I picked up the needles again

I must blame the bad snowy/rainy weather for making me pick up needles again. 

I started on this:
http://deliciousstitches.blogspot.com/2007/05/lillian-tank-top.html

I don't have the correct yarn or needle size, so I guessed - we'll see if it works out. I'm using Wool Ease, and size 7 circs.  Just because thats what I had on hand. 
I am also following size SMALL, because thats the size I want to be.!!!

Laundry Detergent powder

I made a batch yesterday....
1 bar of Felsnaptha (or other laundry bar like Zote, Castile etc.) soap
1 Cup Borax
1 Cup Washing soda (or you can use PH up for swimming pools)
1/2 Cup Baking Soda.

Grate up the bar of soap, yesterday I used my food processor to do this for the first time and it was super fast and easy.  Mix in all the other ingredients and you're done.  Use 2 tablespoons per load.  It works out to 20c - 27c per load, depending on how much you paid for all your ingredients.

I purchased more ingredients at walmart at the following prices:

Felsnaptha = 97c each

Borax (76oz) = 3.36

Washing soda (55oz) = 2.77

Baking Soda (4 lbs) = 2.16

The cost per batch of soap for each ingredient:

Felsnaptha = 97c

Borax = 37c

Washing soda = 46c

Baking soda = 13c

Total of $1.93 for the batch

 

Cost per 2 tablespoons (load) laundry = 7c

How to make Fizzy bath bombs...

Dry ingredients:




1 cup baking soda

1/2 cup citric acid

1/2 cup corn starch

1/3 cup salts (I use a mix of epson and dendretic (sp) salts)



Mix those in a bowl together.



In a small bottle with a lid mix:

2 1/2 tablespoons oil (I use wheatgerm oil but any will do)

3/4 tablespoon water

1/4 teaspoon fragrance oil

1/4 teaspoon borax

Dash of color



put the lid on the bottle and shake like crazy.



Now you'll get your hands dirty...



One hand mixing, other hand pour little tiny amounts of the liquid, stop every now and then and mix up with BOTH hands. keep going till all the liquid is gone.

You don't want to pour too much as the moisture will set off the citric acid. so pour slowly.



you can then press it into a mold, I press it in nice and firm, wait a minute and turn it over and they pop right out.



They need about a week to dry out, you can also do what I do and warm the oven up to around 100 or 150 and put them in there (turn the oven off and just leave them there for a while) helps to dry them a little faster.

Spring

Spring has sprung, finally - well I'm not seeing any green shoots yet, but it will be soon.  

Some flower bulbs I planted last year came up this year, I can't wait to see the flowers - I believe they were orange and purple.

I've started a few veggies, but I need to wait a little longer, I can only put them out in the garden toward the end of May - so I don't want to start too soon.
I have some interesting seeds coming from Baker Seeds... Rainbow Corn, Blue podded peas, Purple Beans and Purple Cauliflower.  Can't wait to see those fully grown.

I'm thinking about buying a pressure canner, much as I'd love an "All American" I think the "Presto" is more my price range.


I do have the book "Putting food By" and have been reading it on and off for a year or so. 
  Lots of handy tips, and it seems pretty straight forward and easy to understand, there are even a few recipe's I might like to try. 
I'm not much into making jams and jelly's - but canning veggies would be really handy to be able to do.  
Next check I get - I'm getting the presto and a canning kit.