Remains of Winter – What to do in an ice storm

It is unseasonably terrible outside today.  In fact, it has been so all weekend long.   A late winter ice storm is slowly blowing through and we are under a winter storm warning.

It is mid-April and we should be getting some early spring-like weather here in Michigan, but instead, we get this:

Advertisements

Weekend Chores and Recipes

My chores were stacking up on me lately since I have been spending so much time knitting. I spent a good part of my morning today catching them up.

I got my chores done now, and am including a recipe here for some herbal bed time tea and (my dinner), teriyaki chicken marinade.

Experimental Rooibos Tea Soap with Diatomaceous Earth

There was a little experimental soap making on my mind ever since I thought a few weeks ago about adding Rooibos tea to a soap recipe.   This weekend I took on the challenge!

Dublin Mitts

As if I don’t already have enough knitting behind me yet, today I was inspired by the color of one of my skeins of yarn.   I thought this color would make a lovely pair of fingerless mitts for a man — and I was right.  But what I was wrong about was that it makes a lovely pair of mitts –period.  Man or woman!   Unfortunately, I made them “man sized” so now I need to make them again “lady sized” so I can have a pair.

Photo Shoot with a New Friend

A new friend arrived at my house today.   She is going to help me display my knitwear!   Because I am decidedly NOT photogenic, she is going to be my stand-in.    I haven’t decided “who she is” yet, so she has no name at the moment.

No, she’s not perfect.  She has no hair.  Her hands are a bit small.  Her feet and bust are a bit large.   Her legs are very long.   I doubt there are many women with her proportions.   Unfortunately, my feet are smaller than hers, so my boots won’t fit her, so for now, she is going in her stocking feet. Still, I was pleasantly surprised I was able to get her to wear some of my clothes (without even having to pin them)!  That was amazing (and strangely rewarding).

I thought about buying a dressmaker form, but I couldn’t really find any that I liked that were affordable.   There was one that I kind of liked, but the shipping on it cost more than the dress form cost, so I passed.  Then I found this mannequin at storesupply.com and she was only $99 with $20 shipping, so I pulled the trigger.

Apple Willow Bark Foaming Facial Cleanser Experiment (and some odds and ends)

I recently posted about a surfactant formula I made  having to do with a shampoo. The formula did produce a shampoo and it works just fine, but I felt it dried my hair too much.  I decided today, instead of another shampoo, to try a facial cleanser instead.

Digging into my stash of lotion making goodies, I decided to make an apple, willow bark facial cleanser, packed full of moisture and skin-loving goodness.

Rhassoul Clay Palm Free Soap Refill

This soap was the shining achievement of my weekend!  I am so happy with it.

I have made this soap before, and it is my new favorite, but I just started on my last bar of it in the shower, so it was time to make another batch.  It should cure out just in time for my last bar to be used up.