The One About Inori

I made more soap last night!

I unmolded it this evening. This is a castile shampoo bar. Castile soap is made from Olive Oil (and it’s damn expensive to make!!!!!!).

This is it all cut up into sample sized blocks. I made this batch with Goats Milk. It smells heavenly!

Next, a secret soap bar.

The colours were perfect! This is the first time I’m working with colours and the subtle swirls were exactly what I want.

HOWEVER………………………….

See the tiny white specks? Those are tiny little air bubbles.
I’ve read up different books and different websites and they are all so contradictory! Some say that the bubbles will be caustic and best to discard. Some say it’s only aesthetic.
Sigh.

I’ve emailed someone for help and hope and hope and hope and hope that the soap is usable! Otherwise I would have to dump it and it’s my FAVOURITEST batch yet! It smells heavenly and looks so good!!!!!!!

What a huge learning curve in making soap!

I’m going to end the post with a re-constructed sewing project.

A TABLECLOTH!!!!!!

This was how my dining table looked like.

Red is not my favourite colour.

We had a shower curtain that became toooo grubby and dirty at the bottom. So we bought a new one and dumped the old one.

The next day, I picked the old shower curtain out of the bin and decided to snip off the dirty bottom, washed it and put it aside to be used for sewing projects.

I collected more scraps of cloth and managed to put this together:

(spot the baby)

Yay! Blue table cloth with orange and blue edges!

The cloth was hard to sew, though, due to the nature of the fabric. It was slippery and the machine didn’t handle it very well. Therefore the cloth had very very very bad stitches. A lot of thread gathered on the underside and I can’t be bothered to re-stitch it. Just remember when you come to dinner, don’t look at the underside of the cloth. In fact, don’t scrutinize the cloth at all. Thank you very much.

Sunshine’s hair has been growing and her fringe is starting to poke into her eyes. Nad wants to keep her hair long (including her fringe!) and so I whipped this headband up for her.

As Mr. Nikon is in Nikon Hospital (costing me a bomb at the same time), I will have to ask you to pardon the low quality, camera-phone, grainy, out of focus pictures for the time being.

And you know, 18 month olds, with jiggly beans in their bodies, will never keep still for a photo. So ALL her photos are a blur.

She kept asking me, “Done??? DONE??? DONE????” when in the first place she had never kept still for me to snap any proper shots!!!!!!!!!!

Uh. She’s not used to the headband and so will tug it off her head after a few minutes. Have to get her to wear it more often so she doesn’t feel uncomfortable.

I miss Mr. Nikon although I’m also pissed off with him for being corrupted. He will only be back with us in about 3 weeks time. I wonder if he will be in time to capture Chubbs’ first few moments.

And oh… where has everyone gone? I got no comments on me posts past few days. Yous alls donch loves me?

First of all, I have to write that I received a very lovely package – a huge box of goodies from Debra.

I took photos of all the stuff in the box (Sunshine was standing beside me and “WOW!!!!!”-ing at everything I took out. And she kept saying, “NICE!” – uh huh… I don’t know who taught her that?)

I then packed all the goodies away.

Then my trusty little Nikon Shite threw a spaz and corrupted my CF card. This is not the first time it’s done it but this time it caught me UNAWARE. ARGGHH! I will never be able to show the package that Debra and her daughters put together for me! There were so many goodies! Including:

- A cook book

- Chubbie’s baby socks

- Chubbie’s new suit and mittens and booties set

- Hand knitted hankies by Debra! All BLUUUEEE!!!

- A soft blankie

- Sunshine’s socks

- A jigsaw puzzle for Sunshine

- Some yarn to knit Elmo with

- A packet of double ended clothes pegs (lol)

- A sign for the car ‘Baby on board!’

- A picture and a card drawn by Debra’s daughter, Bree.

- An alphabet set for Sushine (which she loves!)

I think that’s it. I might have left some stuff out. Stupid camera….

ANYWAY……… the alphabet set also meant that I had 26 new things to pick up after. So last night I whipped up this drawstring bag:

It now holds the alphabet set and Sunshine will have to learn to put all of them in after she plays with them.

Thank you, Debra. This came at a great time – she enjoys ‘naming’ the alphabets and will aid her in her learning!

Now to show you what I made for the Ravelry Project Bag swap.

I will only show you the bags for now as the extras would give the recipient’s identity away.

One Japanese Knot bag and one teeny pyramid pouch.

I added a closure for the knot bag as well as an internal zipped pocket.

This is how it looks like when you carry it:

I’m sending them out today. Hope my swappee likes them!
I’m done with all the swaps I signed up. Well, I only signed up for 2. Hahhaa. And it’s time I started to sew and knit for myself and my own family. I’m not planning to join swaps until at least 2 months or so later – and that’s only because the Ravelry Aussie Rainbow swap would be ‘BLUE’ by then and how can I resist a blue swap!??!?!

I’m also trying not to and resisting the urge to cast on new projects for other people now. Only knitting for my own family/ myself from now till……. further notice.

I managed to crank this set up for Chubbs in just 2 days. Which is quite a feat for me considering I’m a very slow knitter.

Name of project: 2 Day Baby Sweater

Yarn: Patons Merino Totem DK in Light Blue

Needles: Knitpicks 5.5mm

Cast on date: 18 March 2009

Cast off date: 19 March 2009

Learned: Nothing

Modifications: Knitted 4 more rows of garter at the bottom hem. Used DK weight and 5.5mm needles for newborn size.

Mistakes: None that I know of.

I know the pattern says it takes only 5 hours. But it’s hard with a screaming toddler around. Haha.

I have no idea what buttons to use or where to place them. Might crochet 2 or 3 chains and attach them to the front. It’s a little late for buttonholes now eh? If only the pattern had it stated that you have to add your own buttonholes.

Name of project: Koru

Yarn: Patons Merino Totem DK in Light Blue

Needles: Ivore 3mm DPNs and Addi Turbo 4mm DPNs

Cast on date: 19 March 2009

Cast off date: 19 March 2009

Learned: Nothing

Modifications: Used 4mm needles instead of 4.5mm. Was afraid that 4.5mm might make the hat too big for newborn. I also did 2×2 rib instead of 1×1 rib for a snugger fit.

Mistakes: I may have missed out 1 or 2 decrease rows because I had more stitches than the pattern states. But it’s okay. I decreased to the correct number of stitches after realising the mistake.

I love this hat pattern. Really hope Chubbs will be able to fit into these items when he’s born.

These will be going into the hospital bag. Am still contemplating washing them. Hahaha. I’m so lazy!

I’ve completed the Aussie Favourite Colour Swap on Ravelry and waiting for Monday to come to post it out. Here’s a peekie:

I made a project bag, a teeny bag, hand dyed silk/wool lace yarn and that skein is Malabrigo Silky Merino in colourway Nocturnal.

The two soaps are from TheSoapDish. I’m currently using the Sandalwood soap (concurrently with Honey Oatmeal and sample pieces of Green Apple and Lemon) and I loveeeeeeeeee it! The Sandalwood soap smells sooo strong and aromatic that my entire living area where my sewing desk is, smells of it! I cut it into a few small blocks and will sew some organza pouches for them and will hang them in the bedrooms as room scenters. Hope that works!

I thought the package was a little bare so I decided to add this:

Some body lotion with bath liquid.

Hmm, come to think of it, my swappee would have at least half a year’s supply of bath/shower products!

I’m having a little performance anxiety now… most of the other participants knitted or crocheted something for their swappees. I didn’t want to as I would have taken way too long do knit anything and I hate knitting with a dateline – takes the joy away and adds stress!

I normally work very well under stress but knitting is not work. It’s a form of relaxation for me.

I’m almost done with the Project Bag Swap too. Just have to sew the little pyramid pouch for this swappee and the package will be ready to go. Perhaps on the same day as the Favourite Colour one.

I wouldn’t be able to post a picture of that until she receives the package though as it contains a couple of items that would be a dead giveaway as to who the recipient would be. I will, however, post the picture of the two bags I’ve sewed for her once I’m done sewing the small one. Hopefully by this weekend!

On an unrelated note, I’ve been experiencing Braxton Hicks Contractions. I don’t remember having it with Sunshine although Nad said that I had. Probably a much milder and at a lesser frequency I guess.

It makes me feel like I want to poop sometimes. But most of the time it just feels like a mild menstrual cramp.

He’s still kicking and moving violently in there. He’s much worse than Sunshine. At least Sunshine didn’t make me feel so BRUISED. This is Mummy-Abuse, I tell you. Sometimes he can make violent movements for up to half an hour non-stop. Rest for a little while, and start again.

I can’t wait for him to be in my arms. He can kick all he likes then.

Ok. Time for bed. *Yawn*.

I’ve seen quite a few of these Japanesque bags around online and was tempted to buy the pattern books for them but I wanted to save money. (I’m such a good girl!)

So I decided to reverse engineer it. This is the first time I’ve done something like this.

I am pleased to say that it was a success! After hours of maths and thinking.

That’s where my good maths skills come in handy.

I made a teeny prototype at first and then when that was a success, I made the life sized one.

I am making this for the Ravelry Aussie Project Bag Swap. I am going to make it in my swapper’s favourite colour of course. I hope she likes it!!!

Meanwhile, this bag is all mine and it is already housing my Anisette Shawl (WIP).

Close up on the cute wittle hippopotamus button!

Oh, I am not sure if I am allowed to post a tutorial of this bag on my blog if it’s not my original design. Although the instructions and steps would be from me…. but I did not design this bag. I would love to provide a tutorial but am really not sure of this and I don’t want to get into trouble. I will check with others and let you peeps know. Do leave me a note if you know anything about copyrights, please. Appreciate all advice!

Ok, this is where I have to rush through this blog post – Nad woke up and wants to go grocery shopping NOW. NOW NOW NOW. -___-

I made this box a few nights ago following a pattern from a Japanese sewing book. (The same book as the one I tried to follow instructions for the pencil case before.)

I modified it a little – made it bigger and added a button.

Fabric was from Spotlight (I LOOOVEEE the mushrooms! Mogu mogu!)

The strap to go around the button is actually a hair-tie. Lol. Make use of things around the house!

The button was bought by my mum from Singapore. Finally found a use for these cute little pig shaped buttons!

And this is what it’s holding right now:

Yep! Thread!

Itobako ( ??) means thread-box in Japanese.

Finally have an organised stash of thread.
OK GOTTA RUN!!!!!!!!! CYA!