Holy Hannah, Batman! Is that a Glitten?!

Yes indeed, Robin. It is in fact a glitten. You realize this can only mean one thing... I'm done with all my washcloths. Here's your proof:

And that's not even all of them. Yikes. I dropped the order off today and I'm done! I have to say I have this immense feeling of accomplishment and pride. I put together 44 facial care bags and 2 "For Him" bags and got them out the door today, without too much stress. There was the glitch of not having *nearly* enough rosewater, but that stress only lasted a day or so. Then I talked with the customer who was okay with getting her stuff a couple days later, and voila! I did have to knit 2 washcloths this morning to get it all ready, but pulled it off and left the house around noon. So I decided to reward myself by knitting some wool.

Here are pics of what the gift bags look like, now that I have changed my packaging procedures. Oh, and let me tell you the mess we had here Saturday night trying to fill those cold cream bottles. Pouring didn't work as it was too thick and the necks are too narrow. So I thought the jerky gun would work. Nope, nozzle not small enough. I finally settled on stuffing the cold cream in a plastic bag with the corner cut off and squeezing it into the bottles. Yes, I filled about 30 bottles this way. Then I decided to pour it before it gets that cool so it's still a little runny. That worked for the last few, but there's this *very* fine line between "cool enough it stays mixed" and "too cool that it doesn't pour". But I made it, they're out the door, and the customer is excited. What more could I ask for?

Oh, I wrote a new washcloth pattern too, but don't know what to name it. Any suggestions?

Almost Out of the Woods

I haven't updated in too long. I waited to put up the Cyber Monday items until they were listed since it was supposed to be kind of an exciting surprise. I will put some pics of those things up later when I don't have to worry about ds spraying vinegar and Windex all over the bathroom.

As for the large order I have going on here... I have enough washcloths to be done but I grossly miscalculated (well, I didn't calculate, and that's where the problem came in) the amount of rosewater I would need so I had to rush ship it from Utah. It should come tomorrow. I have all the cold cream done, packaged, and ready. I just need the rosewater to make the astringent and then I think I have to make a few more lip balms and I'm good to go. Who'd believe it? Other than the freakout of not having enough rosewater (I'm talking I was more than a gallon short. BIG deal), it has gone rather well. Who would've thought I could pull this off?

Finally Ready... I Think.

We are having a big stocking at Serenity Tree tomorrow for "Cyber Monday". We will be having random listings all day and are having a bit of a "Treasure Hunt" as well. It should be fun.

Anyway, my husband was working on the addition this weekend and installed a door so he had to move the phone line and we didn't have internet for a few days. It was fine, except for this big stocking tomorrow. So I have spent the last couple hours working, but I think I'm finally ready. I have a bunch of stuff up, and a couple I wish I would've had time to finish. But I figure I can use those for the next stocking in 2 weeks.

Included in my "not quite done" list are my Tweets. I will have to get some pictures uploaded tomorrow. I made a cardinal and it even has the crest on it's head. When I showed my husband he even said it was cute, which is saying a lot since I never get a reaction out of him on the things I make. So I'm pleased. I have to put the beak on the yellow bird as well so they're maybe not ready yet, but I was really hoping to get them listed tomorrow. Ah well.

Oh, but I did get my Midnight Sky Longies finished, they turned out really great, I'm really pleased.

I was also hoping to have a goldfish done, but that isn't going to happen either. I got a good part of the tail done and then decided to rip out and do it a little differently. So hopefully I should have a good start on the next stocking. If only my washcloths were done... :) Just 11 to go, minus any my sister completed for me. I *heart* my sister.

No Camera with Something to Share

My dear husband took the camera to work with him so I can't give you pictures today. Maybe I'll take some with my cell phone, I'm excited to put up what I made.

It's a birdie! A really quick little pattern I'm writing up and will be calling "Tweets". I am going to make a bluebird, cardinal, and canary. Not "officially" of course, but mostly the same bird in blue, red, and yellow. I am going to try to figure out if I can make the little crest thing the cardinals have. This one, the prototype, is a little big for kiddie fingers I think, but it is complete with belly button! My 3yo insisted I give it a belly button.

