and so they should not be the only oils used in making the shampoo bar. I lean toward Dr. Bob McDaniel’s’ line of thought from his book, Essentially Soap, and that is to use this oil at about 30-40% for its properties. Too much of these oils can dry out the skin and hair.

Then, I think, castor oil becomes another major contributor in shampoo bars. First, there is not an oil like it for its rich and humectant properties; it contains 95% ricinoleic acid. It is the only oil to carry that acid that is so rich and conditioning to our skin and hair. And, I think castor oil creates an abundance of glycerin that so conditions our hair.

There are other nice oils. But, the key here is to make sure that most of the oil’s molecules will turn to soap. There are many skin rich oils available that have too many molecules that resist becoming soap which makes the oil not soapworthy.

Castor oil has some molecules that will not turn to soap, but most will. In fact, it can be used alone to make soap! People don’t do it, because they say it will make a very soft bar of soap.

Castor oil gives an abundance of creamy, stable lather that complements the big, bubbly, unstable lather. Between the two, you have a very lathering bar of soap.

The rest of the oils are soap maker dependent (as really all the oils are!). I like extra virgin olive oil for the properties it lends skin and hair. I use jojoba, too. And both these oils help create that stable lather and conditioning for the hair, along with the castor oil.

So, I think there really is no reason why we cannot have shampoo bars that lather very well. I think also this is one of the perks of shampooing…the lather! We have always had fun playing with it! We should not have to give that up if we don’t have to…and, we don’t have to!
Thanks for listening to me. Have fun today!
Kathleen

Essentially Soap, Dr. Robert S. McDaniel
http://www.soapnuts.com/indexoils.html
http://www.tlcsoaps.com/oilsused.htm
http://www.aftertherayne.com/ingredients.htm
And this is the site that tells us what we don’t want in our shampoos!http://sci-toys.com/ingredients/shampoo.html

Some of my soaps and shampoo bars :)

Where Are the Craft Show Display Pieces???

Hi folks:

Do you know how hard it is to find craft show display pieces? I have tried to find display pieces for my soaps and salves for three years, and there is so little out there to choose from.

There are plenty of lip balm display pieces. I have bought quite a few. When I open a wholesale account and they buy lip balms, they like a way to display them. So, I supply a piece with the first order.

I have found one site with soap display pieces. Heavy wood and quality craftsmanship - but the price goes with it. I need something a little less pricey. And, while their might be a piece or two for 1 ounce oil bottles, (and unfortunately I sell nothing in this size bottle), there is nothing out there for 1 ounce jar salves, 1 ounce roll on bottles, 1/3 ounce roll on bottles, 4 ounce glass bottles, etc.

I think it would be fab if there were a site that claimed to be the display site for all craft vendors, or most especially soap craft vendors. I don't think I am the only soap crafts person selling in craft shows.

Ah well, if anyone is reading this that likes this idea...contact me when you have your site up! :)

Thanks, guys. Everyone needs to vent occasionally.

Kathleen

ps. if you know a site that might be of help to me, please post it for me, and I will check it out and let you know what I think.

My Very First Blog :)

Hi folks:

I am so glad to be here. I am learning more and more about surfing the web, and I am enjoying it all.

I sell at two online sites; and while I enjoy doing this very much, I would like a place to just talk about many things.

I am a soapmaker, and this makes me want to talk about making soap. I invite any and all questions about soap making; and if I don't know the answer, maybe we will find out together. I want to learn more from others. This is a dear subject to me.

I am a crocheter. I love to crochet especially with new yarns. I am a crocheter of many years (more than 40!), and I make many of my own designs now. This is another dear subject!

I am in my 50's with a teenage boy and hard-working husband. We live in the country woods and garden an acre + herbs and vegetables. We use many of our herbs in my skin care products.

I hope to fix this blogging page and make it eye appealing as well as informative. I hope it is always just a lot of fun and learning.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope you come back,

Kathleen