Ewenique Fiber- The Blog

Knitting and Natural Soapmaking

Friday, June 29, 2007

Let the Sun Shine!

We've had so much rain this week. Normally we are dealing with water restrictions at this time of year, so road closures due to flooding are unusual for June, to say the least. The sun is out, I just finished a tough workout, and I'm feeling fine!


I've joined a knitalong: The Kauni KAL!
I haven't done a KAL in years, so we'll see how this goes. Steeks are involved, and that is the main reason why I've joined. I've done little steeks on practice swatches, but never on a real garment.
My yarn for the Kauni cardigan should be arriving next week, and I've ordered the Kauni EQ colorway, which is the rainbow colorway that the pattern was written with. I considered using a different colorway, but the color changes are much more interesting with the rainbow colors, so EQ it was.

Next month's new soap has been made and is curing. I actually made it last week, and I'll post it in mid July when it is cured and ready to go.

I'm secretly hoping that my yarn comes today, but since it is coming from this shop in Denmark, I'm probably just setting myself up for dissapointment....but one can be hopeful!

Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Rosebud Handmade Soap Added to Shop!

The new soap is all ready to go:

Rosebud Soap soap has the creamiest lather I've ever felt! I owe it to the rose hip powder. Dried rose petals are sprinkled on top for effect, but you can just brush them off before you hop in the shower, or leave them on if you're lucky enough to be heading for the bathtub.

I have also added wooden soap dishes to the shop. I have had several requests for these since I often suggest to people that they use a draining soap dish with handmade soap...it truly prolongs the life of the bar if you keep it from sitting in water. I love the simple lines of the dish, which is made from one piece of Juniper.

I was down with a fever (yep, I caught the fever bug), so what did I do with all that down time? I started a new knitting project, of course!

This will be a pattern for the shop (the only part of Ewenique Fiber that remains is the pattern page).

Summer has finally set in, and I'm already missing the cooler days. The Lavender I planted this year is looking fantastic, and I've ordered a book on Lavender growing in this part of Texas, so hopefully my little herb garden will continue to grow.
It is time for bed, and having spent the day catching up on all the neglected house and business duties of the last few days, I am ready for this day to end!

Thursday, June 07, 2007

What Day Is It?

This week has flown by. My in-laws visited earlier in the week, and we had a great time. We took them to brunch at the converted home of a family that started a flour mill here in the late 1800's. The home is now a museum/gift shop/restaurant, called The Guenther House, and it is quaint and interesting...perfect for visitors. Other than that, we just stayed around the house with them.
I will be adding a new soap to the shop next week, and I'll post here when I do.
I'm often asked how I learned to do some of the crafts that I practice. I'm a self-taught knitter, spinner, soaper, and herbal gardener.I'm a serial how-to book reader. I go through a couple of these books a week. Amazon has a deal where, if you have a business, you can create a little storefront with books for sale that relate to your business. It is still Amazon who sells them, with Amazon doing the shopping cart and all, but I get to choose the books that go into my liitle spot. The books I've chosen are all books that I own and use myself, and from which I've learned at least one important thing...many are ones that I refer to over and over again for advice or such. I have many other books in my personal library that are not listed because they are out of print or only sold through the publisher, but the titles I've chosen are those currently available through Amazon that I think are worth reading. I've mostly listed knitting books, since I learned to make soap through trial and error, but I listed a couple that have good charts and basic ideas.
Anyway, the link to the storefront is now in my sidebar under "visit my shops".
Tiniest daughter has a fever tonight, and I suspect she will be wakeful so I am turning in a little early in anticipation of a rough time. Keep your fingers crossed for us!