It's cuter in person, but there you go. And maybe cuter if I had a decent camera. Yeah, that would help.

I haven't made much progress since the weekend on dishcloths. I think I have 15 to go, which is managable at the 2 per day I had myself at, but I didn't finish any on Monday and only 1 yesterday. Yesterday's is pretty cute, it's based off the 2 row Noro scarf that's out there these days. Brooklyn Tweed first introduced me and the Yarn Harlot has made 3 recently. I knew I didn't have enough yellow to make a whole washcloth so I mixed it with white for a bit of a bumblebee effect. I like it.

I was inspired by Melanie to finally work on the pants I was going to sew for my little guy. I took a picture of them with my camera last night, it's hilarious. They don't fit. Not even close. I bought a McCall's pattern and some Thomas the Tank Engine fabric for him. I traced the XS size (3-4) onto some wax paper and got started. It didn't take too long, and probably could've been done in half the time if the baby had stayed asleep. I finished them up, put them on him... and they're HUGE! I'm talking way way too big. The waist goes almost to his nipples and the bottoms are inches too long. How depressing. And I skipped washcloth knitting time to make them! Ah well, I guess I'll have to get a different pattern for Mr. Skinny. I mean seriously, he's 3. He shouldn't be primarily in 24 mos pants...

Hats and a Sweater Shaver Workout

I started these hats last weekend and had a heck of a time getting the small one finished. I knit the adult one and my mom said it looked too short so I ripped back the crown and tried again. Then I knit a child sized hat and ran out of yarn. So I ripped out to make an infant hat. I knit that, ran out of yarn, reknit, ran out of yarn, reknit... you get the idea. I must have reknit the top of that infant hat a half dozen times before I got it. But alas, here you are...

They turned out really pretty. Susan from knits 'N bits spun the yarn, it's a superwash Merino wool and is soooooo beautiful. It reminded me of berries. I'd knit and the ball would look like a blueberry field, knit some more and the ball looked like strawberries. I'm just in love with it. They'll be going up for sale in the shop for our Cyber Monday stocking.

My other excitement (besides the growing pile of washcloths) is I shaved dd's pants yesterday. I have an Evercare sweater shaver that my sister bought for me at Target. It's amazing. Anyway, after pulling off the large pills I shaved for probably 20 minutes and had to empty the lint collector 3 times. But they look like a new pair of pants, it's amazing!

It's kind of hard to tell, but I had shaved the back of these but not the front yet. If you look at the part that's folded behind (right under the crotch / gusset) you can see the stitch definition that is clearly not there on the leg next to it. Amazing. I'm so excited about them again! So needless to say she has been wearing them the last couple days... which means I'll have to shave again. Oh well, they do need another dip in the lanolizing bath I do believe. But that means I have to take them off...

Current washcloth count: 15

Washcloth Count

So I counted last night, I think I'm up to 12 washcloths. That leaves me 26 to go, and then another 6 by the next week. I have to knit an average of 2 per day to be done by 12/1. I also have to order some packaging jars. I'm ordering from The Majestic Mountain Sage, they will have everything I need at reasonable prices. I'm finally going to put my lip balm in tubes! My sister is excited. The drawback is you don't get as much, but I suppose people will sacrifice quantity for convenience. She will anyway.

Anyway, I had better get knitting...

Dishcloth Stress

Okay, so I'm not quite to the point of "stress" yet, but I'm getting worried. I knew this would happen... I'd lose steam. So I picked up a bit yesterday and knit 1/2 a washcloth. I've gotta get cookin! I just have so many things I should be knitting right now. Cabled vest, longies (I'm on the second leg at least... bottom up), glittens, bag, and some Christmas presents yet undecided. Well, being busy is good, right? The difficult part is the weekends are full for a couple weeks so I can't just sit around and let someone else watch my kids while I knit all day on a Saturday. :)

New Stocking!

