This and That

I can't seem to get back on a good blogging schedule. Even though I technically have 4 days off, I seem to always be super busy. Between kickboxing, keeping a decent house, and just having some fun, I just can't seem to put together a decent post. So here's a week's worth of posts all in one. Hopefully this week I'll be a little more consistent with the postings.

Because of their charm promotion, I had to put in an order at Yarn4Socks. I got some nice O-Wool sock yarn.



Sage. The color is very soft.



Here's the charm for May. Cute, huh?

Knitterly Things started offering Wee Skein Sock Kits made from her Vesper Sock yarn. She did 2 and 4 color kits each totaling 100 grams. They are mix and match to create your own interestingly striped socks. By the time I got over there, only the 2 color kits were left.



Her packaging is always so cute.



Verbena and Vinca Vine. Not sure what I'm going to make with these yet. But I'm excited to have snagged one!

I'm putting together a prize for Claudia's Annual MS bike ride. There will be soap, yarn, and an extra goody or two. For every $10 you donate, you get 1 entry into her raffle. And she always gets great prizes. Plus, knitters have a way of really getting behind good causes.

On the school/job front, I'm working 12 hours tomorrow and again on Sunday. (only 5 shifts left!) Then, Monday is our last lecture. There will be much celebrating after class. But I have to be a little restrained since on Tuesday I have another job interview. Thursday- job interview. Then, three 12's in a row next Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. And that's it! About a week and a half to go. WooHoo!!! Although, I'm excited to be done, I'm also a little sad. I'll actually have to go back to work and be responsible. And I won't see all my classmates as much anymore. I'm also a little apprehensive about actually being a nurse. I know it'll be fine but there's a little doubter in me that'll vanish when I actually get started.

I spent yesterday afternoon at Lake Chabot in a electrically powered rowboat. Once I figured out how to actually steer the thing, it was quite a lovely day. And, with a midweek discount, a hour boat rental was only $15. I think the full day rate is $50. Split between 4 people and a picnic lunch, that would be a lot of fun. I'll just have to remember more sunscreen. Luckily, I'm only a little pink! I'll also have to remember my camera so you can see how lovely it is.

There are a few bars of Rosemary Mint Soap available in the shop if you're interested.

One last thing, I bought these adorable lavender dryer bags from Trader Joe's. They look like lavender tea bags that smell wonderful and only slightly scent the clothing. However, they are a pain in the butt to clean up when they explode. For a second, I thought we had bugs climbing out of the lint traps. But on closer inspection, it was just lavender flowers. Gotta tell you, my heart skipped a beat for a second. HAHA!

Lots of Random

You know you're getting older when you've been out until 3am and STILL wake up at 8:30. This is so not fair. I used to be able to sleep like a champ. Now, I got up and scrubbed the stove. What's happening?!?!?! It was my friend Colleen's birthday last night and she partied like no other. I people watched and drove everyone home in the wee hours. This is a really rare occurrence for me. I'm usually in pj's by 9!

We're enjoying a quiet Sunday at home. Bread is baking. The cats got brushed and then promptly rolled around on the concrete balcony to get dirty again. I'm watching baseball and trying to make a dent in a couple of WIP's. But that's about it. I need to pay bills and watch 3 movies so I can send them back to Netflix tomorrow. Sounds pretty tough, huh?
ETA: 2 movies down- Michael Clayton and Things We Lost in the Fire. Both very good but in very different ways.

I did get an email from my preceptor confirming where and when she works. Phew! I was having a tough time getting a hold of her. And that does not appeal to my organized (anal) nature. It turns out that she is also a clinical instructor. So she's in a teaching mindset which makes me very happy. Starting next weekend I'll be working 12 hour shifts every Saturday and Sunday for 4 weeks. Then 1 extra 12 someday and that's it!

And just so there is at least 1 pic in this post...



Rosemary Mint Soap with new Moo card tags. I'm loving the moo cards! I put a line that says Scent: on the back so I can personalize them for any kind of soap I make. Ruth asked me to make 100 bars of soap for her PTA. They give gift bags to teachers at the end of the year. Isn't that nice? I'll have a few extra bars going up in the shop in a couple of days. It's my basic soap recipe with a green clay swirl.

That's it! Hope you're having a good weekend!

I Heart Spring Break

Don't breaks from life always come when you need them the most? Thank goodness for this one! I spent yesterday doing some school work and hanging out with a couple of nursing school friends.

