Why is this so Taboo or My Soapbox.....

Okay, you soapers out there, we need to talk.
    From 2004-2007 I made cold-process soap.  That means lye, saponification, etc.  I loved it and was successful at it.  I was NOT successful as a self-promoter.....I stopped making it when finances became tight because I insist on good quality ingredients.
    I do, however, miss soaping.  And, I am becoming a bit of a GreenWannaBe.  I wonder if that is politically incorrect?   (Pooh on that.)  Let me explain...
    If I can make something that is recycled, inexpensive, but most importantly, as healthy as or BETTER than what I can buy, then I want to do so.  I believe the earth is God's and "saving the planet" is a bunch of hooey.....meaning, He knows what He's about.  That does not mean I can be unwise and foolish with the resources we have.  Americans are obscenely wasteful as a whole.  Poverty, in the minimal way I know it, has it's upside---you learn to not take things for granted nor throw things out foolishly.
    BUT:
I am a child of the 60s.  I remember being taught that standing water breeds bacteria.  It doesn't matter if the water was distilled or boiled....if left too long, it will grow what you don't want to touch nor want touching you.
WHAT IS WRONG WITH THE YOU-TUBERS AND BLOG AUTHORS WHO POST ALL THESE LIQUID SOAP RECIPES BUT NEVER MENTION PRESERVATIVES?  (Yes, I AM yelling.  Just ask my daughter who is shaking her head.)  Few people comment on this----and those who do post on these sites rarely have their questions addressed.  (At least that seems the case from my limited investigation.)

I am grateful for the few who, like me, are freaked out by the health knowledge that seems to be missing from these other-wise conscientious bloggers. These bloggers/YouTubers mean well and want to share what they think is a good, cost-effective method of making soap.   I have to ask why were they not taught about standing water and bacteria??

  When I started making soap bars, I found that they are the ONLY cosemetic product one can make at home (and sell) without needed to have the product lab tested.  Why the testing, you might ask?  All I can think is that during the saponification process (which is magic to watch, if you sneak a peek now and then) the water becomes a part of the soap....this is synergy.  Preservatives are not needed in Cold Process soap bars...but other H2O products have unsaponified water in them which now creates a standing water problem.
    So now what, since I want to make liquid foaming soap? I have known for years that if you want to make lotions or liquid soap and sell it,  you MUST have it lab tested for bacteria (it is the law).  If you want to make it for yourself and refrigerate it for a few days and use it up, you can.  Otherwise, it needs a preservative.  Essential oils are NOT preservatives, at least not in the dosage that the skin can handle.  Also, Grapeseed Extract is not a preservative.  The preservatives liquid soap needs are chemicals.  So the liquid soap maker is now faced with the decision to 1) buy commercially-made liquid soap, 2) make soap with a preservative (which is still healthier than option 1, in my opinion), or 3) make it without preservatives and play roulette with the unknowns------bacteria, fungus, and yeast to name a few.

As one blogger thoughtfuly wrote, "we are all chemically made."   Food for thought.

 I do want to make liquid soap for three reasons:
1) I am allergic to antibacterial soap...after three uses in a day, by hands will bleed.  Honest.
2) I have friends with large families who would benefit from a more economical soap.
3) I love the process and satisfaction I get from making soap!

I do want to promote two websites here.  I am not connected to them in any way, except I do buy their products and do respect their knowledge.

Magestic Mountain Sage (in Nibley, Utah)
www.thesage.com
They have fantastic products as well as good prices.  They also have a lye calculator that allowed me to have only one failure in over 50 batches of soap!  (They make no such claim, it is just how it worked for me.)  Their research team is readily available and very helpful.  There is a link to the left of my posts.

www.bottlesandfoamers.com
Kevin is the owner and is so helpful.  You can get deals on "value packs" and I found the 18.5 oz. foamer is a great foamer.  There is a link to the left of my posts.

