It's FO Friday and for the first time this year, I find myself without a finished project to share! However, I've gotten lots of goodies in the mail recently which I haven't had a chance to blog about, so this seems like a good time to enable share.
In preparation for the Great Craft Room Reorganization (more on that later), I ordered some of the new cedar blocks and sachets from Knit Picks to test drive:
I also stocked up on Lavishea bars since they were having a buy 3, get 1 free sale (today is actually the last day - just put 3 bars in your shopping cart and then enter the scent you'd like to get free in the comments section at check-out...you're welcome!). Anyway, I ordered my tried-and-true Lavender bar, and then three new-to-me-scents to try out: Aloe & Clover, Vanilla Jasmine and Orange Pomander. I'm pleased to report that I am digging all three scents, but my new favorite is the Aloe & Clover - it's nice and fresh!
I also wanted to try the new Lavender & Eucalyptus cuticle salve:
For many years, I have been using the Burt's Bees lemon butter cuticle cream every night before I go to bed. If I skip just a few nights, my cuticles become ragged and yucky, so it's definitely one product I absolutely can't live it out. I actually really like lemon scents (I'm addicted to the Fresh Sugar Lemon line of products), but at bedtime, it's not terribly relaxing. I'm really hoping that the Lavishea salve can get the job done since it has a much more relaxing scent.
Last but not least, the new issue of PLY magazine arrived this week! It's all about spinning silk, which is something I haven't explored too much. Even though I'm not a vegan by any stretch of the imagination, I sometimes have issues of conscience when it comes to things like leather and silk. That's not to say I don't own some items which are leather and silk - I can't claim to be that pure - but I always try to find an alternative whenever possible, especially when it comes to leather items (full disclosure: I have spun some prepared silk-blend tops, and I do have a fair number of yarns which contain silk in my stash....see what I mean?). Anyway, I'm looking forward to becoming better informed about the production of silk!
On a more general note, I think it's really important to know how and where things originate, especially if it involves a something which was once living. Most ecosystems are built on a hierarchy of animals eating other animals - it's just a fact of nature, although it's a fact that personally bums me out. Hence, I've been a faithful vegetarian since college - at least I have control over what I choose to eat! Of course, I don't think it's realistic to expect the world at large to make the choices I've made, and if other folks choose to consume animal-based products, I'd rather they go into "a stomach that respects it," as an old college friend used to say. I know that not everyone bothers to find out whether or not the hamburger they're about to eat was ethically raised (and that sometimes it's just not possible without a trip to the actual farm a la the Portlandia sketch below), but I find it encouraging that many more people are starting to take notice.
In preparation for the Great Craft Room Reorganization (more on that later), I ordered some of the new cedar blocks and sachets from Knit Picks to test drive:
Last but not least, the new issue of PLY magazine arrived this week! It's all about spinning silk, which is something I haven't explored too much. Even though I'm not a vegan by any stretch of the imagination, I sometimes have issues of conscience when it comes to things like leather and silk. That's not to say I don't own some items which are leather and silk - I can't claim to be that pure - but I always try to find an alternative whenever possible, especially when it comes to leather items (full disclosure: I have spun some prepared silk-blend tops, and I do have a fair number of yarns which contain silk in my stash....see what I mean?). Anyway, I'm looking forward to becoming better informed about the production of silk!
Ooooooh silk! That should be a fun issue of Ply, though I do understand your reservations. Someone at my LYS had some cocoons and demonstrated how to crate silk hankies with them, it was interesting but made it very clear how dead the insects were.
ReplyDeleteI should try a Lavishea bar. I'm in the process of preparing to open an Etsy shop selling my own handmade lotion bars, it would be interesting to see how they compare!