For our mental health class, we had to go to a self help group and do a little write up on it. So we spent an hour at AA. I have to hand it to anyone who is going through recovery. That's got to be a tough road to walk everyday.

As far as productivity, I received my first custom order for 100 bars of soap a while ago and the time has come to get it made! By the way, I couldn't be more excited about this!



This is the soap in the mold. Rosemary mint with a green clay swirl. I think it's going to turn out really well. And the house smells great!

My sister was so sweet and sent me a lovely bouquet to cheer me up after the other day. So I'll leave you with a picture of that. I hope it makes you smile too!

Goals Update- Week 13 and a Contest

Before we get to the goals, let me show you the finished soap.



This is Green Clay and Sage Soap.





The Rose and Pink Clay is the top row. Honey Beeswax on the bottom.



I get to smell this loveliness for 4 weeks while it drys in my kitchen. YUM!

Now on to the goals...

1. Thin for Thirty- I'm at the same weight I was when the New Year rolled around. Not good. But I'm recommitting today to both eating better and Runagogo. My family being here doesn't help in this regard either. I had 4 wonderful meals while they were here last week. But 4 nights of 3-4 course meals does not make my pants fit better!

2. Knit from the stash- I'm recommitting here too. My sister wanted to learn to knit. And I'd never been to Imagiknit in SF. The stars aligned last Friday to have a sister's day in the city. Seriously, love this shop. There was a TON of yarn. Great needle selection. And best of all, they were so incredible nice to my sister and I. We had a great day walking around SF from the Ferry Building to the Castro and back. Throw in a great lunch at Zuni Cafe and it was pretty much the perfect day. Abby chose a very bright red yarn and she's doing a K2P2 rib scarf with a garter stitch border. I'll get pics when she's done.

Well, this touched off yarn store fever for me. Last Saturday, I went to Article Pract to get the needles I needed for the Chevron Scarf. Of course, I also picked up the LL Devon I showed you a couple of posts ago.

Finally, I had to drop little sister at the airport on Monday. Coincidentally, Nine Rubies is on the way back to my house from the airport. Seriously, I have a sickness. This was my first time in this shop too. They have a great fireplace and a bunch of ladies were sitting and knitting. Again, everyone was really nice. I picked up some needles and this.



South West Trading Company- Tofutsies. I've been wanting to try this for a while. I thought the soy and the chitin would make it stiff. But it's not. It's really soft.

Finally, I bought this for my SP8. But I found something even better for her. So I get to keep it.



Lorna's Laces in Red Rover. Yummy!

Since then, I've gone off the deep end with orders from The Sweet Sheep, The Loopy Ewe, and a destash deal or two.

Speaking of destash, my KP Options came yesterday. LOVE them! Nice join. Bendy cable. Sharp tips. Love 'em.

And since it is Flash Your Stash Day... Here's mine. Sock stash. Non-Sock. Yarn I've used. And of course, there's more on the way. I need to listen to more Stash and Burn. My total yardage now stands at 29,698. Not good. Not terrible. But lots of room for improvement.

3. Get in to Grad School- The new is a little better on this front. I got word this week that I was accepted in to my #1 choice. YAY! This is a 3 year program that ends in my being a Family Nurse Practitioner. Crazy, right? Now I just have to figure out the details like financing this, health insurance, and living without an income. You know, the little things! But I'm really excited and know that all your good vibes have helped make this happen!

4. Save Money- Yeah, not so much.

I have been knitting. I'm 2 feet in to my Chevron Scarf. And I need to get back to those Baudelaire's. I'm falling behind in Project Spectrum and Socktopia. And I really haven't even started to knit any of my sock club yarns. I just have to remember that there is no time limit. Knitting is the part of my life that isn't supposed to be scheduled. If only I could get these socks done!

CONTEST ANNOUNCEMENT!!!
For sticking with me this past year or so. And especially for getting through my 2 last long posts, it's time for the contest!

I'm stealing this one from Minty.

How many knitting books do I have?

Send an email to nelltje at gmail dot com by next Saturday night at midnight Pacific Coast time with your guess. I'll pick 3 winners.

Prizes-
1 skein of Yarntini in Vintage.
1 skein of Yarn Pirate merino/tencel in Hydrangea
1 skein Lisa Souza Sock! in Emerald City

Thanks for reading and thanks for entering!

How the Vacuum Almost Killed Me

This is a very pic heavy and long post. Sorry to all you dial up folks. Go make a sandwich or something while this loads!

