Craft Gossip

Independent craft blog since 2007

Naya Organics

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hype_borderA couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure of meeting Kelsey of Naya Organics at a workshop she was teaching on organic body products.   While there, I also had the opportunity to sample some Naya products and I was impressed both by the products and Kelsey’s commitment to creating a simple and organic body care line.

Naya Organics products are founded on the philosophy of “Less is More” when it comes to your skin.  Everything that Kelsey creates is natural, organic, sustainable, and of course, cruelty free.  As our skin is our largest organ, what you apply to it is very important to your health and well being.

The Naya line consists of body scrubs, balms, and oils in a range of scents and essential oil benefits.  My favorites are the Bloom organic body scrub, which includes jasmine (my favorite!) and lavender buds for a calming combination; and the Linden Flower body oil.  The body scrubs are moisturizing without being greasy and the body oils absorb quickly and both leave just the right amount of scent on the skin.

Naya offers sample packs of the oils, scrubs, and a sampler with the entire line in addition to the full sized items.   Naya Organics products are available at select stores in the Bay Area and in several states, in addition to online.  Find more information and the full product line here.

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Pencil Knitting Patterns

Getting ready for back to school makes me think about pencil crafts, so let’s take a look at some pencil themed knitting patterns! 

I recently made a pencil on a circular knitting machine, and it was a fun, quick, easy project that uses little bits of leftover yarn (and if you don’t have yellow you can make it a colored pencil using whatever color’s your favorite). And if you want to make a bigger version check out this pattern from Orange Olive Road on Etsy.

If you want to knit a pencil pillow by hand, check out Sketchy, available on Ravelry from Shana S. Cohen. This one uses worsted weight yarn and has two size options and the choice to make a pencil with an eraser or a colored pencil. 

Pencil scarves seem to be the most popular kind of pencil knitting pattern, and there are lot of cute ones. This one from Cosy Craft UK mostly uses garter stitch, with some welts to add texture and what looks like an I-cord edging. It calls for DK weight yarn. 

If you want to go all garter stitch try this version from Emsley Co Creations, which uses five colors of DK weight yarn and just a little shaping to make the point of the pencil.

There’s also this fun, mostly stockinette so it looks like it curls a bit, pencil pattern that looks like it’s worked in chunky yarn from Little Knits Studio. This one uses just a little garter stitch and easy shaping for the point. 

If you don’t want a pencil scarf, how about some pencil socks? The No. 2 Pencil Socks from The Yarn Enabler are available from Ravelry and use five colors of sock yarn. They feature wide ribs to mimic the texture of a pencil and have options to be worked from the top down or the toe up. 

Needs Sharpening by Alexander Walker is a free pattern on Ravelry that uses five colors of sock yarn to make a sort of shortie sock. The little bit of black at the tips of the toes inspired the name. These, too, can be worked in either direction and are available in three sizes.