I am currently using Optiphen as the preservative in my foaming soap (1.5% of total weight), glycerin at 1% of total weight, 1 part store-bought liquid soap to 8 parts distilled water.  I am making those calculations with a gallon of water in mind.  I have been advised that the Optiphen will give the gallon a shelf life of about a year.  I tried using Bronner's castile soap, but forgot that I am allergic to hemp.  My skin itches terribly from hemp fabric or oil.  I also have to be careful with fragrances, as they sort of freak me out if too strong on the hands.  I am considering using a mild kitchen liquid soap as my soap base.  As much as I'd like to use bar soap and do the grating thing, I don't relish the thought of the viscosity of the finished product.  Too mucus-y.  :(
(Update 5/31/14:  I have used Ivory Hand Soap  in my foaming formula and it fits my needs perfectly!)

I do not profess to know much about soapmaking, bar or liquid.  Please, dear soapers, don't get caught up in the "natural" craze and think "no preservatives" is the best way to go.   Natural is good, but butulism is natural and so are a lot of other bacteria that cannot be seen nor smelled.  Don't let your nose be your guide...no one's health and life are worth it.  What is most frustrating is even the science world cannot seem to land on what kind/amounts of preservatives are best....and what the health trade offs are.  Hmmmmm.....financial politics again, no?
Okay, no more yelling.  Back to the fun---the kitchen and soapmaking!

Spring update

There is a lady in the area that makes little fabric turtles.  She has made hundreds, perhaps over a thousand.  I had the opportunity to meet her----and was thrilled when she gave me the pattern!  They are addicting and eassssssy to give away!!

These are sweaters made from Wool Ease by Lion Brand. The pattern is Elizabeth Zimmerman's "Baby Surprise Jacket."  I bought the pattern several years ago but it is still available.I was a bit leary of paying $12 for a leaflet pattern; but Elizabeth came through one again with her knitting genius.  She designed this pattern in 1968.  The only seams are at the shoulders.  She made an adult-sized pattern, too, which is included in the leaflet. Unfortunately, I am too skeptical to knit one unless the living model is available to me.  :(   These two will be put away for my daughter's children.  There are buttonholes knitted on both sides, which makes button placement a snap.  Once the baby is born, the buttons (gender side correct?) are sewn over the buttonholes.  Genius!
The pattern has a skeletal pattern as well as a RowByRow pattern. I followed the row by row and, if you real the entire leaflet thoroughly first, found it to be accurate and not as scary as I had feared.  You can go on YouTube and look up BSJ sweater....it ends up a bit like origami and the trick is in the folding!

 Back side of pattern.  This is knitted on a circular needled because at one point you have over 200 stitches on the needle.  I love this pattern.  Top size is for infant; bottom size for 12-18 mos?

My niece is having her first baby in early fall.  I have plans for this onesie, but it's a secret!!  Ha ha

The blanket is the pattern I used when her sister had her first born several years back.  It is an old pattern from a magazine.  The pattern is called Morning Glory.  I knitted it from 4 balls of Sirdar DK Snuggly.  The yarn came from www.loveknitting.com which is in England.  The service I got was over-the-top; the yarn arrived within a week, and the shipping was $5.99 for my particular order.  Then you get tons of coupons in your emails.  I will only buy Snuggly from them in the future!

Beauty is sometimes defined by its sentimental value.  This curtain is an old tablecloth crocheted by either my great-aunt, grandmother, or great-grandmother.  I'll never know but when I stare at the stitches, I marvel at how long it must have taken to make.  I love it on a window much more than on a table!

My OTF (old-time-friend) Brook is addicted to pillowcases.  I began looking for pretty fabrics on sale.  The pillowcases are edged with a simple backstitch, then a crocheted edge is worked over the backstitch.  I love the mismatchedness of my pillowcases.  Waking on a spring morning with all that color in my face always makes me smile.
     The saying on the wall stopped my heart when I saw it in a local store.  Someone I knew was working at the register, where the sign was hanging.  She was so taken by my response to the sign that she gave it to me for my birthday.
     When we left California, I (unknowingly) embarked on a journey that would result in a 95% paycut.  (No, you didn't read that wrong.)  But, everything I longed for for my daughter has been found here.  You can see why the sign means so much to me.
    In California, I had more than all the money we needed....but nothing else that creates happiness.
Here, I have all the happiness, but no money.  I still think I have the best deal.

Finally back

Blogspot is not cooperating today.  I had dozens of pics to download and write about.  They are not showing up on my thumbdrive, either.  Sigh   These are not in order and I am missing several pictures.

