Time to head back to bed.

Finished soaps.

These lovelies are destined for a Bramble Berry swap that I’m running a little late on hence the two late nights of soaping. Tomorrow will be packaging and labeling night and then shipped off to the Bramble Berry headquarters where they will be distributed to their final recipients….other soapers. That right there is probably the scariest part about a swap like this. I can’t wait to see their soaps but I’m terrified what they will think of mine. Really it’s to try out Bramble’s different scents but it’s like a peer review. And so many of them are really really impressive soapers. I’m definitely feeling out classed.

Finished soaps.

For me this wasn’t only about the swap. I’m looking for new, creative, and inspiring ideas for my shop. Pineapple Cilantro is definitely a scent I wouldn’t mind coming home to every day. It reminds me of my honeymoon in Mexico with virgin pina coladas and the now defunct Illuminations green pineapple cilantro candles.

Unfinished cut soaps.

Layering soap definitely is a challenge for me. The sad little laser thermometer I bought last month does Not show accurate temps so mostly I’m going off of how thick the hot soap is and how hot if feels to the touch. Definitely tricky but I’ve got a few tricks for fixing layers that don’t stick. Hot “soap glue” administered with a pipette works wonders or dipping the whole layer and reaffixing it to the bottom layer. It’s a little like brick work….sort of.

I’m also rather proud of my new soap cutter. A sheet of thin aluminum and a plastic miter block from the hardware store. It worked perfectly and I’ll attach a “handle” to the aluminum to make it easier on my hands. This of course wouldn’t work for cold process soaps with the aluminum but there are plenty of other options out there for cutting cold process soaps and I needed something for glycerin soap.

Layer 1 green, layer 2 white, layer 3 clear yellow, layer 4 white with clear yellow soap balls, layer 5 green, layer 6 gold mica sparkles and clear yellow soap balls and white sparkly with drizzled green squiggles, layer 7 whipped sparkly white soap drizzled around the embedded soap balls and squiggles, gold mica sprinkled on top.

Here I used up the leftover several times over whipped soap and green soap along with some unscented pink, blue and turquoise soap balls I had sitting around. The whip is a bit too soft for soap but if I used it for bath bomb cupcakes it would be perfect.

My aunt actually sparked my interest last Thanksgiving when she gave my mother one of her Fun Fur combo scarves that she makes for people at her hospital. Per my usual “I could make it better” attitude, that had already sucked me into jewelry making, I dove into a fun filled year of yarn hording. Here is how it went.

In January I picked up some yarn and knitting needles and went to work on my first scarf.

About half way through I got excited about scarves, blankets and socks when I started searching the internet for knitting blogs so it was back to the store for more needles and yarn.

Jarrods Hemlock blanket, pictures 2 and 3 above, was just so pretty that I had to find the pattern and those lovely blogs led me to Ravelry.com. Depending on how you look at it this is a fiber freaks heaven or hell. There is a whole community dedicated to crazy knitters and crocheters.  By the end of February my yarn stash had grown from a few balls of yarn to bags boxes and bags that were taking over the dinning room and desperately needed a more organized storage system. So I bought a three drawer rolling storage bin thinking that would hold me but my yarn packed the three drawers and I still had a box of supplies. Then came the crazed spring months when I discovered the wonders of Etsy.com and joined a knitting group from work.

By the time I went to my first knitters meeting I had 2 scarves, socks, and 3 blankets started. Our group leader was surprised at how many projects I had going but to be fair I had a lot of happy energy fueling my efforts and no kids at home….except the husband. I think he enjoyed the free time to play more video games on his new ipod. All spring I horded fancy hand made yarns and then discovered another facet of this fiber world, felting AND spinning. Now I was collecting roving too! and lusting after fiber fairs with spinning classes. Shortly after this another fiber craft surfaced in the form of weaving. Unfortunately, I have to work for a living and don’t have near enough time in my day to do all the fiber and jewelry crafting I would like. Instead I sit at work and day dream about projects that I MUST do TODAY! and that leads to more yarn purchases that are relatively easy with that Oh So Helpful internet. Ravelry was not helpful with a zillion fun swaps that I had to mail all over the country. In May my obsession was de-railed with 8 wonderful days in Hawaii where I just couldn’t bring myself to knit even though I was crazy and signed up for Sock Wars III even though I had never completed even one sock. Back at home I completed my last swap for the year with a hand knit dish cloth that proved to me that small projects were probably a better idea at this early stage. All three of my above blankets ended up on hold and my sock

was frogged. I did start a new sock but that didn’t turn out well either

so for now I’ll wait for more skills before attempting another sock. In July two wonderful aspects of my life changed. The office that was used for studying and wasn’t being used now that both James and I were finished with classes so we decided to turn it into

a craft room. We removed all the carpet, painted the walls blue, yes blue, and added wood flooring. The room is still a work in progress but I am looking forward to spending time there. The second was the discovery of how much I enjoy crocheting.

To date I’ve started about 9 shell pattern crocheted scarves/wraps three of which I’ve finished and two were gifts to friends. I also discovered that I love to start things but have trouble finishing things.

In September James and I headed to an Alpaca Farm Fair

where we enjoyed seeing the animals and I got to watch someone spin in person.

and they had pretty yarn that I had to take home.

The next weekend I got up nice to attend my very first spinning class. It was horribly unorganized and at someones home but I learned a little. Around that time I also wraped my own table loom after much grumbling and a lot of help from James. It’s really fun to weave but I now understand why people hate to warp a loom. IT IS A PAIN!!! My first project turned into a mouse pad for my dad and I’m sure he will never use it. Oh well. The second warp I did by myself with a lot of cursing and an emergency run for more yarn. It took about 6 hours while watching movies and I still haven’t started weaving.

Instead I’m working on another shell pattern wrap and a hemp pattern dish cloth both of which are so easy and I recommend to new knitters and crocheters.

So there is my year of fiber but I also started two other projects. The first is my own online stores at http://masoncj.etsy.com and http://indenturedmason.etsy.com for kitchen goods and jewelry.

The other was sewing, specifically for Halloween costumes but also for quilting. The craft room is really expanding!

Thankfully this year has been deemed The Year of Junk Removal and Organization.