So Serenity Tree stocked again today. I was all wigged out because the pants I'm working on aren't done yet. They're gonna be cute - I'll post a picture when I get a good picture of the leg. It's cute. Anyway, our theme was stocking stuffers with Christmas coming up and I had NO idea what to stock. I didn't have time to knit anything... so I decided to sew. And here's what I came up with:




2 Treasure bags and a doll sling. I also have listed a bath bag and semi-custom longies in Peace Fleece "Ancient Fern". I'm super happy with how the "Cowboy" Treasure Satchel came out. I am a little uncertain if the bag should be a little shorter, and initially I thought the handle should've been longer. However, it fits ds perfectly over his head and is the perfect height for him to sling about and get into. It's roomy but not huge, I will say it could lose an inch or two in height, but other than that... perfecto! And my kid wants to keep it, that's a good sign. :) I have it priced at $15 so we'll see if it sells. I have a feeling my kids are going to end up with a bunch of unsold items. I have a feeling that's where the "Denim" longies are going... dd needs some pants in a BIG way! So hop on over to my store and pick up some cute stuff for your kids!

Weekend Knitting

On Friday I updated my Facebook status to say in so many words I'm going out of town for the weekend and knitting a lot. Well, you be the judge:

I got started on my "Orange Day", which is Tikru's "Green Day" pattern knit in Peace Fleece "Glastnost Gold". It's a Christmas present and going rather nicely. It is only written in one size so I'm hoping it'll fit. Once I get a bit further along I'll put it on a scrap yarn and try it on myself to see if I think it will fit. I'll probably cry if it doesn't, but it'll be my own fault. :)

I also got 4 washcloths knit out of my Cable Rib Dishcloth pattern. I did garter stitch instead of seed stitch because it's faster and I have to knit 33 more washcloths. Speed over elegance at this point. I have a feeling I'm going to be mighty sick of knitting these by the time all is said and done. But I have a good start, so I'm optimistic.

I have also started a new pair of longies for the store, my Midnight Sky Longies. Here's what I got done yesterday along with the charting for the fair isle at the cuff:

I love printing off graph paper and figuring out the charts, it's so rewarding, like you're inventing something! I also found a site where you can make charts up on the computer (like for this cabled hat I'm working on) for publishing. That was an exciting find. Oh, and I have the Reversible Cable Rib scarf off being tested. A lot going on these days I guess.

So back to weekend knitting. It was a beautiful weekend. The guys went fishing and I stayed at my grandma's house with the kids. We watched some Disney Channel and played in the leaves. Here's where I spent some time knitting:

I raked up a pile of leaves with an extremely inadequate rake while my dad's puppy attacked the leaves and rake... and as you can see, my son. All in all it was a beautiful fall weekend. Aah... fall. I only wished it lasted a little longer.

I *Heart* My Postal Worker

This is a little late, but I left the post office so frustrated on Wednesday, which I guess isn't a first. The post office is never a "fun" place to go, but this was even better than normal. First off, look at the right side of your screen. See where my "profile" information is? What does it say... oh yea, mother of 2 kids is mentioned, right. Well, to specify I have a son who turned 3 last week and a daughter who turned 9 mos this week. So they're pretty little and oh let me tell you I LOVE carting them to the post office of all places since it's my favorite place to go on a day off.

So we walk in, there's one guy ahead of me in line and 3 postal workers helping people. So it should be quick, right? Then the dreaded happens... when it's my turn one lady goes into the back, leaving 2 postal workers. There's Dan and another-lady-who-shall-remain-unnamed. Guess who opens up? The Unnamed. Now it shouldn't be too bad. I have 2 priority mail packages to send out that are all ready to go (thanks PayPal!) and one box to send off.

It was a scarf for Mandi of Yellow Brick Lane, we did a scarf swap on a board we're on and we ended up eachother's partners. It's knit out of Cascade 220 Heathers and is the Reversible Cable Rib Scarf, a new pattern I'm almost done writing up. (She likes it.)

