Lip Balmed!

Yesterday was a whirlwind of activity, as hubby had a doctor’s appointment 2 hrs away, which meant that I could make hay while the cat was away (I know, one of my mixed metaphors!) Many chores got tackled, including the making of lip balm.

I no longer need body moisturizer, since switching to Dr. Woods coconut milk soap, but lip balm I use all the time.  I had been using Sierra Bees lip balms, which are inexpensive enough and organic.  But with 2 empty tubes, I decide to Google to see if they are recyclable. I used to toss empty tubes into the recycling bin, but if hubby’s around, he catches me out on what can actually be recycled, as I want to toss *everything* into recycling.  So, this time, I decided to check first.

It turns out there’s apparently 200 million lip balm tubes removed to trash each year, as the tubes are too small - they clog up the machinery.  Egads.  So, these tubes will get reused until they no longer work properly.

I then checked online DIY recipes.  I had made a small batch years ago, which was also just about used up, but I’d forgotten how much of what I had used.  I do remember that the recipe was a bit of a hassle.

One recipe was super simple - 1 TBL each of shea butter, coconut oil, and beeswax into a microwaveable container, stir, then pour into jars or tubes.  Other recipes used cocoa butter instead of shea, some added raw honey, many added essential oil for scent/flavor, one recipe used a double boiler, but using the microwave makes it a quick process, with far less clean up.

As I was out of shea butter, and I have no sweet almond, avocado, or jojoba oil on hand, I substituted 1 TBL of grapeseed oil which I do have, but the mix ended up too oily - it wouldn’t set properly, so I scooped it all back out, and remelted it with an additional TBL of beeswax.  This blend turned out perfectly.  

So, 1 TBL each grapeseed oil and (solid) coconut oil, with about 2 TBLs of beeswax filled 2 small glass jars, which I use at home, and refilled 2 lip balm tubes, to use when going out.  When the tubes need refilling, I can remelt the mix in one of the jars.  

The cost was almost nil - the jars I had (one was a jam sample, the other was a face moisturizer sample), the grapeseed oil was a gift, the beeswax came from what was left of 2 handmade rolled beeswax candles I made 20 or 30 years ago!, and the coconut oil was here, as it’s the only oil I use for my occasional scrambled eggs. 

The microwave method is SO quick and easy, I will experiment with more formulas, and as small glass jars are easily available, they could make nice stocking stuffer gifts!
Onward!
Dawn  

Need More Hands!

It’s been over a month since I’ve posted, but the autumn whirl has begun, trying to get enough yarn and handwovens ready for the winter season!  Lazy winter days won’t occur until after tax season next February or so.  I am sure I’m not the only one who’s perhaps busier than they’d prefer!

A set of 4 weft-faced rugs are on the floor loom, though just one rug has been woven thus far, because, once the small loom arrived, I’ve been trying to keep it warped and scarves woven off.  

Yes, I did have a 16” RH loom for a short time, then sold it – it was too large for scarves, but not large enough for towels.  The 10” loom is perfect – I should never have tortured myself about buying the 16” loom, but, like many other weavers, I was trying to only buy one loom to make too wide a variety of fabrics.  

The weft-faced rugs are slower to weave than my usual rag rugs, but the effect is worth the time.  The hard beat that rugs need does mean it’s noisier than weaving regular fabrics, so I don’t work at the floor loom when hubby has a headache, which is quite often.  I don’t want to add to his pain.  

So, the small loom is an ideal addition to my business, as it’s quiet and very quick to warp.  And, perhaps because I have been a knitting designer for so very long, I *love* to chart weaving drafts as well!  In a short time, I’ve charted 65 drafts, just for plain weaves. I love the interplay of color.  

With stranded color pattern knitting, the secondary color(s) are held to the wrong side, so the color charts are pure for lack of a better word.  In weaving, the yarns interlace.  Two colors interlacing can give the effect of a third color, and even a simple draft can look complex when using 3 colors.  It’s magical!  And something I don’t think I’ll ever tire of doing.

In between weaving, I try to keep the bins stocked with several weights of handspun Falkland and Romney wool yarns.  I’ve spun other finer wools, like Rambouillet, Merino, and Polwarth, and many other fibers from camel down to cotton and horsehair, but I find spinning the Falkland wool to be such a pleasurable experience – it’s soft enough to be pleasant to wear, yet has a long enough staple length and excellent prep which is easy to spin.

Romney has always been a favorite, one of my first, and one day, I’d like to spin enough to weave a blanket or 2.  In the meantime, it’s wonderful for handknit socks, which I wear almost all year long.

I may be imagining it, but I find the socks knit from Romney, or other long wools, seem to breathe better than, or resist retaining moisture better than, socks knit with softer wools.  I love Lamb’s Pride, both the worsted and bulky versions, but I find that they can feel damp during the day, requiring changing.  This doesn’t happen with the Romney pairs.

The change in activity from weaving to spinning is surely better for the body than making the same motions every day, and I do love to spin.  It allows my mind to relax and wander a bit, where if I did that when weaving, the patterning would go wrong, requiring un-weaving, which no weaver wants to have to do.  So, weaving requires much more concentration, which can be tiring.  I could probably spin all day long, but weaving is best kept to about 3 hrs.

I’ll post pics soon of what I’ve been making, with links to my Etsy shop.  I’m working up a small pile of scarves at a time, which I will wet block and lay flat to dry en masse, then sew on labels.

May all your work go smoothly and may you still find time to relax during this busy season!
Happy Autumn!
Dawn