New soap and body product classes

Joan Morais, a certified aromatherapist and instructor, is teaching some great classes this year!

Here’s just a sampling:

NATURAL SKIN & BODY CARE PRODUCT MAKING COURSE
JULY 23, 24, 25, 2009 Last one for 2009!
Thurs, Fri, & Sat, 9:30am-4:30pm
Courtyard Marriott, Fairfield, CA

Learn how to make body lotion, anti-oxidant facial cream, anti-wrinkle eye balm, purifying facial toner, facial cleansing milk, and more.

NATURAL SOAP MAKING COURSE
AUGUST 9 & 10, 2009
Sun & Mon 9:30am-5:30pm
Courtyard Marriott, Fairfield, CA

Learn how to make cold process soap, goats milk soap, marbled soap, honey, oats, herbal tea soap, shea butter soap, moisturzing complexion soap, hand milled, rebatched soap, shampoo bar, and even a pet shampoo bar and more!

NATURAL SKIN & BODY CARE PRODUCT MAKING COURSE -intermediate level
OCTOBER 16, 17 & 18, 2009
Fri, Sat, & Sun, 9:30am-4:30pm
Courtyard Marriott, Fairfield, CA

This course is for those who have taken the beginner level course and will teach more advanced techniques to lotion maing and aromatherapy, as well as perfumes, body oil, massage oil, and deoderants.

Glow: Create Your Own Aromatherapeutic Skin Care Products and Candles
OCTOBER 25, 26, & 27, 2009
Kripalu Center for yoga & health
Stockbridge, Massachussetts

Please visit her website for more detailed class descriptions and registration info.

Looking for a herbal shampoo? Check out our DIY recipe for making your own natural herbal shampoo with basic supplies. We also have a herbal conditioner recipe too. Home-made shampoos and conditioners are a great way to strip back to basics and control what herbs you are putting into your hair shampoo and products. Store-bought herbal shampoo contains lots of numbers and ingredients that as the consumer we know very little about.

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Knitwear designers can get inspiration from almost anything when it comes to re-creating a color scheme, an image or a texture in stitches. Sometimes the inspiration isn’t always obvious in the finished project, but sometimes it’s more literal.

That’s the way it is with the Tin Ceiling Blanket from Purl Soho. Not just because the inspiration is in the name, but if you’ve ever seen one of these old ceilings you can see that the design of the blanket is quite similar to the pattern of the tin tiles.

This is also a good example of the idea that you don’t have to use fancy stitch patterns or lots of color to make a big impact with your knits. This single-color blanket (designed by Gianna Mueller and inspired by a washcloth and towel set designed by Sandi Rosner) is made completely with knits and purls, other than slipped stitches at the beginning of rows to make neater edges.

The pattern is written out row by row, but there’s also a chart, which means this project is a great opportunity to practice reading a chart where you can check your work against the written pattern if you need to.

It comes in two sizes, a crib blanket and a throw. The yarn used in the sample is an organic cotton sold by the cone, which is a great way to get a large quantity of yarn and have fewer ends to weave in. In fact, you can knit either size of the blanket with just one cone of yarn, which isn’t inexpensive but makes you a great, sturdy, heirloom quality but still washable blanket you’ll use for years to come. (Of course you can use any sport weight yarn you like to make this blanket.)

Check out all the details and grab the free pattern from Purl Soho.

[Photo: Purl Soho]

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