These are 1" wooden babies that I've made into acorn babies.  I got a bit carried away. :)

 Crocheted acorn, with white acyrlic paint tipped on edges.  They are hanging everywhere!

One inch wooden babies, painted like babies.  These are my most fun.  I still love any baby doll! 

 Acorn mother and child with knitting.

 Sock monkey ornaments, for the fun of it.  Found one on Pinterest.  Notice the boy clothespins in back.

Seaside Love, made by Elaine Kewin of BrierRose.com.  I've had her for years but never made her clothes.  Finally got to it this fall and here are her dress and pantaloons. 

I was gvien a Red Shoe Polish doll several months ago, with the face sanded off and a wooden nose drilled in.  I had fun painting her and began to get a few "sorry dolls" to work on.  Very cheap if you're careful.  Notice the elastic on the one on the right----limbs need to be removed then reset with drilling and elastic.

This redhead is ready for clothes.

This pensive little lady has a lonnnnnnng neck.  The doll company used various woods and patterns of thicknesses.....some were squatty-necked, some long.....some have slender legs and smaller feet, some are taller....I admit to not knowing the history of the Polish Wooden doll.

She looks a bit cynical to me....poor gal.

Sad to say she reminds me of a high school classmate......resisting the tempation to name her after the gal!

Dollies and Acorns, and more!

These are lollipop dolls...or so they are called.

This is a knitted little lady.  She is about 7 inches tall.  She has matching shorts under her dress.  Her mohair wig is made separately and was sewn on.  In the picture below you can see her stylish bun.  It will NOT come undone, unless terrorized by a persistent child or critter.

These are crocheted pine cones.  Some have been painted with snow tips.  They come with ornament hangers, also made by me.

Here are my Acorn dolls and Woodies.  They are ready for autumn or winter!

This gal is an ornament, ready for the tree. She comes with a handmade ornament hanger.

Dolly business

The doll above is formerly known as Miss Peg.  See her in pic below.

I was trying with first look to make her look like the antique peg dolls.

Problem ended up being that she looked REALLY scarey to me----not

something I like for my dolls.  So with sandpaper in hand and a heartfelt prayer,

I redid her face.  I am much happier with what I think is a softer look.

Now to name her!  I am never good at this.  I am redoing several Polish dolls (with red shoes)...

wood is a great medium and this stuff is HARD.

Shea Body Butter Recipe

I don't have any pictures for what I've been into the last few months.  But I do have recipes!
    About 10 years ago I got into making soap.  While I enjoyed the intense process (cold process, lye and all) it didn't really fit into our new life in the country.  Country folk aren't into homemade soap for the same reasons as L.A. gals.
    Fast forward those ten years and I find a few more wrinkles than I had bargained for.  Not being very vain of appearance, I still considered the possibilities of softening those wrinkles in a natural (green) way.  There is something mysterious about the concept of "if it can't go in my body, it shouldn't go ON my body."
Those who know I am far from a health-nut will scoff at that concept, but there it is.
Having a teen daughter I also have the option (responsibility?) of guiding her toward natural products.
The first product I worked with this go-around is pure, unrefined Shea butter.  It is not expensive if you buy it by the 5 lb. bag.....messy, yes!  But not expensive.  What I got was from Ghana. (There is another shea from East Africa that is good for skin, but I wanted the stuff from Ghana.)
   When it arrived, I heated it over the range and then filtered it through a mesh kitchen filter into clean mason  quart jars.  Shea filtered this way is easy to use and no longer has vegetative matter in it.

Tons of entries on the internet complain about the "grainy-ness" of shea butter.  Any graininess I've experienced is when it has been heated too many times; even then, rubbing it into the skin makes the shea turn to oil from the heat of your body.  Graininess just isn't an issue with me.

FYI---Shea is a fixed oil that remains hard unless heated----even in African climates.  It is used as a cooking oil as well as a skin moisturizer.  HA------there, it met my criteria!
Shea is a wonderful moisturizer when used alone.  It goes on rather oily but is quickly absorbed and leaves the skin happy as anything.  I have used other oils with it for different purposes. Let's start with a few recipes:

(Disclaimer:  I am not a professional skin expert.  Use listed items or recipes at your own risk.)

