༺ Rose, Bouquet & Violin ༻

January was full of adventures here at the farm. I continued to work on my perfect goat's milk soap recipe, finally got some patterns written, and have started learning to play the violin !

The sound of the violin has always a favorite of mine. It seems sweet yet powerful somehow. I had played the clarinet in my youth, so taking on a different instrument sounded like something I could do. This violin was a find from Craig's List. It is a student model, but I think it sounds lovely. Some beginner books, DVDs, and many YouTube videos later, I'm actually playing scales and songs after only a few weeks. It is fun !!

My other recent accomplishment has been getting crochet patterns written for my popular roses and bouquet wraps. I had been asked many times if I offered these patterns for sale, so once I had a few weeks to give the task some attention, I finally got them written and posted in my etsy shop's pattern section.

I made this arrangement a few years ago after finding this pretty vase at the dollar store. I thought it was such a pretty ivory color with gold accents. Roses can be put in vases like this, or in bouquet wraps, or even just given as single stem gifts.

Next I'm back to working on soap. I have a good recipe with hibiscus and lavender flowers that I just need to get poured into a log mold and cut. That's my next goal for the winter !

❤ What Makes You Smile? ❤

This time of year one of my favorite things to do is to dig through my small stash of holiday decorations and wrapping materials in search of treasures. As I unwrap the breakables I am smiling and enjoying each of my little festive figures.

Each one brings back memories of special people and the happy times we spent together over the years. This Santa is ceramic but he looks like carved wood. I imagine he's bringing this pine tree in from the woods.

Here are my other Santa figures plus a cute Santa mug. We had a set of Santa mugs when I was a kid, and when I found a pair at a garage sale a few years ago I was so happy !!

Besides Santa figures I also enjoy Snowmen. My siblings and I usually made Snowmen as part of our day of play after a big snowfall. We also sledded and made snow angels. Generally we got very cold and got some exercise, but that's not the part I remember as much.

Snowmen look jolly and happy I think. They wear nifty scarves and hats, and have carrot noses. Here are my little figures, which each year remind me of all the fun snow can be.

I hope all my family and friends are enjoying their own holiday traditions this year and making lots of their own smiles.

༺ Knit Bonnet with Ear Flaps ༻

What are you working on this winter? I'm trying to knit my perfect dream hat !! Here is how it is progressing so far...

This is a prototype of the hat I want to create. It has some flaws, but also some great features. Let me explain.

An age-old problem I've always had with hats is that they usually completely flatten my bangs. Any regular beanie hat annoys me that way. Either that, or they don't keep me warm, such as a hood with flappy open sides. I want a hat that can be layered under a hood or bulky scarf, yet can stand alone when it isn't too cold outside.

I found some bandanna hat patterns and bonnet hat ideas. These seemed closer to what I was thinking of, so I decided I'd try building from a basic form and create just what I wanted.


This hat works pretty well. My bangs stay nice, it keeps my ears warm, and there is room in the back for my hair. I even found a nice acrylic yarn that is actually warm and not scratchy.


I do need to fix a few things. The flaps don't lay perfectly yet, and when putting it on there is a moment of confusion as to which side is the front and which is the back. These challenges are being worked out in my next attempt to knit the perfect dream hat !!

Someday when I've created a good model I'll list these hats in my etsy shop. Hopefully someone else out there is looking for a knitted aviator ear flap hat too !!

☂ Beanie Hat ☂

What to do with extra sock yarn? I'm trying a few projects, including using the yarn to knit a beanie hat. This one is knit on a size 2, 20" circular needle. I think I might try an even smaller needle next time to create a tighter weave. Knitting involves a lot of trial and error !

The pattern I'm using starts at the brim. I cast on 128 stitches, then joined in the round. After a rib pattern of K2, P2 for 5 inches, I changed to K4, P2. I'll continue this way for a total of 12 inches. Then I'll start the decreases for the crown.


I think next time I'll do a few rounds of Purl periodically to add more interest and to smooth out where the ribbing pattern changes. Every project just feeds ideas for the next, or so it seems !!

♪ I'm Expanding ♪

Nope, not in the weight department. Been there, done that !

What I do mean is that my etsy shop will soon feature more types of items. Previously my focus was only on crocheted flower products. I had patterns, plus finished flowers, bouquets, arrangements, appliques, etc. As my readers have seen, over the past year I have begun dabbling with knitting and soap making. So I decided my shop should start including more items from these new craft interests.

My shop name used to be "Crochet Bouquet'. To better reflect my product expansion I have changed it to "Fiber & Suds". Just to be clear, the suds part refers to soap, not home brewed beer ! Who knows though, that might be in my future.

It will take time to add knit and soap items to the shop however. Knitting takes a great deal more time than making crocheted flowers. I haven't decided what to post exactly, but it will come to me. The soap will be of the goat's milk variety, both scented and unscented. Soap has to age before it ships, so these products will also take time to establish.

So stay tuned and thanks for keeping up with all the crafty activity coming from our Colorado farm !

❤ Goat's Milk Soap ❤

Making soap is like most things, it requires the right tools and lots of upfront preparation. This week I made my very first batch of soap, and it actually worked !! Here are some of the highlights.

The first task I undertook was to research how to make milk soap. The library and on-line resources gave me lots of tips. Next I went to a few local thrift stores and loaded up on the necessary supplies. I filled two big plastic tubs with stuff, from stainless steel pots, to spatula's, measuring cups, ice cube trays, towels, a thermometer, and soap molds.

LOL, my patio vegetables are still making fruit inside. Check out the flowers on the tomato plant.

My recipe was very basic: Olive Oil, Coconut Oil, Goat's Milk, and Lye. I made half just like that, then tried to get fancy with the other half of the batch. To that I added Clove Scent, Poppy Seeds, and Cinnamon. Here are the two batches in their molds.

I tried a few experiments with the second half, such as putting Cinnamon or Poppy Seeds at the bottom of the molds, and stirring Cinnamon into the soap once it was poured.

After 24 hrs in the molds, I froze them for an hour which made it pretty easy to pop the soap out. Next I needed to cut the large block, and use a vegetable peeler to soften the edges. Don't the muffin ones look cute, like little cinnamon tarts?

Finally, the soap needs to cure. Over the next few weeks I'll rotate the bars and watch as they get harder and better. Before long the Goat's Milk Soap will be ready to use. This was a fun experience !!

༻ Fall Colors ༺

Fall has lasted a very long time this year, so a number of flowers are still tempting my camera. Here are a few shots from around the yard this week.



I'm not going to complain - another day with flowers is certainly a good day.

Be watching for my next posting. I have begun a new adventure: making homemade goat's milk soap !! The first batch is curing on the table beside me and in a few minutes I'll remove them from their molds and take a few pictures. Details next time !