A Year of Projects Update - Week 35

My husband has been laid low this week with flu.  It means that this week has been a little bit mad!  I have still managed to get in some knitting - of course!
I have just this minute finished some mitts for Thomas - so new that I haven't taken photos.  He has put them on the radiator for tomorrow so I may not get to photograph those.
I have made progress on Hitofude.
I have got one more pattern repeat to the increases then its straight down to the bottom.  I am loving knitting this as its been a while since I have knit lace and I do so enjoy it.

I have picked up my sock club socks again and I am now onto the last chart then its the heel so it should start to fly by now (the last chart is only a short one).  Daniel has informed me though that he needs me to start his next socks now before I finish these, so I will start those this afternoon after the ironing.

I have also made a little progress on Bracken.  I love working with this yarn as it is so gorgeous and squishy.  It is Mellifera yarn cash dk and it is splendid.

I also took possession of the print version of Interpretations 3 by Joji and Veera.  I love it - I am currently gushing over the patterns and want to knit everything.  I will need yarn purchases though and I have been so good I think I will virtual shop for a bit longer.  I want to finish the 2 sweaters I have otn and then I want to knit a worsted boxy and From Way Back - so I have a while to plan!
I think that is it for now - hope you all have a good week.
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A Year of Projects Update - week 34

I can't believe we are at the end of the half term break already!  Thomas was struck down with flu this week, bless him.  In the end he was 5 days on the sofa being sick - I did think we might have to take him to A and E with dehydration on Thursday but he rallied and is now as well as can be and demanding MacDonalds!!
The only good thing about this was that I was able to do quite a lot of knitting and crafty things.
I made great progress on Hitofude and got to the waist band yesterday.  I now only have the long rows of the skirt to finish.

My progress will slow now but I hope to still get it finished by the end of the Self indulgent KAL hosted by the yarniacs podcast - 20th March.
I cast on and completed a sunhat for Daniel, who loves it.

I made a little progress on my socks, but haven't given them much love this week.

I also signed up for another KAL (its fine as I'm using stash yarn!) with Katya Frankel -the Anything Goes KAL where you can knit any of her designs.  I have chosen Bracken and CO last night.

In addition to all of that I have been spending money on books.  I have been totally taken in by Interpretations 3 that has just been released by Joji Locatelli and Veera Valimaki so decided I needed the print version of the book.  It's in the post as we speak!  I will tell you how fab it is next week.  While I was there on the Pom Pom website, I'm afraid I was sucked in and took out a subscription to their magazine (Pom Pom quaterly) - Oh well.  I bought these because I have not bought yarn for so long.  However, I was reading Caffeine Girl blog and she mentioned a sock yarn from Arne and Carlos by Regia that I was hankering after a little while ago.  I needed some more wool wash and so checked that Loveknitting didn't have any - but they did - so I had to get some!!  Ho hum - must stop buying things!
To see what everyone else has been up to this week check out the link here - you can also check out our progress on Instagram using the hashtag #yop5

A Soap Making Foray

I mentioned in my Year of Projects Posts, that I was trying my hand at soap making and several readers expressed that I share my experiences.  So here we are!
Firstly, I just have to say, these are my own very limited observations and thoughts, and are not intended to be comprehensive or provide a tutorial or such like.
I have now tried two methods of soap making, melt and pour and a natural soap (a more traditional soap).
Lets start with the natural soap. (I am using a kit - the Natural Soap Making Kit by Kirstie Allsopp as seen here.)
Now firstly I have to say that it is not finished yet.  I went against all my knitting training and did not read through the pattern to the end first!  If I had I would have found that when my soap is at the stage it is at, at the moment, it is still corrosive and needs 3/4 weeks to 'age'!!  (I will come back to this later).

So it started well, I had a kit so everything was measured out, but I didn't want to make it all , so decided to half everything.  This process was easy and then had to put in a microwave till it got to 60 degrees.  I don't have a thermometer so just went to when it was all melted together, which seemed fine.  I was a little apprehensive about the caustic soda given all the warnings, even though I use it at school.  But that too was fine, I used the gloves as instructed and opened a window but I didn't notice any fumes.  Then I got to mix together, which all went swimmingly.  I was supposed to mix for 10 minutes, break for 5 then repeat until it had started to set.  Well it thickened but didn't get to the trace point Kirstie Allsopp wanted.  So I read the instructions and they said to heat it back up to kick start the reaction - it didn't say how hot or indeed if you had to get it to trace (leave a trail), so I didn't (being a little fed up of stirring at this point).  I went ahead and added my lemongrass and lavender and poured it into moulds.

It took a day but did set ok, and now I have to wait till it ages.
Now the Scientist in me is a little agitated at the lack of a definitive timescale, so I will get some pH paper from school to test it before I use it.  Here it is - curing.  A little rustic looking, but, I guess, that is the point.

It looks as though it will be nice and lathery (if that is a word!), but is it worth the faff? Probably not - I don't think I have enough patience to get any more of this, but I do have the remaining half kit, which if it sets ok and is not still corrosive (!) I will use with some colouring and different fragrance later in the year.
The melt and pour base.
Now this was a whole different kettle of fish.  This was so easy - you just cut up how much you want, melt it in the microwave, add colouring and pour into moulds.  I will make some adjustments to my original batch however.  I used too much and therefore by the time it was all melting it had formed bubbles which resulted in a white bloom to the finished soap.  You can just about make it out on this photo - the top soap was the one with bubbles, the bottom soap made later without.

I so next time I will use less soap and more fragrance.  Then the only issue with this one is it doesn't produce a lot of lather, enough but not lots.
In summary, I want this soap for myself and gifts.  In truth I think that means it will be the melt and pour base that I get more of for ease and reliability.  I will however, use up the kit and will be a little more adventurous if the soaps I have here lather well.
So there you have it - my assessment of soap making!