So anyway, back to the post office. So I walk up to Ms. Unnamed. And she has a reputation. She's ... s l o w ... I mean... ... s l o w . But it's okay. I only need postage on one little box, should be easy. So I hand her the package and say I'd like to mail this First Class (I'm cheap). She says "Is there anything liquid, fragile... blah blah blah inside?" No. "Would you like to mail this Priority Mail? It'll get there a couple days sooner." Um... no. I said I wanted to mail it First Class. (She got it today, by the way.) "Would you like insurance or delivery confirmation?" No. "Okay, it'll be..." I think it was like $2.53 or something. I tell her the others are ready to go and hand her my check card. She hands it back and asks me to sign it. Um... it's signed. "It's faded. I need you to sign it again." Remember the part about me having two small children? Well let's review, one is 9 mos so where do you think she is? Yep, you've got it... in my arms. So I juggle her around and REsign the dumb card. I figure, "Well, she watched me sign it so she can just watch me sign the paper and we'll be good" because I'm irritated with her for making me resign it in the first place because if you looked closely and squinted a little you could still read it. I put the card back in my wallet, zip it shut, and she says, "I haven't run it yet." Um, what? Why didn't you run it, have me resign it, and then just let me keep it? Why hand it back to me, have me sign it, hand it back to her, run it, hand it back to me to put away and then hand me the receipt to sign and hand back to her? Um... seem a little redundant?

Anyway, I know it's stupid but I always think it's completely asinine to have me sign the card in front of them. If it really were stolen, well now my version of Jane Doe's signature is on the back of the card. But, Mandi got her scarf. And in her exact words, "It is so squishy and nice." Yep, I rock. As long as I mail things from home.

Blogger Stupidity

And for you Blogger savvy folks out there, how do I get ahold of a fellow Blogger? I am trying to find Jackie that posted below about testing a scarf pattern... but I can't figure out how in the world of blogs to find her blog or any contact information. ???

Growth and Growing Pains

Well, Serenity Tree has officially had it's second stocking... today. It has been a little disappointing as none of us have sold much, but I hear the economy is to blame and people just aren't spending much. It's a bummer because I was really hoping this would be a good opportunity for my business to grow. Well, we'll wait and see.

On another note, I made some bath products for a local woman who bought some for her and her mother-in-law and they both love it. Enough that the mother-in-law is ordering gift bags for all her nurses... all 38 of them. This is fabulous! Except... it also means I have to knit 38 washcloths between now and the beginning of December. Yikes! I have about 45 days in which to finish them. So... it'll be a sprint, but I can't complain. This really is an opportunity for growth.

And here is a pic of the pants I just finished for the STC stocking this week:

The Big Day

Well, tomorrow is the big day! Grand Opening of Serenity Tree! Am I ready? Well, I guess. I have all my listings up, though I'm not altogether thrilled with my selection: some diapers (including one free for shipping), a turtle butt, wrap, blankie, and a custom slot. I thought there was one more thing, but I guess not. I do have a pair of britches almost done, but I should wait to list them for next time or just keep them for dd. She's desperately in need of some pants. 17 hours and counting!

Grand Opening Preparations and Changes

Our store officially has it's first stocking on October 7. Hooray! But suddenly I feel under the gun. I have a Turtle Butt I'm almost done with and 3 diapers finished, of which one will be FFS.

So far I have been packaging all my bath products in glass bottles and jars for the reusability and recycling factors. I'm thinking of discontinuing anything in bottles and packaging the other things in plastic ziploc-type bags, or maybe find some type of biodegradable bag to use instead. The glass just makes so many more shipping headaches... they're fragile and heavy. I'm thinking to continue offerring jars and bottles locally but selling on the shop only things that can be packaged differently.

Progress Pics

Now that the kids are napping, I'm posting pictures instead of winding that last skein...

Enjoy!

Finishaphobia

So what's the deal? I am *almost* done with my Tilted Duster (IK Fall 07). I finished the skirt portion and just have to knit the collar, attach buttons, and sew on the sleeves (which are already knit and blocked)... but I started another project. Crazy, I know. But I have to wind another skein of yarn in order to work on that, and the baby is just too clingy today to let me set her down long enough to wind an entire skein into a ball. So I started on the Hoodie Baby Blanket for a friend who is due in about 7 weeks. My mom is making her a sleep sack out of the same yarn so they'll match. Nothing exciting, just Bernat Cottontots. The yarn is really soft. The sleeper is just a really light blue and the blanket I'm making is a variegated yarn - blue, white, yellow, and green - with solid trim. I'm hoping she has extra blue left over from her project that I can use for trim so I don't have to buy another skein. Sneaky, aren't I? Anyway, I'll post a picture of both the sweater and the blanket later. I'm tired of my computer freezing up when I try to upload pictures. Blah.

Reversible Cable Rib Scarf

I am writing up a pattern for a reversible scarf with mini cables on it. I am in need of a couple people to test it, any takers? I'm not at home so I can't post a photo, but it's really pretty easy.

I have a few patterns in my head I want to get out, but with the new congo opening up October 7 I am finding I have little time to knit. Plus I'm trying to finish up the Tilted Duster I started last fall. I'm only a couple repeats on the skirt away from starting the collar, and then I just need to sew on the sleeves. Hooray!

I've sewn 3 diapers already for stocking the store, I think one will be a FFS item and another may end up in a collab with One Bum at a Time. I would have another done probably had I not broken my needle sewing a bag for dh's trip to the Boundary Waters out of his old Carharts. I was doing well until I tried sewing in the drawstring so it didn't come out. That snapped it, and I can't find the ones I just bought, they're probably buried on my sewing desk underneath the fabric scraps I've got there. I'll try to post some pics if I can get my computer to stop freezing every time I try to upload.

Super Duper Raffle

I've been meaning to post this for a week or more... There's a lady on a yarn list I'm on who I hear has fabulous yarns. She's having a raffle on her blog, and you can enter to win a huge slough of yarn. If you have $ in your PayPal... tickets are cheap and would be well worth it!

Cable Rib Dishcloth

Here's an easy pattern for a dishcloth that isn't so boring to knit your eyes cross, yet simple enough to be nearly mindless. :) The pictures aren't that good as it was nearing evening when I took them and we use CFLs and they make for crummy pictures. (I keep having problems getting blogger to upload my pics without freezing, so I'll try again...)


Requirements: Approx 1 oz Worsted Weight Cotton Yarn
Size 7 straight or circular needles
Tapestry Needle

Pattern Notes:

Cable 2 (c2): Skip the first stitch on your left needle and knit into the front of the second stitch. Without dropping it from your needle knit into the front of the first stitch. Let both stitches fall off your needle.

Cable Pattern:
Row 1: k4, (p1, k2) 10 times, p1, k4
Row 2: k4, (k1, p2) 10 times, k5
Row 3: k4, (p1, c2) 10 times, p1, k4
Row 4: k4, (k1, p2) 10 times, k5

Directions:
Cast on 39 sts. You may adjust your stitch count for a larger or smaller cloth as long as it remains a multiple of 3, plus 9 (in this case 10 x 3 = 30 + 9 = 39)
Knit 4 rows garter stitch
Work Cable Pattern 9 times.
Work row 1 of cable pattern once more. Work 4 rows garter stitch and bind off.
Weave in ends.

FOs

I figured I should at least post pics of what I have finished so far...







And the reason I haven't had much time to blog...


Well, my computer keeps locking up when I try to upload the picture. Basically I have a 20'x20'x12' hole in my backyard. We're remodeling... again. :)

Long Time...

Well I've been meaning to post...

I got some llama yarn in the mail the other day. Man, is this stuff soft!!! I'm excited to use it and want to use it on myself (since I never make anythng for myself) but am having a hard time committing to a pattern. Maybe I'll just hoard it for awhile. :)

What else, I'm just finishing up some projects, my Tilted Duster that I started last November and some Christmas gifts. I'm trying to be ahead of the game this year, I have my sil, fil, and mil done, just leaving my bil, mom, dad, 2 bros, and sister. So... I've got a ways to go yet. What I SHOULD be doing is getting some things prepped for Serenity Tree's Grand Opening on October 1. I am so excited and hope to start gaining a fan base. I do have to figure out what I'm going to do with my website, but that's another story.

New and Exciting News

So my big new is... in October I am going to be joining a HyenaCart Collab called "Serenity Tree" with several other ladies. Our first stocking should be somewhere around Oct 1. I am very excited because I think this will be a good opportunity for things to take off a little for me. We will be actively advertising, plus there are some other more established WAHMs there.

Other news, I finished up Em's Shetland Shorty yesterday, though it had a bit of a mishap. I was letting my toddler help me with weaving and trimming ends and he cut the corner of the tie off... there were a few minutes of sheer panic, and a good hour of unstable emotions, but it's all fixed, washed, blocked, and drying.

Oh, other exciting news, I am officially selling Turtle Butts now. I mailed the licensing agreement back to Adorabubble Knits this weekend. Hoorah! It's a neat pattern, very unique and quite adorable. The nice thing is it's something cute you can do for boys too. Most "cute" patterns are girly (her reason for doing this pattern in the first place!).

First Dye Job

Well, I decided to take the plunge and dye up the skein of yarn I have had sitting around meaning to dye for a couple months. Here's what I ended up with:














I grabbed "tropical punch" because the package is blue (I was in a hurry) but uh... it's really red. So I had 2 red colors and one yellow. I wanted rainbow yarn so I used blue food coloring and then after I microwaved it the first time I was unimpressed with the yellow...














...so I added some yellow food coloring.














Because of that the yellow is a little uneven, I had transferred it from wax paper on the counter to a Pyrex dish for microwaving so I didn't get the yellow uniformly through the yarn. Oh well, live and learn right? I was going for a rainbow and would say that's pretty much what I got. A little uneven, but that's ok with me. I don't like color pooling so I guess unevenness should help, right?











Skeined up... Mini-Swatch

Now I just need to figure out what to make with it, it's about 4 oz. Suggestions?

After the Weekend

Well, I made it home. I was up in Grand Marais for the North Shore Dragon Boat Festival in Grand Marais. It was fun, but our team didn't do so well. Anyway, it created a bit of a pinch to get things done, but I did it! I had a few orders last week that I got off and I'm so proud of myself for it!

While I was gone I made a new drawstring for dd's Turtle Butt (it actually ties now), started one for ds, and plugged away a bit on the Shetland Shorty I'm working on for SIL. So now I've spent all morning on the computer reading about the Ravelympics and figuring out what projects I'm going to make, which means figuring out what I'm making everyone for Christmas. I've also got to work on some web development stuff here. I'm working on my diaper and wool pages on my computer and will wait until they contain most of what they need to before I put them up live. Stay tuned!

Victory

La la la! I figured out how to post a photo!

Anyway, here is Turtle Butt all done. It's on my babe at this very moment, and oh how I love 100Purewool. The only problem is my drawstring was too short... imagine that. I always make my drawstrings too short because I don't want to "waste yarn". Customers' drawstrings are always fine, it's just my own. Anyway, isn't it cool? I have to make another now for my toddler. I think I'm going to do it with the same brown and a blues/browns variegated yarn (Patons "Wedgewood" colorway) only switch up the pieces so the inside of the turtle squares will be brown instead of variegated.

Anyway, I have to get the kids to bed. Dh is gone until probably after 10 so I get to do all the fun stuff tonight. :)

Website Update

I have been toying with switching up my website. I have been doing the coding on my website myself and find it hard to learn html while taking care of young children - I just don't have the time. So I was considering changing from a dotcom (well, dotnet) site to using either HyenaCart or Etsy to sell my wares. Well I was messing around with my files on my hosting account and found out I can do some editing there, and can put in pictures. That was one thing I was really having a hard time with, getting pictures to link properly. So after discussing cost with my husband I've decided to give it a little work and see if I can't get OneBigHappy.net up and functioning, at least a little better than it has been. I feel like once I have a relatively decent website set up I can really start promoting myself a little better and might actually make a bit of a profit once in awhile on it.

So, keep your eyes peeled... diapers and woolies will be making their way onto my website soon!

Pattern *Swooning*

There is something wrong with me, it must be a serious disease. I saw a picture of a Danish Tie Shawl and I'm in love. I should blame it on SpiffyKnits, but I don't even know her. I think I got to her blog from MVFF because she donated a raffle prize. But seriously, I HAVE to make one! It's so cute... and extremely functional. See, I live in the frigid north... Minnesota, USA... and it gets cold here. And in case no one has noticed, all things living-related are costing more and more and more (ie natural gas to heat my house). That said, we keep our house at a balmy 68 degrees Farenheit during the daytime, and 65 at night. With that information one can see the practicality of having a shawl around the house, and with two kids, a shawl that stays put is even better.



On to other news, I got a couple of things done on Friday! I got a batch of lip balm made, but not enough to fill the order I have at the Color Wheel Salon. Bah. I didn't have enough containers on hand... which reminds me I should run and go pick some more up tonight. I also got the lotion made for the raffle, but she didn't give it away... so I don't know if I needed to do that or not, but it's done. I was kind of proud of myself for that one! And I got a picture taken. The bath bag and facial bag both come with a hand knit washcloth and I got two of those knit over the weekend. I made a Vine Lace Washcloth for both of them, I am pretty happy with how they turned out. The pattern was a little putsy at first, and required paying attention to what row you are on, but they're cute. I "blocked" one a little and was disappointed to see that it looks like the color in the yarn ran a little. I used a natural colored yarn that has little sections kind of "painted" in light blue, purple, and pink. (Note to self: Figure out how in the WORLD to post photos.) I do still need to make some cold cream because I have an order for that. Seriously, it's some great stuff. I have a friend who can hardly use anything to clean her face because she breaks out or gets a rash, and my cold cream works for her. It makes me proud. :)

Progress... Or lack thereof

It seems things never get done as they should. I have yet to make the lip balms for the shop, the kids keep getting "in the way". I have a toddler and an infant and getting anything accomplished can sometimes be a real challenge.

I also need to get a picture of some stuff over to Martha's Vineyard Fiber Farm. Her uncle was injured terribly and she is raffling off her entire fiber stash to raise money for his new wheelchair. It's amazing. You can read about it on her blog. Anyway, I'm donating a bath bag (bath salt, almond lotion, lip balm, and hand-knit washcloth) as a raffle prize. It's not much, but I really want to help them out, it's an amazing story. I'm also going to buy a ticket and secretly hope with all my being that I'm the grand prize winner! I don't know what I'd ever do with all that yarn, but I might just stroke it and build shelves to admire it.

I am also testing a pattern for Melanie of Adorabubble Knits, her "Turtle Butt" pattern. It's a soaker and has kind of a turtle shell design on it. It's knitting up pretty quickly. Now that I'm about to divide for the leg holes we'll really see. :) As soon as I figure out how to upload a picture into the text space I'll post a couple pictures.

About OBH

One Big Happy was started in the fall of 2006 selling soft baby carriers (wraps and slings) and natural(ish) bath products. I have since moved into diapers and knitting wool covers - knitting has become my love. I could spend hours on Ravelry drooling over yarns and patterns, it's really pathetic. I make diapers using the Rita's Rump Pockets pattern and knit using the Adorabubble Britches pattern and I really like them both. The diaper I can put on both my infant and my toddler with no probems. The britches have a fantastic fit, and Melanie provides stellar support.

As far as my bath products go, I love making them and feel so much better about using them than the commercial products out there. Someone contacted me with concerns about using borax as the emulsifier, but the information I find about it's safety is conflicting (imagine that!). I'm looking for a different emulsifier and might try Dr. Bronner's Castile soap, but I'm not sure how to find the correct ratios except by trial and error, and it gets expensive to use that much oil if you're gonna just throw it away.

Anyway, my lip balm rocks and I really need to make some. A local beauty shop buys it from me (her son loves it for his exema) and she needs some. With everything that has been going on lately I just haven't had the time to make more. I do have the tubs and I *think* all the ingredients, so we're just waiting on a spare hour when the kiddos aren't in the way. :)