SHEA BODY BUTTER

100% raw, unrefined shea butter (check Amazon for tons of suppliers)
Mesh strainer or cheesecloth
Small jam jars or mason jar

Heat unrefined shea butter in a double-boiler set up.  Once melted, pour through strainer/filter into mason jars or clean, DRY cosmetic jars.

It is important that the shea butter NOT get wet, nor be stored in a humid place like a bathroom.  Moisture in the jar will greatly limit the longevity of your moisturizer.
That being said, the shea you purchased in unfiltered form has an expiration date---check to see when it will expire.

More recipes coming soon, as time in busy life allows.....

UPDATE:
I have abandoned this recipe for the new one that I am bonkers over....
Whipped Body Butter

1 part clean unrefined virgin organic shea butter
1 part unrefined virgin organic coconut oil
jars with screw on lids

heat shea over makeshift double-boiler; just long enough to melt.
remove from heat and pour into mixing bowl.
add coconut oil, which will melt into the shea. stir well.
Once they are stirred, put in fridge until mixture has the consistency of spreadable butter.
With a hand mixer, whip this chilled mixture 2-4 minutes.  It should be light and fluffy and should peak.
Spoon into jars, making sure to tap down jars now and then to make room for more of the mixture.  Put lids on and there you are.  The shea helps keep the coconut oil from liquefying at 76 degrees.
AS WITH ALL BODY BUTTERS, NE VER LET MOISTURE GET INTO THE JAR.  IT WILL MOLD YOUR PRODUCT.  MAKE SURE YOUR FINGERS ARE DRY IF YOU ARE GOING TO TAKE IT DIRECTLY FROM JAR WITH YOUR FINGER.
This make a very "greasy" butter but after five minutes the greasy feeling is gone.  I've never had hands/arms feel so soft!  If you don't like the smell (which dissipates within 15 minutes) then add EO of your choice as you are whipping it.  To me, it still smells like shea, but with an added smell on top.  I don't use any EOs in this butter.

Lazy days of summer

 Clothespin dolls---set 1

 Clothespin dolls set 2

 Lollipop Dolls
Two Polish dolls behind them.....on left, I redid face.
One on right, I touched up the body and painted a pony-tail on her.

 2" peg Ann and Andy for Linda B.

 Antique peg doll, touched up.  I replaced the nose

as well as repainted an eye.

 

 

Added stuff from long absence....

Crocheted flowers for hair-ponies....

Crocheted flowers for stationery...

Close-up...

Better view of my acorns.  Some have crocheted caps. (I cheated.)

This is a Ravelry pattern, free, called Henry's Rabbit.

I did not knit it in the round; rather, I altered it for straight needles.  I left off the two front legs.  Made of wool.

Side view of rabbits.  VERY fun to make. Worsted weight, I did them on size 3 needles so they would be dense and show no stuffing.  They almost feel like wool fabric.

 



Long absence, long update...

It feels good to come back to the blog; my absence was unexpected.  My father passed away on Sept., 1, 2012.  I lost my desire to post or even work on stitchery for a long time.  It is amazing to me how much energy grief takes.  He was a very gifted man, especially with his hands.  I like to think he was proud of my talents.  Here are a few things I have been up to:

These crocheted sweater pins were created in honor of my good friend Brook Sellers.  We have talked on the phone an average of once a day for over twenty years.  Most of those years we lived 3 miles apart.  She is a partner in "craft-crime."

So, I got carried away with the flowers.  They are crocheted with a DK or sports weight yarn, then edged in a size 5 perle cotton. 

I also got it into my head to make acorn sweater pins.  Funny thing to do in March.....

So, I got carried away with these, too.

  They are knitted in wool, felted, then are added to a real acorn cap and amenities.

I tried my hand at amigurumi, Japanese for "small crocheted or knitted stuffed doll."  The owls stand approx. 3" tall.  These are crocheted in sock wool and are nestled in crocheted and felted wool nests.  The white is merino wool.  These are toasty owls!  So I got carried away with these, too.  They are ridiculously addicting to make.  Even my 15 yr. old enjoys seeing whatever one I have finished.  The following are close-ups: