Heavens.

I've been horribly remiss about updating this blog (okay, that sentence was just an excuse to use the word remiss. But I have been bad about updating.).

There isn't too much to report, unfortunately. My camera has finally given up the ghost, so no new pictures until I get a new one (and heaven only knows when that will be). I'm still baking rather regularly (made a batch of chocolate chip cookies only today, in fact, and they are delicious) and knitting when I find the time. The time is tragically rare this month as Nanowrimo is sucking all my free time at the moment (I say like I mind).

Of possibly interesting note, the laundry detergent I made back in January is still going strong. That's right, I'm still using the same batch I made back then. It's amazing and wonderful and I love it. It's a good thing it's still going, too, as my food processor has also given up the ghost (complete with sparking and horrible burning rubber smell!) so I can't make more until I get a new one of those. Alas.

Hm, I guess that wasn't very interesting, either.

I'll do better next time!

My adventures with homemade laundry detergent

Short answer: it works!

Longer answer: I based my recipe off one found on Instructables (I've lost the link or I'd provide it--but you should be able to find it easily enough by plugging "homemade laundry detergent" into Google or another search engine!). Rather than follow the recipe that user posted (it included a few ingredients I wasn't interested in), I used a similar 1:1:1 ratio to make my detergent.

3 bars of Ivory soap, 3 cups washing soda, and 3 cups borax all chopped up in a Cuisinart later, I have enough detergent for...many loads. I don't know exactly how many (somewhere around 70?), but I only need 1/8 cup or the finished product to get my clothing nice and clean, so it should last me a while.

The washing soda and the Ivory do a lovely job of getting my clothes clean, although I've discovered that the Ivory doesn't dissolve quite as well in cold water as I'd like. This might be user error, though, as I didn't chop it up particularly finely. Further experimentation will tell. Still, it's more a minor inconvenience than anything else, since most of my clothing goes on a warm/cool cycle, rather than cool/cool (and never hot/hot). In tepid and warm water, the Ivory dissolves fine, even coarse chopped as I have it.

I'm still not entirely sure what effect the Borax has on my clothing specifically, but I will say this, my washing machine smells and looks much fresher than it's been since it arrived. I've noticed--especially recently--that the barrel smelled vaguely stagnant. Sort of that just-beginning-to-get-mildewy smell that crops up in washers sometimes. Two loads with my homemade detergent later and the washer has completely lost that stagnant smell. I don't recommend sticking your head in your washer to check the scent after using this detergent, but if the cleaner smell of the washer itself is any indication, my clothes are probably cleaner, too.

So all in all? The homemade detergent is definitely worth the 10 minutes of effort put in to putting it together. I'm keeping this habit up, that's for sure. The cleaner clothes are the best part; at this point, the lower cost of the product is just a bonus!

Yeesh. I finished three projects (only have pictures of two so far, but that'll change soon enough) and forgot to post any of them until now. So here's a quick run-down.



I am lovingly calling this my snowfall scarf. It's a long, skinny scarf made with two strands of yarn held together and knitted as one. End result is a super thick, super cuddly material that's nice and cozy. It's got a really need variegated look to it, too, even though neither yarn actually is. This one went zooming off to a friend in England, but I think I need to make another one for myself.



And here's the finished ribbed scarf. This one is meant for a friend in Canadaland, but I need to find an envelope or something to put it in, so it's still here.

I don't have pictures of the third yet, but I'll get them soon!

Knitting needle and crochet hook case!

At last, somewhere to put these things other than a plastic bag (with holes in the bottom! I was constantly losing needles and hooks!).

Totally winged this, from start to finish. Just need to add a couple ribbon ties and it'll be about as done as done gets. Other than being a touch too short (like that really bothers me much), it's just about perfect. And with extra pockets, I've got room to add to my needle collection! YAY.



The wide pockets on the bottom are perfect for my circulars. :D And I finally have a place to put my DPNs where I can find them easily!

More baked goods

Final Fantasy 4: Sabin, Edgar bearclaws.
A normal bearclaw (Sabin) wrapped protectively around a Kahlua cream (Edgar) filling.



Persona 3: Koromaru cookies
Lavender-Vanilla cut-out cookies
Lavender represents loyalty. Koromaru directly references Hachiko, so I thought it appropriate.

Bit of a project image dump

Seeing as it's been a good two months since I last updated with what I'm working on, behold, a whole pile of things I've baked over the last several weeks. (And I promise, I won't be this slow next time. Maybe.)


Feed Me, Seymour teacakes
A teacake recipe using nettle tea, paprika, cinnamon, and nutmeg (all of which stimulate hemoglobin production, and are used for heart health).

That's right.

They're Little Shop of Horrors teacakes. (Super tasty, too. Despite the fact that they're not particularly sweet, my neighbour's two-year-old grandson apparently loved these. Too cute.)


Avatar: The Last Airbender cupcakes
Representing the four nations in icing.

...Conclusion: I really need a decorating set. I hate trying to pipe out of a ziploc bag.


Albert Silverburg (Suikoden 3) cupcakes.

These have maraschino cherries hidden inside!


Persona 3 drink themed cupcakes (Mad Bull)

I'm still working my way through the different drinks found in Persona 3. Originally I was going to tint these a pale green, since Fuuka seems like the type to drink Mad Bull, and I thought I'd use these double duty, but um. Green made the dough look mouldy, so I chucked that idea.


I've also made Kahlua-filled bearclaws, pomegranate schnapps cookies, and sourdough bread (which didn't come out so hot.), but I don't have pictures of any of these things, so you don't get to see them. Sorry!

A post about knitting? What?

Just a picture of my current stash-busting project.



Gonna do another set of ribbing in the middle, and again at the end.

The Joy of NOSHING

Recently, I've leapt back into the culinary science of baking. (It's chemistry, but tasty!) My latest "creation" (if you can call it that) is the tried and true recipe of banana bread.

Sans nuts, alas, since my roommate hates them, and we both have to eat this.



There's only one piece left! ...So tempted....

There are advantages to knowing people.

Friends have moved in down the street. To my shock (and delight!) they called me up to say they had a bit of yarn for which they had no use, and would I like to have it?

Naturally, I said yes.

Oh, if only I had known what I'd gotten into.

I now have roughly 200 pounds of yarn in very large bags (some of it, unfortunately, is so badly tangled and knotted I can't use it), and I am told that there are "four or five" large bins, equally full of yarn.

...I am...full of glee.

Behold!



WALL OF YARN.

Spinning

Thanks to the (terrible, horrible, awful, no good, bad) influence of Sheff, I am learning to handspin. Just when you think playing with wool can't possibly be any more fun (I mean, come on, knitting is fun), you realise you can also play with GIANT PILES OF FLUFF, and it just gets that much better.

So I'm working on spinning up this massive pile of floof she's brought me with much glee and many exclamations of "IT LOOKS LIKE COTTON CANDY!"

Pics forthcoming, to be very sure.