Ewenique Fiber- The Blog

Heh, Heh!

2008-02-14T21:06:00.009-06:00

That title is supposed to sound like a cough, but how do you write a cough? Huch, huch?
The point being that I've been down for nearly a week with what I can only describe "The Yuckies". No hiking has been done since Saturday, a little knitting took place (nearly a miracle, that one), and I took several uncharacteristic naps yesteday (I never, ever nap).
This blog is long overdue for some photos, so her we go

These are my most beloved, dear ones at my recent birthday celebration. Husband dear and my son both had fevers that day, but didn't tell anyone until after the party.

This is one of the hills near my home that I'd been hiking.....for those of you who've wondered what hills in Txas look like.
And finally, a picture of a bottle of the liquid version of the laundry soap I sold until last year. The powdered version was too labor-intensive to be done on a commercial scale, so I came up with a liquid version that I can make in larger batches.

Not the most exciting photo, I know, but I've had a lot of fun working on the project.
Saturday I'll be hiking at Eisenhower park, come rain or shine.... I'm crossing my fingers for the shine option!

I'm Going to the Grand Canyon!

2008-01-20T09:06:00.000-06:00

One of the fun things about offering free knitting patterns is seeing what other knitters do with the patterns.

Check it out...there are lots of Ingas being knit, in all colors and textures of yarn. There are Ingas being started, like Monster Yarn's. There are finished Ingas, such as Deborah's fluffy version, Alice's Neopolitan Inga, Alice Knit Wonderland's bathing beauty.
Ther are also modified Ingas like Adrian's bright and shorter Inga, and lillmore b's ribbed one (I may make one like this). Here are lots more photos to see on Flickr.

Now for an explanation of the Grand Canyon title. I've commited to train with Hike for Discovery and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society while raising funds for blood cancer research and education. You can read about it, and make a donation if you like, on my Hike for Discovery webpage here. I just put it up!

A Happy New Year

2008-01-07T10:21:00.000-06:00

I'm back from the trenches. It was a busy, and fun, holiday season for Tread Lightly Herbals. I entered several shows from Oct. through December, and since it was my first year selling soap through shows, I didn't know what to expect. Did I have enough inventory? Too much? As it turns out, I had made enough soap afterall, but just barely! The most memorable show was The Wolfson Christmas House, a beautiful Victorian mansion in downtown San Antonio that opens to shoppers for 1 week in November. It's fantastical with all the handmade gifts and holiday scents and decorations. They even had a quartet playing holiday tunes on the porch. I made friends with several fellow venders, and hope to participate again next year.

In personal news, we spent a week in New Jersey/ New York, and even made it to Times Square for New Year's Eve. I saw Phantom of the Opera, The Nutcracker, and visited a few museums in the city, too. Fun times....

I can now work on making soap...lots and lots of soap. My next big show is The Lavender Festival in April, but with Valentine's Day coming, I really do need to get soaping. By the way, I've added gift certificates to the online shop. You can read about them here.

As the World Toils

2007-09-25T12:51:00.000-05:00

I've been running on a trail near my home each morning, enjoying the cooler mornings. I've taken on another couple of farmer's markets and in doing so have had to cut down on my computer time....this is my excuse for not blogging for so long. The knitting has also taken a back seat to more pressing issues, such as soap production ans sales, and studying for tests and courses. I do miss knitting, and I'm sure I'll find time for it as soon as the holiday season passes. I've signed up for every holiday market/luncheon, etc. that comes my way. Things are getting exciting!

In other news, I"m terribly worried about the monks and other protestors in Myanmar. Let's hope things don't get violent for these peaceful demonstrators.

Kauni Yarn Source

2007-08-09T18:05:00.000-05:00

I've had a number of emails from people looking for Kauni Yarn, so I thought I'd re-post the link to the shop from which I bought mine.

I bought it from this shop in Denmark. Be sure and choose your currency from the drop down list in the page's sidebar.
It took a week and a half to arrive, which I though was really good. Shipping for my 2 balls was about $13.00.

Good luck getting yours!!

Newsletter and New Soap Added to Shop!

2007-07-31T17:50:00.000-05:00

I've been slacking on the blogging again, I know, but I;ve been working tirelessly on the business end of things.
I've got a new handmade soap to introduce: Scarborough Fair.
Scarborough Fair has, you may have guessed, Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme. I've also added Lemongrass essentail oil, which results in a lemon-minty scent. The soap is as gentle and moisturizing as our other soaps, and is seliing well at the Farmer's Markets. Here is a pic:

I've also added a monthly newsletter sign-up link to the shop's home page.

Each issue will contain a coupon code worth 10% off the purchase of that month's featured item. It is a small newsletter, really, but just another way to keep in touch. Sign up if you like....August's letter is ready to go!

In knitting news, I've got a tiny bit of Kauni Cardi progress to show (embarassingly little):

It is such a fun knit, I don't know why I've ignored it this week. All this talk of knitting is making me want to, so I will!

Soap Gift Sets added to Shop!

2007-07-14T12:20:00.000-05:00

Progress on the Kauni cardigan has been slow. We had visitors (Mom amd my sister), and I've also been working on a new section of Tread Lightly Herblas: Gift sets!

I'm excited about this new aspect of the business as people often buy my soaps to give as gifts, and the gift sets help make it even easier for them to do so. The sets can be mailed directly to a recipient or to the giver's address, and a gift card with a handwritten message is enclosed.

See the selections here.

I'll post pictures of the cardigan progress when I have more to show, and next week a new soap will be added to the shop!

Kauni progress, and Free Knitting Pattern

2007-07-11T13:02:00.000-05:00

I don't have a lot of progress to show, but here it is:

I used a twisted german cast on, which is supposed to keep rolling of the cast-on edge to a minimum, but as you can see it is still curling. Blocking should fix that; after all, as a Sheep once said, "Blocking is a girl's best friend"!

In other news, I ve added another free knitting pattern to the shop's knitting pattern page:

The Fingerless Cabled Mitts. I wrote this pattern for Margaret at Inspirations Yarn back in 2005, and she has decided to offer it as a free pattern now, so there it is. I made my pair with her handpainted "Latte" Merino yarn, and just love them.

DH's phone broke this past weekend, so he (we came along) spent the better part of today (and this weekend ) agonizing over whether or not to get an iPhone. I'm tired of looking at phones, and iPhones, and phone/PDA's....I just want to sit on my couch and knit for a while. The Kauni Cardigan a fun knit, rather addicting, really, as you eagerly knit to see what the next color change will look like. My colors are not contrasting sharply, which I guess is what I wanted, but it would be fun to see orange against blue, or green against prurple. I've heard of people frogging to change the way the colors blend, but I think I'll leave it as is for now. Muted is good, muted is good, muted is good......

Kauni Yarn, Wound Up at Last

2007-07-09T15:00:00.000-05:00

I lived one of my worst yarn-mares: the tangling of the skein during ball-winding! With a lot of time, perseverance, and some carefully chosen expletives spoken under my breath (littlest one was here), I was able to weave my way through knots, broken yarn, and poorly skeined strands to bring you:

The Kauni yarn balls.
It was actually only the first skein that was a mess. The second sailed through my fingers, and I had to use my Yoga talents to conitue winding through the burn in my bicep....my face was soft and non-reactive, I tell ya!

That little 3rd ball is the yarn I wound off so that my color repeats would be 1 color apart from ball to ball. I'm not completely sure that will work (mine is not an engineer's brain) but it makes sense to me to do it that way, so far.

I'll update as I progress (or digress as the case may become) through this project.

The Kauni Yarn Has Arrived!

2007-07-06T23:13:00.000-05:00

It is more beautiful than I'd expected, since it is more muted than it appears to be in photos. Of course, once I knit the contrasting colors side-by-side, it'll look more vibrant, but hopefully not garish!
My camera batteries are charging, so I don't have a photo of the yarn to share today....maybe Sunday after I wind it into balls.

I'll be working at the Farmer's Market tomorrow, so if you can come out (Tess, are you out there?) please stop by and say hello. I need to clarify the location:
The market is on FM 1863 in Bulverde. If you take HWY 281 N, you'll exit "FM 1863, Bulverde", turn Left onto 1863, go for 1 mile, and you'll see us on the right. The market runs from 3 to 6 PM on Saturdays, and is a bit of a one-stop shopping spot for organic fair and such.

Hope to see you there!

Let the Sun Shine!

2007-06-29T11:09:00.000-05:00

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!

Rosebud Handmade Soap Added to Shop!

2007-06-12T22:35:00.000-05:00

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!

What Day Is It?

2007-06-07T22:00:00.000-05:00

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!

Rain, Rain, Go Away

2007-05-26T09:46:00.001-05:00

Whether or not the weather will allow the Farmer's Market to happen today is uncertain.

One minute the sun is shining, the next it is raining! Even if the sun prevails, I'm afraid it may be pretty muddy, so I'll wait to decide if I'm going until later this afternoon.

Last night we sat out on the cul-de-sac (we have a picnic table out there) with our neighbors, drinking wine and watching the children play. We are so lucky to have such a great social setting for Kim.... and for us, too.

The sun seems to be taking over the sky now, so I'm going to get ready for the market. The vast amount of rain we've had this year has been great for my little herb garden....even the Lavender I planted from seed is growing!! I can, for once, use the word "lush" to describe the plants in our yard. The beauty of rain in our part of the country is that it often only comes at night and in the early morning hours, so we get the benefits of the rain without the activity-inhibiting part. Gotta love that!

I made a new soap this week. Since it won't be ready for a couple of weeks(it has to finish curing), I've decided to introduce it in June, and to try and introduce a new soap each month. I'm even toying with the idea of a "Soap of the Month Club".

Another post without a picture would be too dreary, so here are some photos from the personal album:
Easter on the Cul-De-Sac

Handmade Soap is Up!

2007-05-20T16:32:00.001-05:00

I've got the soap page up on the Tread Lightly Herbals web-shop:
Tread Lightly Herbals Handamde Soap.

I sold at a Framer's Market yesterday, and it went really well. It was fast and furious....I never even had a chance to walk around to the front of my booth to snap a picture for the blog. As soon as I started setting up, people started buying. I sold several bags of laundry detergent, lots and lots of soap, and some lip balm. Too fun. I plan to do it again this coming Saturday. For those of you who are in the San Antonio area, the market is in Bulverde, on Bulverde road west of HWY 281 (next to the wine bar if you know where that is). Come out and see me Saturday's from 3-6PM.

Not much else is going on this weekend...I guess I've been spending lots of time on the soap business. I'm starting the ABS Diet for Women, mostly to strengthen my abdominals (and drink more smoothies). I pulled those muscles in my back again that gave me problems last year, so I've decided to take some control of the situation and get my core muscles stronger.
I also jst need a boost to get back into weight workouts, which I love once I get going. We're getting a new blender just in time for the smoothies!!

Big Changes

2007-05-14T15:13:00.000-05:00

Hello....yeh, I know it has been way too long since I've blogged. I got out of the habit when I was logged out of my blogger account for a couple of weeks, and then just stayed out of the blogging habit. I hope to be on here more regularly.

So what are the changes? Well, my soap business has done much better at keeping me busy than my fiber business had, so I'm making Ewenique Fiber part of Tread Lightly Herbals, rather than visa-versa as it has been. I've been working on a web-shop for the handmade soaps, www.treadlightlyherbals.com, but there aren't any pictures of the soaps up yet, so don't go over for a look-ey just yet.

Oh yeah, I'm also making/selling all-natural laundry soap, and that part of the website is ready:
Tread Lightly Herbals Natural Laundry Soap.

I've been using it for a while and I love it. It is also fun to make all the different scents. It does come in an unscented version for those who are sensitive to synthetic detergents. I've been making and using it on our laundry for a few months, and youngest daughter, who is hyper-sensitive to synthetics and is the reason for my learning to make soap in the first place, hasn't shown any sensitivity reactions to it. Yeah!!
So there you have it. Ewenique Fiber's website will be closing down soon, but I'll be adding a page of knitting patterns to the soap shop.
Mother's Day was great, and I just got a call from 2 of my cousins whom I haven't seen in years. They are on their way over, so I'm off to speed-clean, or at least to tidy up a bit before they arrive.
More soon, and here is a recent photo of my son and me:

I Love my IPOD

2007-03-01T21:42:00.000-06:00

I know it's a lame title, but a true one nonetheless.
DH bought me an IPOD for my recent birthday, and each night after the rest of the family goes to bed, I put on my headphones, peddle away on my little bike-thingy, and catch up on web stuff. Time flies when you have an IPOD going. Soapmaking is even more enjoyable with the tunes playing, and housework is easier. Okay, so I haven't actually put the last one to the test, but it seems like a logical conclusion.
Today was a very busy day for this laid-back woman. I re-stocked my craftmall booth and got to visit with my favorite craftmall employee, Daniel, the guy who quit his professional job in healthcare to work at the craftmall so he could sleep at night and keep from grinding his teeth to a fine powder. He is an inspiration in the art of following your passion(he sells his hand-sewn dolls in the craftmall) and making sacrifices to take care of yourself.
A big chunk of my afternoon was spent driving my 17 Y/O to her college campus for the purchase of a bus pass. She has wrecked 2 cars in the last year, so she is now (temporarily) going to be a mass transportaion user. The second wreck occured night before last (a sleepless night for all as we were called to the ER). A man, who we can only assume wanted to end his life, stood in the middle of the highway, and she luckily reacted quickly enough to not be part of his deathwish, but she drove off the rode and into a ravine (and over a fence and a couple of curbs), and both she and her truck have some bruises and healing to do. It could have been so much worse. Silly me, I stopped the endless worrying once both of my older children started college, only to learn that the old belief must be true: It is a mother's endless worrying that keeps her children safe.

It is a terrible photo of me (where are my side-swept bangs?) but a good one of her, so ther it is.

Handmade Soaps Added to Shop!

2007-02-27T15:25:00.000-06:00

Sorry for not posting for so long...you can see what I've been busy doing:

There are dozens more like that in my home, and the house has never smelled so good. I've only added a few of them to the shop since I'm selling both online and in a craft mall and need to catch up already!
Here's the link to the shop page:
Tread Lightly Herbals
Thanks to all the support you readers have given my shop in the last year...I'm so very excited about this new division of Ewenique Fiber.
In knitting news, I started but changed my mind about a chunky knit vest (maybe when I was more twig-like), and I've been itching to dye some sock yarn, so let me know if you'd like a custom color and I'll whip it up for you.
No spinning has occured, I'm sad to say, but soap-making is pretty darn fun so I'm not too sorry.
Spring is in the air in Texas, and I've been riding my bike with my youngest around the neighborhood. DH and I have an anniversarry coming up, so there is a (much needed) date in my future, and Spring Break is just around the corner. I've sowed some Lavender, Calendula, and Chamolmile seeds for the garden, and the seedlings are begining to germinate. I love this time of year!!

Shop Update!!

2007-01-24T18:43:00.000-06:00

It has been a while since I've announced an official shop update.
The Smitten Hat pattern was added over the weekend. I had it set up so that the the shopping cart would automatically take you to the pdf link, but there were too many issues with that so....I will now email you the pattern as an email attachment within a few hours of purchase. I check my email all day long, so you'll probably get it in less than an hour, but we'll say 8 hours to be on the safe side. Thanks to all who have purchased it.
I've just now added a new page to the shop: Tread Lightly Herbals Handmade Soaps and Salves.
There's a wonderful Hand Butter, a Barrier Butter, and of course the Bunion Balm:

They are all made with Shea Butter as a base (the Hand Butter has Avocado Butter, too!) to which essential oils and other goodies have been added.
Soon I'll be adding hand made soaps to the new page, as well as the Smitten Mittens pattern to the patterns page.
With all the rain and sleet around here of late, I've had lots of time to devote to the shop!

The Smitten Hat- New Knitting Pattern!

2007-01-20T21:55:00.000-06:00

I've just added a new pattern to the shop:

I love this hat...it's pretty (if I may say so myself), it fits well, and it was a blast (fun and fast) to knit.
It is an instantly downloadable pdf file, so you can have it done in time for Valentine's Day if you like. Check it out:
Smitten Hat(scroll down to bottom of page)
The heart patterns are based on a traditional Fair Isle star pattern.

In other news, Bunion Balm tins have arrived (finally) and I'll add it to the shop next week.
Thanks to those of you who have kept our family in your thoughts...it seems to be helping.

A Time to Sit, a Time to Type

2007-01-06T13:05:00.000-06:00

Whew! The holidays were a whirlwind, and I'm glad to be in January.
The ski hats were all (6!) finished just in time to give to their grateful recipients, who seemed to really like them.
I loved seeing family at Christmas.
New Year's Eve was nice, but New Year's Day brought an unexpected sadness to my family that is too personal to get into, but if you pray in any way, please send some this way. Thanks.
I haven't done any knitting since the last ski hat was finished. Instead I've been working on another long-time love....making herbal concoctions! Doesn't that sound fun? Over the years I've made ointments for various things like dry cracked skin, contact dermatitis, babies' diaper rashes, etc. Two years ago I began suffering from bunion pain (not fun for a hiker), and last year I made a balm, Bunion Balm, to relieve my foot pain. It worked, and I've decided to sell it. It is all natural, all vegan, and full of good things like Shea Butter and essential oils. I'm just waiting for my balm jars to come, and then I'll let you know when I add it to the shop for purchase. I'm also going to sell other balms that I've made and used, and some hand-made soaps that have worked beautifully for my family.
I should have taken a photo of the hats before wrapping them, but I was in too much of a rush to think of it.
My husband and in-laws gave me supplies for making soy candles, so I've also been playing around with those.
I hope each of you had a wonderful holiday break.

I've been Tagged

2006-12-19T11:57:00.000-06:00

Annie has tagged me for the "Name 6 wierd things about yourself" thing, so here it goes:

“THE RULES:Each player of this game starts with the ‘6 weird things about you.’ People who get tagged need to write a blog post of their own 6 weird things as well as state this rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave a comment that says ‘you are tagged’ in their comments and tell them to read your blog.”

1. I had perfect attendance for all 4 years high school, and was voted "Most Studious". I also had perfect attendance my last 3 years of college. Despite this, I've managed to be called "hippy" rather than "nerd" throughout those years by many people whom I'm close to.

2. I have an obsessive personality. This hasn't been professionally diagnosed, but I know myself pretty well. I' don't wash my hands all day long (did that enough when working as a nurse), but I obsess over my crafty projects to the point of ignoring housework and my personal relationships (other knitters may not think this is wierd). This explains the first part of #1 on this list, as studying how-to and pattern books has been one of my lifelong obsessions.

3. I only cut my hair 1 or 2 times a year. This explains the "hippy" part of #1 on this list. Note: Every year I vow to better keep up with my hair cuts, but my crafty obsessions get in the way.

4. I've never had a pedicure, nor a manicure. This only reinforces the hippy thing (see "Not"e under #3 above).

5. I was a vegan teen in the early and mid 80's. Trust me... this was wierd in the town I grew up in. Are you starting to see a trend here?

6. With the exception of the obsessive thing (and that is a big one) I don't think I'm wierd, or a hippy. I like to think of myself as earthy, but I'm not nearly as earthy as I aspire to be, and it has more to do with conserving resources than with haircuts. This isn't wierd.

Now I need to tag some people so they, too, can experience a soul-searching sleepless night (or was that just me?). I don't think I have 6 people to tag, but I'll try.
Tess (We miss your blog).
Lara (miss you, too)
Sheilah
Adrian

That is all I've come up with. Have fun with it!

2006-11-26T20:05:00.000-06:00

A bit late, but here is a photo of our smaller-than-usual Thanksgiving dinner:

I'm the one at the foot of the table. My children are all there, my son's girlfriend is beside him, and my mother is there as well.
My sister and her family usually join us, but stayed in Laredo this year. This year's turkey was the best I've ever cooked (I have a problem with over-cookin). The recipe I used called for making an apple glaze that was I basted and stuffed into the turkey.

My husband bought me some software from The Apple Store that I played around with all afternoon, and I've added another free pattern(the hat I made this week) to the blog to try it out. This one is in PDF form. Enjoy!

Free Knitting Pattern- The Inga Hat

2006-11-26T19:13:00.001-06:00

This is a downloadable PDF.
You'll need a Adobe Acrobat Reader (a free download) to open the file.

The hat is made with 3 colors of a dk or heavier sport weight yarn (I used KnitPicks Merino Style), and sizes 3 and 5 (US) circular needles in 16" length, plus dp needles size 5. One size fits all (about 21" around, can be manipulated during blocking).

Click HERE to get the pattern.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2006-11-23T10:05:00.000-06:00

This year will be the smallest Thanksgiving I've hosted yet, but small and intimate sounds appealing. The other difference is that we'll be eating our Thanksgiving meal at dinner time rather than lunch. It'll be interesting to try and maintain enough of an appetite until then to have some of all my favorite dishes, so wish me luck!
I finished hat #5 of 6, and took a break from the gift hats to design and knit one for myself

Its a hat that fits like a glove!
I'm thinking of starting The Harlot Scarf from The Yarn Harlot next. Sheepish Annie made one in 2 days, and you know I'm all about the quick projects these days.
Anyway, may you enjoy a day full of grace, family, and blessings!