There was a little more excitement than normal around here this morning.

I wanted to start the day by giving the kitties a good brushing. It's Spring and they are shedding like crazy. The only downside is that a good vacuuming is necessary once that's done because enough hair comes off each of them to make another kitten or two!

The apartment needed vacuuming anyway. So today was as good a day as any to brush the kitties. I should also tell you the kitties like to sleep on the lazy boy when I'm not around. Meaning the chair needed vacuuming as well.

When I put the vacuum upright to use the hose on the chair, I inadvertently set it on the cord. The cord got sucked up into the brush where the protective insulation was quickly stripped away. Unfortunately, I didn't notice the severity of the issue quickly enough. I turned off the vacuum but I didn't unplug it. And when I tried to pull the cord out from the head of the vacuum, I was greeted with a substantial spark!

Now anyone who knows me knows that I injure myself almost daily. I am, what you would call, klutzy. I'm constantly covered with bruises. And I usually can't remember the cause. With this in mind, my husband's response of "a little 120 won't kill you" seems a little less callous.

Here's what the cannibal vacuum decided to do to itself.



Yikes. Looks like I'll be hauling it in for repairs. Hopefully it's really expensive to fix and I can just get the Dyson I want anyway!


OK- with my safety ensured- on to what I got in the mail this week...



Heather asked for donations to buy books for a school in South Africa. In return, she was willing to give out skeins of her awesome yarn! This is a merino/tencel blend in great blues and greys. So pretty and for a great cause. She raised around $3,000. That's a lot of books. Gotta love the knitter community!



The clever girls at Piddleloop opened an Etsy shop with these great dpn cases.



Finally, I won't be searching for the missing DPN anymore! And that little ribbon has Velcro on one end so you can keep your stitch markers on it too. Very clever!



And they always send lots of adorable extras with your purchase. They've even teamed up with Aija at Zero markers to add a pretty little stitch marker to the extras.



I took Ashley's advice and ordered some labels from National Weaving Company. They are a UK company, so shipping takes a while. But look how cute these labels are. Love 'em!



Hillary over at Wee Wonderfuls just got her new pattern up on her site. It's so cute. I have visions of a bunny army taking over the studio! I also have her first pattern book. These little books are so adorable and well written. Go grab one while you can!

Finally, I did make soap last night and this morning. I make cold process soap which involves mixing fat and lye. DISCLAIMER: Lye is really dangerous. It's a caustic substance. It can give you chemical burns and run your counter. So if you want to learn more about this method soap making, email me, take a class, or get a good book. Don't just give it a go.

That being said, once the chemical change occurs between the fat and the lye, glycerin and a really lovely soap is produced. There's no detergent and the emollient properties of the fats remain. You skin will love homemade soap. Plus, it's fun to pick your own scents and colors.

The process starts my measuring the fat you're using into the pot.



For this batch, I used cocoa butter, avocado butter, palm kernel oil, coconut oil, and olive oil. You melt the fats then cool them to around 110 degrees.



Once you add the lye solution, you stir like crazy (or buy an immersion blender) until it looks like a runny pudding. I added a little pink clay and some Somali Rose scent to this batch.



Dump that whole pot into a mold. My molds are from a great lady in Texas. Her husband makes these by hand.



I especially like them because of the dividers. This way you get nice even bars.



I wrap the whole thing up in a blanket to incubate overnight. The chemical process of making soap is slow. And it takes time and heat to complete. Around 12 hours insulation usually does the trick.



This morning, I took the dividers out. Now the soap has to cure for 4-6 weeks to complete chemical changes and let the soap dry out. Cured soap lasts longer than wet soap.

Phew! You still with me????

I made the Somali Rose Soap last night. This morning I have a sage scent with green clay and a beeswax and honey scent incubating. Tomorrow, I'll have a forest of soap curing over my refrigerator.

Still awake??? If so, go watch CBS. There's a good game on.

The Call of the Bubble

Making soap and other body products was my big passion before knitting. When my sister was here last weekend, she asked me if I've made soap lately. I have been so inspired by yarn and knitting that I haven't heard the call of the soap pot in a while. In fact, it's been a year and a half. Pretty much since I made lemon verbena soap favors for my sister's wedding.

But I've been thinking about getting back to it. And tomorrow's the day. Soap supplies were my stash before I had a yarn stash. So, I have the supplies. Tonight, I dug out my molds and created some new recipes on The Sage.

I feel a very crafty day coming on. Stay tuned.